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| retreived from http://www.elpasotexas.gov/ |
Swimming Benefits Begin in Youth
Everyday two children aged fourteen and under die from drowning. This makes death from drowning one of the nation’s leading causes of death for children, second only to automobile accidents. In addition, for every one death, four children receive emergency department care for submersion injuries. Children aged one to four are at most risk for drowning in a swimming pool while older children and teenagers are at most risk for drowning in a natural water setting. These facts from the American Medical Association alone offer great reasons to teach our children both water safety skills and swimming techniques before they enter kindergarten.
Many reasons propel families to undertake lessons to learn to swim. Safety is foremost, but we also realize that simply knowing how to swim does not ensure a child will not drown. Accidents can happen in a split second and any skills we can provide to prevent drowning incidents are of great benefit. We often give the rules of water safety, but without understanding the underlying dangers, these rules can be simply more words spoken to children. When we tell our children to stay out of the pool when no one is around, this does not ensure that someone will not fall in and panic, not knowing how to safely paddle to the side and climb out or even to float on their back until help arrives. Drowning can also occur in the home setting, in the bathtub, toilet or bucket of water, if proper instruction and parental supervision is absent. It is imperative that respect for water be taught early in a child’s life.
The health benefits involved in swimming are enormous. It increases cardiovascular fitness, develops strong muscles, increases endurance, places little stress to the joints, and improves coordination and motor skills. It is also beneficial in relieving stress and maintaining a healthy body weight. It can be done throughout one’s life, from early childhood until advanced adulthood and does not discriminate between gender, race, or athletic ability. Swimming is sometimes referred to as the perfect exercise regime because it is a total body workout, without the drawbacks associated with repetitive or injury prone movements such as running or weight inclusive exercises.
Swimming can be a time for family fun, for relief from the summer heat and as a wonderful social activity. Confidence and self-esteem are great side benefits as swimming skills increase and enjoyment for other water activities enter. Diving, organized swim teams, boating, rafting, surfing, water-skiing and aerobics are fun activities that can be enjoyed when the opportunity arises. During the swim lessons themselves, many friendships are formed, both between the students and the parents watching the lessons. Children learn patience as they wait for their turn and responsibility for the safety of others in their group.
Babies have muscle systems that develop under buoyant conditions within the fluid environment of the womb. This pre-birth immersion negates the force of gravity, which directly relates to swimming becoming a natural act for human beings. In addition, more than fifty percent of our body mass is water, which results in needing only a small effort to swim and float. It would seem that water activities progress in continuation with our human development. This could be a reason that young children show no fear of the water. This fear is a learned response to negative events and experiences occurring while growing up.
In past years, swimming techniques were not consistent and many people were taught with the sink or swim theory. Perhaps this type of lesson forces a person to swim instead of sinking to the bottom, but a love of the water can be quickly replaced with a fear of the water. Often, parents who are afraid or who have not had many positive water experiences will pass this attitude on to their own children. Swim lessons today offer practical and successful techniques without the terror associated with an ill-trained instructor. Most city pools offer reasonably priced lessons with highly trained instructors who work with small groups of children in each ability level.
In the 2010 report, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends formal swimming lessons beginning somewhere around the age of four. At four years, children are hitting important developmental milestones, such as increased balance and agility, increased hand and finger skills and physical adeptness in kicking, throwing and catching. Swimming requires coordination of both the arms and the legs because different motions are needed. This helps with gross motor skills and higher level thinking skills as children learn to think about the movements needed. Lessons before the age of four can be beneficial for children who are around water often, who live in houses with pools or who show a particular fascination with water activities.
Parents often rely on floatation devices to ensure the safety of their children in water situations. These items are sold with warnings not to be used as protection in the water. They help children by providing artificial buoyancy but can also make the drowning possibility greater. With prolonged use of a life jacket or arm floaties, children do not learn how their own bodies feel while floating or while immerged in the water. Knowledge of this natural buoyancy increases self-esteem and swimming skills help to better protect us from the dangers associated with water. Strong warnings are issued to never substitute these devices for parental supervision, regardless of swimming ability.
Our Earth is comprised of seventy percent water, occurring in natural settings surrounding us wherever we live. Streams, lakes and rivers are abundant and oceans are wonderful destinations for many outings. Statistics show that the percentage of drowning incidents which occur in these natural settings increase with a person’s age. As our children grow and are exposed to a wider variety of activities, early lessons which provide beginning skills are evolving and can keep these incidents from happening.
Studies show that participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning for young children up to eighty-eight percent. Children who don’t learn to swim often develop a fear of the water. They can then become dangerous to others around them when they try to swim because they may panic and pull others under the water when a drowning situation occurs. As with most things, learning something as a child is often better than learning something as an adult. Children do not have preconceived notions of how they should swim and are easier to teach. As we grow into adulthood, these beginning skills can be refined and expanded. With all the different water related activities waiting to be enjoyed, why would we not want to equip our children with the skills they need to safely enjoy each and every opportunity!
Many reasons propel families to undertake lessons to learn to swim. Safety is foremost, but we also realize that simply knowing how to swim does not ensure a child will not drown. Accidents can happen in a split second and any skills we can provide to prevent drowning incidents are of great benefit. We often give the rules of water safety, but without understanding the underlying dangers, these rules can be simply more words spoken to children. When we tell our children to stay out of the pool when no one is around, this does not ensure that someone will not fall in and panic, not knowing how to safely paddle to the side and climb out or even to float on their back until help arrives. Drowning can also occur in the home setting, in the bathtub, toilet or bucket of water, if proper instruction and parental supervision is absent. It is imperative that respect for water be taught early in a child’s life.
The health benefits involved in swimming are enormous. It increases cardiovascular fitness, develops strong muscles, increases endurance, places little stress to the joints, and improves coordination and motor skills. It is also beneficial in relieving stress and maintaining a healthy body weight. It can be done throughout one’s life, from early childhood until advanced adulthood and does not discriminate between gender, race, or athletic ability. Swimming is sometimes referred to as the perfect exercise regime because it is a total body workout, without the drawbacks associated with repetitive or injury prone movements such as running or weight inclusive exercises.
Swimming can be a time for family fun, for relief from the summer heat and as a wonderful social activity. Confidence and self-esteem are great side benefits as swimming skills increase and enjoyment for other water activities enter. Diving, organized swim teams, boating, rafting, surfing, water-skiing and aerobics are fun activities that can be enjoyed when the opportunity arises. During the swim lessons themselves, many friendships are formed, both between the students and the parents watching the lessons. Children learn patience as they wait for their turn and responsibility for the safety of others in their group.
Babies have muscle systems that develop under buoyant conditions within the fluid environment of the womb. This pre-birth immersion negates the force of gravity, which directly relates to swimming becoming a natural act for human beings. In addition, more than fifty percent of our body mass is water, which results in needing only a small effort to swim and float. It would seem that water activities progress in continuation with our human development. This could be a reason that young children show no fear of the water. This fear is a learned response to negative events and experiences occurring while growing up.
In past years, swimming techniques were not consistent and many people were taught with the sink or swim theory. Perhaps this type of lesson forces a person to swim instead of sinking to the bottom, but a love of the water can be quickly replaced with a fear of the water. Often, parents who are afraid or who have not had many positive water experiences will pass this attitude on to their own children. Swim lessons today offer practical and successful techniques without the terror associated with an ill-trained instructor. Most city pools offer reasonably priced lessons with highly trained instructors who work with small groups of children in each ability level.
In the 2010 report, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends formal swimming lessons beginning somewhere around the age of four. At four years, children are hitting important developmental milestones, such as increased balance and agility, increased hand and finger skills and physical adeptness in kicking, throwing and catching. Swimming requires coordination of both the arms and the legs because different motions are needed. This helps with gross motor skills and higher level thinking skills as children learn to think about the movements needed. Lessons before the age of four can be beneficial for children who are around water often, who live in houses with pools or who show a particular fascination with water activities.
Parents often rely on floatation devices to ensure the safety of their children in water situations. These items are sold with warnings not to be used as protection in the water. They help children by providing artificial buoyancy but can also make the drowning possibility greater. With prolonged use of a life jacket or arm floaties, children do not learn how their own bodies feel while floating or while immerged in the water. Knowledge of this natural buoyancy increases self-esteem and swimming skills help to better protect us from the dangers associated with water. Strong warnings are issued to never substitute these devices for parental supervision, regardless of swimming ability.
Our Earth is comprised of seventy percent water, occurring in natural settings surrounding us wherever we live. Streams, lakes and rivers are abundant and oceans are wonderful destinations for many outings. Statistics show that the percentage of drowning incidents which occur in these natural settings increase with a person’s age. As our children grow and are exposed to a wider variety of activities, early lessons which provide beginning skills are evolving and can keep these incidents from happening.
Studies show that participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning for young children up to eighty-eight percent. Children who don’t learn to swim often develop a fear of the water. They can then become dangerous to others around them when they try to swim because they may panic and pull others under the water when a drowning situation occurs. As with most things, learning something as a child is often better than learning something as an adult. Children do not have preconceived notions of how they should swim and are easier to teach. As we grow into adulthood, these beginning skills can be refined and expanded. With all the different water related activities waiting to be enjoyed, why would we not want to equip our children with the skills they need to safely enjoy each and every opportunity!
