How many of us worry about all the risks surrounding taking our own children or little nieces and nephews to the pool? Pools can be a safe place for our kids if we first learn ourselves and then teach our children not to be afraid of the water and of course, to never leave them unsupervised. I’m starting this blog to share the information my husband and I have learned through the years and some of our personal experiences with our 4 year old son who loves the water and who now swims like a dolphin.
He started swimming lessons when he was only 6 months old. I can honestly say that I don't regret the hours spent at the swim school or in our own pool at home helping our son apply what he’s learned. The first week of swimming lessons was really stressful and we didn't know what to expect. All I knew back then was that swimming was very important for my baby and easier for him to start young. Now my husband and I are glad that we spent the time and experienced the bonding that occurred with Andrew while being in swimming classes.
I hope this information helps parents and teachers who are thinking about the real benefits of empowering our children to learn to swim at a very young age and also help with the development of their motor skills.
We are lucky to live in a climate where it makes sense to have a private pool and working in the water with children on a daily basis is possible (for 7- 8 months of the year). In most of the US this takes a lot of dedication and available time to get a youngster to a pool regularly and really isn't much of an option for parents.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great idea. My older son learned to swim early. He was a fish and loved the water. My youngest doesn't like to swim, but I'm signing him up for classes even though we don't have a pool. Birthday parties and summer fun can be dangerous if your kids don't know how to swim. Anyway, I figure once he learns how to swim, he'll love it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. Children are in the near future for me. I am glad I was able to read this post. I was able to gain a perspective on swimming that I never even thought about. Of course, that's probably because i don't have children... at least not yet!
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