The Benefits of Starting Swimming When You Are Young

TODDLER SWIMMING BENEFITS

Swimming provides multiple benefits to people of all ages. It gives you a total body workout whilst not placing strain on your joints. It is a great way to cool off during a hot day, and furnishes a wonderful way to socialize with friends.

While people of any age can learn to swim, the earlier one starts, the better, since it will produce a lifetime of this enjoyable exercise. When can one begin to learn? As soon as the umbilical cord is cut! Since babies come in a sac filled with fluid, they are a natural in water. However, it is best as a parent to spend time with the child simply floating and playing around, getting acquainted with how it works. Three years old is the ideal time for formal lessons in a class with other children, since that is the age when they are mature enough to understand and follow directions. If the toddler is already familiar with water, he or she will not be afraid of it.

Toddler swimming benefits are many. As a medium, water is virtually weightless, so they can fall without injuring themselves. The forgiving nature of water enables children to try new things and make mistakes without acquiring fear, since no pain is felt while they’re learning. Swimming assists in developing muscular and cardiovascular strength, flexibility, posture, coordination, and balance. Toddlers can learn to swim before they can even walk, in fact, those who are slow in learning can be assisted by swim lessons. Regular participation helps fight obesity. It enables them to grow up to become healthy adults, since it is an activity they’ll never outgrow; they can enjoy it for life.

Swimming improves emotional health. Water is a very soothing and healing medium, encouraging those in it to exercise longer. Anyone who has worked with children know how difficult it is to get them out of the water! Swimming improves mood, doing away with depression. It also helps that it can easily be incorporated into a social activity, such as a pool or beach party (swimming should never be done alone, anyway).

Swimming increases mental capacity as well. Toddlers discover how the world works around them, while learning to interact with others. The physical workout provides oxygen to the brain, enabling it to function better. Studies have shown that children who learned to swim early reach developmental milestones sooner, and score higher on tests once they are in school. Early lessons improve self – esteem, too; painfully shy children, even those who are autistic, have gained multiple benefits from spending time in the water. No doubt this is due to the parental bonding and social interaction early swimming lessons provide.

Most important of all is the safety factor. Drowning is the second cause of death for people ages 5 to 24. Introducing them to toddler swimming lessons will virtually eliminate this from happening to him or her, while maintaining their health in a most enjoyable way.

With so many toddler swimming benefits, there is no reason NOT to teach them to swim!

Source by Laura Skilton