Water Safety and the Benefits of Swim Lessons

By: R. Jenkins

Swimming carries many benefits and is lots of fun for the summer. Although, its important to teach kids safety around the water. Ten people die each day from unintentional drowning, and on average 2 of them are under age 14. While this is a very scary statistic, it is very real. Water safety is really important for younger kids to learn. This information and knowledge could possibly save their life. It can also help kids, especially girls, and kids with disabilities more about water and swimming too!

Safety

Considering 71% of the Earth is covered in water, swimming is a key life skill and should be paired with things such as first aid skills. Having your athlete learn to swim can help you feel more confident allowing a kid to do pool related activities. There are many water safety courses as well. They teach young kids and even infants how what to do in case of emergency. The YMCA, which has many locations around the country, offers water safety courses. If you are Austin located like Women’s Sport Society is, they offer 10 different locations! Not only would this help build confidence and safety, your athlete might even take a liking to swimming! In the class, children will learn exercises that allow them to feel more comfortable in the water. They will be taught skill sets if they unexpectedly find themselves in water. In addition, kids will learn how to help someone if they see someone in water who needs help.

Swimming as a Sport

Along with safety, swimming has a done of benefits as a sport for your athlete! Physically, it can provide a full body workout. It utilizes all the muscles in the body with the various strokes that are used. Also, it can improve lung capacity. Studies showed that in elite swimmers, they had more superior lung capacity than even a football player! Whew! Mentally, it increases attention, focus and lowers risk for depression. Swimming releases happy chemicals called endorphins. 74% of people reported swimming to help relieve their stress. Since swimming is anxiety reducing, it also improves sleep at night! Swimming is also a good option for kids with special needs. It is low impact so it is fun for all kids regardless of disability. Many kids with sensory issues enjoy swimming because of the calming experience. A 2015 study found that children with Autism enjoy swimming significantly more than children without Autism. Another reason why swimming is so great, it is a team sport as well as individual! This is great for girls who need a bit of both.

So what are you waiting for? At the very least, allow your athlete to learn some possibly life saving skills. It is important to keep children protected and prepare them for any scenarios that may come about. Getting your girl athlete involved in sports is so important! So why not swimming? Check out some local pools or YMCA’s to get your athlete involved.