Fall schedules are full of drop offs, pickups, endless activities, and figuring out who is going to be where and at what time. Compared to the seemingly lazy days of summer, fall is more like a never-ending game of Jenga. One wrong move with an activity or a change in the schedule, and the puzzle falls apart. So, when someone asks are you going to continue swim lessons after the summer, the answer is usually “How in the world could I fit that in?”
I get it! As a busy mom and businesswoman, I often find it hard to even get my own kids to swim lessons — even though I’m a SafeSplash Swim School franchise owner. However, there are several reasons I try my best to keep my kiddos swimming long after the summer ends.
Water Confidence
Not all children are afraid of the water, but the biggest challenge for most beginning and younger swimmers is getting over the initial fear. If you have visited a pool over the summer, you have already laid a great foundation for water confidence, and keeping up the momentum is so important! Your child’s familiarity with water will help them dive into lessons like a pro, so next summer they’ll be ready for a safe and confident swim season.
If summer passed you by without a visit to a pool, or if summer swimming isn’t your thing, don’t worry! If children are introduced to swim lessons early on, with the right teachers and safest approach, they will develop into strong swimmers. You won’t need years of summer swim lessons to feel safe with them at the neighborhood pool.
Laying Solid Foundations
Structured learning at any age has great developmental benefits, and like anything, swimming takes patience and repetition. Swim lessons throughout the year reenforces important pieces of the “learn-to-swim” puzzle, so children won’t have to re-learn every summer. With the right program, a child at any age can lay good foundations for strong swim technique later on. Most importantly, they will learn water safety! Whether your child was crying by the pool not wanting to get his face wet, or running full speed into the pool with no regard for safety, staying active in lessons will help you have a better summer next year!
Health and Psychological Benefits
Whether you are learning to float, blow bubbles, or working on the more technical butterfly stroke, swimming is great exercise. Swimming is excellent work for not only muscles, but also the heart and lungs. Swimming trains the body to use oxygen more efficiently, and I have seen this firsthand in my youngest child. When he isn’t regularly swimming, his body isn’t working to improve his lung efficiency, and his asthma acts up more. The moist atmosphere of a pool and the breath control work of swimming really helps him stay healthy.
My oldest does not have asthma, but I notice when she swims on a regular basis, it helps her in other sports. Also, if you’re looking for a mood boost, studies show swimmers report instant mood improvement, and class is a great place to make new friends and bond over great exercise and fun. Research from Australia found children who start swim lessons at an early age develop physical milestones, language and confidence sooner than those who do not.
More Individual Attention
The best part . . . usually lessons are less full in the fall and winter. Even in group lessons there may only be one or two kids so more bang for your buck!
I encourage you to try to shift that Jenga puzzle, and piece swim lessons into your fall schedule. It will be worth it.
