Toddler time is a wonderful time for every parent to experience. It is an incredible bonding experience with their little one as they play, learn and explore the world around them. One of the most common activities during toddler time is swimming with Mom or Dad. While this activity can be fun, it also has a number of benefits to a toddlers’ physical and emotional development. This practice encourages early water confidence and can create the foundation for a healthy relationship with water throughout a child’s life.
The Benefits of Swimming
Swimming can be a fun, safe and entertaining activity for every family and every child. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, swimming can be a terrific way to encourage children to be physically active and develop good exercise habits. Swimming also creates an opportunity to teach a toddler to relax around water, build water confidence and learn the important safety rules of the pool.
Toddlers are typically swift learners and have a lot of energy. Swimming can help toddlers release energy while learning new skills such as control, balance, and coordination. Teaching a toddler to float, paddle and even do the ‘doggy-paddle’ can help them get a good start on developing their aquatic skills.
Early Water Confidence
Swimming with a toddler encourages early water confidence and familiarity with water safety rules. This first-hand experience provides the building blocks for future swimming lessons. Young children are often more willing and able to learn then older children. Starting your child in the pool at a young age can help develop the skills and comfort needed to be competent swimmers later on.
By allowing your child to explore the water and get comfortable with their surroundings, a parent can help boost their child’s water confidence while also building their child’s interest in swimming. By creating a fun relationship with water, your child will develop a lifelong love of swimming and water sports that can last a lifetime.
Creating Memories
Swimming with your toddler helps create lifelong memories. It’s an exciting and fun experience for a parent and child to share. It’s a time to laugh, splash and play. Swimming with your toddler can create memories that your child will treasure for the rest of their lives. Not only can the two of you bond and grow closer while in the water, but your child will also carry the memory and lessons of a positive swim experience with them forever.
Building Safety Skills
Teaching a toddler to swim also creates the opportunity to instill important water safety skills. Start by teaching a child to always stay within arm’s reach of an adult. As your child gets older, you can begin to introduce deeper water safety rules and skills such as floating, doggy-paddling and the importance of having a responsible adult supervise them while they swim. Respect for the water should be always encouraged and children should be taught to never run near a pool or body of water.
To take full advantage of these benefits and to encourage early water confidence in your toddler, consider enrolling your child in a structured swimming class for youngsters. These classes provide a great opportunity for a child to become comfortable in the water in a highly supervised environment and helps to provide them with the necessary tools and skills needed to be a confident swimmer.
Conclusion
Swimming with a toddler is a great bonding experience for every parent to experience with their child. Swimming helps children learn valuable physical and emotional skills while also encouraging early water confidence. Teaching a child to swim can help create life-long memories and safe swimming habits. Enrolling a child in a structured swimming class is a wonderful opportunity to develop and refine a child’s swimming skills in a safe, structured environment. No matter the age, swimming can be a beneficial and enjoyable activity for every child and every parent.
