2 min read

An important part of raising children is teaching them about water safety and learning how to swim. However, as much as we all love jumping in the pool when the temperature heats up, we typically tend to avoid the water once winter rolls around.

Here are several reasons to keep those swimming lessons in full-swing for your child, even when it's time to bring out the scarves and gloves again.

Maintaining skills

In order for children to learn to swim, they need to be able to practice and grow their skills appropriately. As with any sport, practice makes perfect. A child who is given the chance to do this year-round will have a far greater chance of success over one that has little time in the water. Not only do regular lessons keep skills at their peak, it also prevents the complacency with technique.

Children learn by repeating tasks regularly. Allowing them to improve their long-term skills and muscle memory means you can better their chance at success in the long-run.

Confidence around the water

Continuing lessons through the winter months and building upon their skills enables children to learn how to handle themselves in the water. Accidents happen quickly and quietly at any time of the year, however children who are confident in their abilities will naturally be calmer in an emergency. Most swim schools teach kids about water safety and how to react in the case of an emergency, so attending regularly will ensure your little one is kept up-to-date in the most effective methods.

In more extreme cases, a child who is taken out of lessons for an extended period can potentially develop a fear of the water overall, which may prevent them from achieving goals in the future.

Increases fitness

Once the weather gets cooler, we tend to stay indoors. This also limits the amount of activity that children participate in, on average. Luckily, swimming can be done indoors, making it an easy way to keep the heart rate up, no matter the season.

A regular boredom buster

Being stuck indoors means it's harder to create activities to continually entertain our kids around the home. Swimming lessons give you a reason to get out and about, and keep little minds busy.

Pro tip:If you're worried about the temperature of the water when temperatures drop, head to your local heated pool. Most of these are indoors, meaning you can prevent the kids from being exposed to the cold air before they have a chance to dry themselves off.