With so many activities, lessons, and sports available, choosing how to spend your precious time and financial resources can be overwhelming. Is violin, soccer, dance, or ninja lessons better for your child? The case for private swimming lessons is a strong one, especially for parents in Utah who want to keep their kids safe in and around water.
Here are Four Benefits of Private Swimming Lessons:
1. Improved Safety
Water can be fun! In Utah, we are lucky to have pools in our neighborhoods and communities and numerous reservoirs. However, water safety is a crucial skill. Drowning is 100% preventable and yet, it is the leading cause of accidental death in children under 5. Of all preschoolers who drown, 70% are in the care of one or both parents at the time.
Accidental drowning can happen to anyone. Just think of how quickly children can make a mess, color on walls, or drop things in the toilet during a momentary lapse of supervision. That’s all the time it takes for a child to slip away and lose their life.
A child under 30 pounds can drown in under 30 seconds. Toddlers are curious and often very trusting of their environment. Staying safe in and around water requires multiple layers of protection, including active supervision, barriers (fences, locks, alarms), and effective survival swimming lessons that teach self-rescue.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by as much as 88%.
2. A Lifelong Skill
Swimming is a lifelong skill that provides exercise and enjoyment at any stage of life. It gives your children the foundation they need to actively participate in various activities from infancy through old age. They’ll be able to safely enjoy pool parties, trips to Lake Powell, snorkeling, boogie boarding, triathlons, canyoneering, rafting, kayaking, paddle boarding, and eventually water aerobics and leisurely swims in retirement. While your child might not be using their quarterback skills or jump shot at age 70, they will most likely still enjoy swimming.
3. Increased Confidence
Swimming lessons can be challenging! Many children find the sensation of water on their faces—eyes, ears, mouth, and nose—startling at first. They may also fear the unknown or resist working hard. Regardless of where they begin, your children can succeed in overcoming challenges. Parents often tell us that the confidence their children gain from learning to swim carries over into all areas of their life.
“…we have gotten so much more out of swimming lessons than swimming”
One of [my son’s] preschool teachers stopped me and said, “This has been the best week he has EVER had. He is so confident and social, it’s amazing.” That’s what I think – Amazing!
– June
4. Superior Brain Development
Did you know that swimming kids are smarter? Research conducted on children from Australia, New Zealand, and the US showed that toddlers who start swimming lessons earlier than their peers see significant improvements in motor skill development. These children achieve physical milestones faster and score better in visual-motor skills such as cutting paper, coloring, drawing lines and shapes, and many mathematically-related tasks.
Their oral expression (speech and vocabulary) and general areas of literacy and numeracy also improve. According to the study, the earlier the child started and the longer they remained in swimming lessons, the greater the gains!
Swimming lessons are not just another activity; they provide unique benefits that other sports cannot match. Most importantly, swimming is the only sport that can save your child’s life.
About SwimKids and the Author
SwimKids was founded over 35 years ago when a mother sought something better for her family. Having experienced some close calls in and around water during her childhood vacations, she wanted her kids to be confident and safe in the water. She found a program that taught survival skills to infants and children and soon enrolled to become an instructor herself. Over time, she adapted the curriculum based on her teaching experience and education in child development.
SwimKids’ success in teaching thousands of children to swim comes from striking the right balance between confidence and skills. We believe that being gentle yet firm contributes to our students’ success. At SwimKids, our students not only learn water safety but also fall in LOVE with water!
Kirstin Liddiard, the daughter of SwimKids’ founder and current CEO, is a mother of nine. She is passionate about continuing her mother’s legacy by bringing the BEST survival swimming lessons to as many children as she can. She strongly believes that swimming is more than just a hobby. It’s a life skill that enables children to exercise and enjoy recreational activities while guarding them from tragedy.
Visit www.swimkidsutah.com to learn more.
