The pool looks less inviting as the weather gets colder. Swimming can seem like the last thing on our mind at this time of year with the cooler temperatures and shorter daylight. No wonder many parents stop their children’s swim lessons during the winter.
Many local swimming pools in rural areas are closed during the colder months. They reopen in the spring.
Does it really matter if your child stops swimming lessons in the winter? Consider these things before you decide to stop.
The more time you spend in the water the better
First, a pause in lessons can quickly turn into a complete stop. It can also make it difficult to restart lessons during the summer, because children are trying to recall skills that they haven’t used in months.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the risk of drowning, especially for young children is always present.
In the autumn and winter, almost a -third of all drownings among children under five years of age occur.
Learning to swim is a strategy that parents can use to reduce their child’s drowning risk. This includes active supervision, limiting access to the water, and learning CPR.
40 % of children do not leave primary school being able swim the length an Olympic swimming pool. After age seven, the number of children taking swimming lessons drops significantly.
It is important to make sure that your child learns the necessary skills to stay safe around water.
In a 2015 study that I co-authored, it was found that the more time children spend in the water, the better they will be at learning to swim.
One benefit to continuing lessons during the winter is that it allows children to continuously and regularly improve their water safety abilities.
The benefits of swimming lessons for children include development in physical, cognitive, and language skills.
Swimming lessons missed too many times
If you stop swimming lessons during the cooler months, it is possible that your preferred time slot will be lost.
In an industry with high demand and long waitlists, you may lose your child’s spot.
The COVID pandemic has also had a significant impact on children’s swimming classes.
warns that too many children have missed their swimming lessons because of lockdowns, closed pools, shortages in swimming teachers and long waiting lists.
This could lead to an generation leaving primary school with no basic skills to stay safe and enjoy water in adulthood.
What about an intensive summer course?
Consider enrolling your child for a summer or holiday intensive course if you have to stop swimming lessons during the winter. Kids have daily lessons for a few weeks. This may allow your child to catch up on work after the winter break.
We must not lose momentum, given the nearly record number drowning deaths in Australia during the last financial year and the disruption of swimming lessons due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
It is important to give your children as many opportunities as possible to learn to swim. You could save their lives one day.
Amy Peden NHMRC Research fellow, School of Population Health & founder UNSW Beach Safety Research Group UNSW Sydney
This article has been republished by The Conversation with a Creative Commons License. Read the article.
Image: Peninsula Leisure and Deakin University
Research suggests that children should continue their swimming lessons in winter. Magazine.
