Can Teaching Kids to Swim Transform Their Lives?

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Swimming has gotten a bad rep through the years. Be it that it was associated with a certain class or race of people or seen as merely seen as a skill one could do without unless one ‘needed’ to swim or was on a seaside vacation somewhere. Swimming proficiency wasn’t something at the top of people’s priority list. But certain natural disasters in the west brought shone a light on how neglected swimming is, not only as a tool for fitness but as a necessary life skill. On average 4,000 people drown a year in the US alone, with 10 fatal drowning incidents being reported daily. Additionally, drowning is the leading cause of ‘unintentional injury-deaths in children aged between one to four. You might think that these children drown because they were left unattended, but according to the same statistics, 23% of these deaths happen when families are gathered near pools.

A Chinese Solution

Lack of swimming skills can be attributed to various reasons, from children coming from low-income families thus having no access to swimming facilities, to apathy towards a need for these skills. China is a prime example, however, of a confluence of both these factors. With most kids in China growing up in big cities, the need for learning how to swim doesn’t seem as apparent. And this is reflected in the statistics of drowning-related deaths in the country. Drowning remains one of the leading causes of death for kids aged 10 to 14 in China, second only to road accidents. In recent years, however, Chinese parents have taken up the mantle of starting a new culture of teaching kids how to swim as early as possible. Baby-parent swimming classes have mushroomed all across China, with it becoming the new trend in ‘good parenting’. Parents recognize the need to equip kids with this all-important skill as early as possible, just as they would with reading and writing.

But beyond thinking of it as an essential life skill, are there any other benefits to be gained from teaching kids how to swim? We spoke to Oscar Cai – water sports instructor, Sun Haijiao – Aquatic Physiotherapist, and Catalina Gutierrez – Physiotherapist, the dream-team working with parents and children at Beijing United Family Hospital’s (BJU) Aquatic Therapy Department. At this top-of-the-line facility, kids can begin to learn to swim as early as just a few months old, with various targets ranging from physical strength, improved motor skills, to encouraging rapid psychological development.

Let’s Break it Down

According to parents, there are several advantages to kids learning how to swim beyond the obvious.

1. It promotes motor development (including muscles and skeletons)

When babies are kicking, moving their arms, slapping the water, or engaging other body actions in the water, they need to overcome the resistance of water and work with buoyancy. The utilization of this energy in the water is more than what would be used up in regular land-based exercise, and the babies’ limited movement while on land is overcome due to the nature of the environment in the water.

2. It improves the baby’s sensory development

As the skin has a large number of nerves attached to it, the skin is the body’s largest tactile receptor. When babies engage in various movements and exercises in the water, they can feel what can only be described as the ‘wrapping and flushing’ of the water, which stimulates the nerve receptors. When they do a variety of moving exercises in water, they can feel wrapping and flushing to stimulate nerves. And the improvement of tactile ability lays a good foundation for the development of sensory integration and proprioception, or in other words, the awareness of the position and movement of the body.

3. Bonding hormone release

When a parent has their hands wrapped around the child to protect it, this form of body contact encourages the release of “hug-style” hormones or oxytocin, which is also known as the ‘feel-good hormone’. This hormone encourages an even closer parent-child bond, and stabilizes the baby’s mood!

Is That All There is?

There are also unexpected additional benefits. According to a research paper by Pan, C. titled “Effects of water exercise swimming program on aquatic skills and social behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders (2010)”, there are numerous benefits to be enjoyed from learning how to swim by young autistic children. The research paper concludes that “children with autism spectrum disorder (ADS) can experience enhanced competence and help understand movement. This, in turn, helps to improve social behaviors and fosters their interactions with other children.” Older children learning how to swim also improve their social skills. Learning a new skill in a ‘class’ setting encourages young children to rely on one another, allowing them to practice their social skills in making new friends and creating connections through a shared experience.

So, while the prospect of plunging your child into a massive pool without every bit of protective gear under the sun being strapped to them might scare you, it is important to check your fears, if only for the possibility of your child enjoying all these awesome benefits. Facilities like BJU’s aquatherapy department not only come with a highly qualified staff but have every safety measure you could imagine. And if you are a little shy to get into the pool yourself because you might be one of those left behind by the ‘swimming skills bus’, then you might use the opportunity to acquire a new skill as well, right along with your child. Talk about a bonding experience! Don’t be afraid to plunge in! I assure you, the water is just fine!

Images: Pexels

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