Little Lindiwe. Little Liam. It’s time for them to go to back to school, or even start their first day in childcare, kindergarten, or primary school. It also means saying goodbye to long balmy afternoons splashing around in the pool. And that’s more fun, most likely, than sitting in Mrs Jones’ maths class!

But… it’s not go-time yet! So, let’s look at some of the great benefits, and joy, your kids can get out of the pool, when they get in it!

P.S. Some of these tips aren’t for primary school kids, but for pre-schoolers and even babies, when back to school isn’t even a glimmer in their eye!

Take the plunge early.

Getting your child, even the little ones, involved in swimming early, encourages their enthusiasm to take up the activity for life. That means a healthy activity that will promote a healthier lifestyle as they grow up, and venture into the deep end of life.

Make sure they’re safe.

First and foremost, you must make sure your kids enjoy swimming in a safe and controlled environment. It goes without saying that the very little ones will need constant supervision and, most likely, grown-up participation. But older kids also need to be safe. They need to develop the skill and confidence they’ll need if they get into swimming pool danger. And, as sad as it is to say, drowning is a leading cause of accidental death in kids. So, the sooner you can teach your kids to be safe around the pool, the better! Back to school isn’t that different to a swim in a pool. They’re both healthy for the body – and the mind! People often associate exercise with physical development, and school with increasing mental prowess, but the corollary is true too.

Swimming develops your kid’s motor skills.

Swimming, even when they’re infants, has been scientifically proven to increase visual and physical motor skills, oral expression, and balance. It also reduces their risks of injuries. That’s what the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has to say, and they would know, thanks to their abundance of fjords!

Swimming’s physical benefits help kids perform better at school.

Swimming improves overall health by increasing the efficiency of your child’s heart, by building their muscle tone and strength, and offering a full-body workout that burns calories. It also strengthens lung capacity, thanks to swimmers having to hold their breaths underwater. It improves endurance, which is great for the other sports they’ll play at school. It improves sleeping patterns, because swimming tires the kids out, and will improve their alertness in school the next day. It even increases energy, and in the non-stop life of a kid’s day-to-day, that’s exactly what they need!

Swimming’s mental benefits help kids aim for the top of the class.

Swimming helps children learn to become more disciplined as they perfect different strokes. As they become more adept at the skills, they gain confidence in their ability to learn, and work out the stress of life as a child. Swimming also supports academic performance. A child’s cognitive growth, to be optimal, needs a safe environment and learning through guided play. And, according to studies, kids that start swimming at an early age achieve mental milestones before their peers. This is thanks to the instruction and sensory learning which kids are exposed to in swim lessons, and which translate into the learning they’ll do in the classroom. Swimming improves a youngster’s concentration. “Be quiet at the back,” thunders the teacher. But they won’t be talking to your young swimmer because swimming takes a lot of coordination to master, which, in turn, and, in the long run, doesn’t leave much room to focus on other stuff. Like throwing paper aeroplanes across the classroom!

Swimming builds character, confidence, and social skills, and, in life, one needs them in spades.

Swimming also teaches your kids other valuable life lessons. As they try, and then master, new swim strokes and water safety techniques, they’ll learn about the value of hard work, perseverance, and resilience. Swim teams offer children the opportunity to join an activity that encourages camaraderie and doesn’t exclude them from the excitement. Sometimes, a child without the right skills or talent, can be excluded, and won’t even touch the ball during a game, even if they’re on the field. With swimming, your kid is in the water and taking part! Kids can sometimes be wary of water if they aren’t used to it. Overcoming this fear can be empowering, and boosts confidence and self-esteem, which, in the cutthroat worlds of kindergarten and primary school, are essential. And, of course, although one might think swimming is a solo activity, it’s a great social activity too. You just must look at kids playing Marco Polo, splashing, and laughing, to know that swimming is a great way to foster peer-to-peer connection, whilst still packing in the fun! So, yes, it may be back to school for the kids, but before that happens, and because you want them to do their best in life, let them have that last bit of fun in the sun – and the pool!

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