You may not think of swimming lessons first when you list the activities that have the greatest positive effect on children, but maybe you should – and here’s why.
There are a lot of awesome benefits that swimming offers. The positive impact swimming lessons have on a child’s mental and physical well-being is pretty incredible. And these benefits solidify our belief that all children should become swimmers.
Science behind it.
According to American Psychological Association, “increasing competence in a person’s environment leads to the enhancement of self-esteem.” What they’re saying is that when any of us – including children – become skilled or accomplished in activities we regularly participate in, our confidence grows and we are more willing to attempt to improve and learn more new things.
When comparison was made among 15-year-old boys at a YMCA summer camp: those who learned to swim had a significantly more positive differential between their ideal self and their actual self-concept (personality).
That’s lots of scientific speak to say that learning to swim made them feel better about themselves. Significantly better.
The selection of learning to swim as a specific case of competence development was not accidental in this comparison.
Since swimming is almost universally recognized as a valuable skill, there is no great proficiency necessary in order for a person to feel that he has succeeded in this area.
Even when milestones in the learning to swim process are met, self-concept is improved.
- Propelling oneself through the water for a moment or feeling a sense of control in the water can produce a feeling of success for most children.
- Having the bravery to challenge the water for the first time in an attempt to gain control of oneself in a swimming pool can be powerful for a child’s confidence.
No outside approval is needed for the sense of mastery children feel in these situations.
Let’s look at how swimming lessons help a child’s personality or self-concept development from a more practical perspective using non-scientific language.
It’s a mental thing.
Swimming is indeed a great physical workout. But it is also a mental workout because it makes you feel that you’ve accomplished something. It helps you work off frustrations, relieve stress, and burn off energy. By playing a game or some other fun, pool-related activity, children get enjoyment from the water and that enjoyment helps them to push out some of their negative thoughts.
As adults, we understand this because we feel the exhilaration and relaxation produced by a few laps in the pool.
It’s a social thing.
It’s likely that trips to the pool mean that your child will be interacting with other children! Splashing around, playing games, learning to swim or other water sports games, you’re children will be in social settings with others. These situations help children to learn important things like taking turns, sharing, demonstrating skills, making new friends, leading others, accepting leadership from others, competing – and the list goes on.
Your child has the opportunity to become more comfortable around other children. And this – without a doubt – helps with personality development. And your child may just learn some new swim skills without even knowing it.
It’s a relaxing thing.
While swimming lessons aren’t a medically prescribed cure for anxiety, they do help a child (and even an adult) manage it.
Swimming helps children to burn off pent up energy. They enjoy the exhilaration of water activity and the feeling of accomplishment and have a better – and more accepting and accommodating attitude toward practically everything. They have been able to let go of frustrations and stress in the water and leave them behind as they go on with their day.
And if a child is fearful of water or swimming, overcoming that fear can help the child see that they can overcome other fears. This, in addition to learning skills, helps children to build confidence in their abilities and a trust in themselves to be safe around the water – and in every other area of their lives.
It’s a positivity thing.
All children get the benefits of a positive experience from swimming lessons, but this is especially true for children with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Sharing activities that promote positivity is especially important to their ability to build self-esteem and confidence. The challenge is that they may not get as much as exposure to swimming as other children do.
Swimming lessons, for that reason, are an important consideration. Swimming lessons can give them the same benefits of social, personality and confidence building and stress relief as other children have the opportunity to gain. Swimming lessons also provide an all-important safe feeling around the water and have some understanding of water safety rules.
Little Otter Swim School’s team members are passionate about teaching kids to swim and be safe as they enjoy the water. We’d love to share more of the benefits of learning to swim with you. Learn more about what makes Little Otter different.
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