Swimming is one of the best exercises and most popular recreational activity for children and teenagers. It’s helpful for your mental health and also physical health. The benefits of swimming in terms of your Physical health because it’s overall workout that you need to use your overall body including your arms, legs and as well as concentrate on balancing when swimming. It can help you to burn calories and good for the heart. In terms of mental health, swimming helps you to de-stress because swimming encourages you to deep and concentrating your breathing, which makes you feel peaceful and relaxed, you can also enjoy the moments when you’re under the water and explore every sides of swimming and if you’re under the sea, you can also enjoy the view of corals and fish. Additionally, the sound of the water rushing by while you swim and help you to maintaining your focus and preventing distraction from the outside environment. The peaceful and calmness can helps you to reducing your anxiety and even stress.
It’s essential that every child should be able to swim and know how to survive in the water. Swimming lessons is suggested, especially for children over the age of one, It can help keep youngsters safer around water and reduce the danger of drowning, even though they cannot totally eliminate it.
But here is the question, What age should kids learn Swimming?
Most kids are ready for formal swim lessons when they are around 4 years old and above, depending on their developmental stage. Most kids can coordinate their motions by this age, which is essential for successfully swimming and kicking their feet, floating and doing swim strokes.
However, If you want to enroll your kids in swimming lessons at age between 4 years old and above, It’s the best approach to assist your child to overcome their fear of the water and get used to it. If your kids seems to enjoy and love swimming, you might encourage them to join a swimming club or a competitive swimming team near in your area.
First Things first…
There are 5 common Types of Swimming and Swimming Strokes you really need to know to teach your kids, and these are Freestyle/Front Crawl stroke, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Sidestroke and Butterfly, Here are some brief explanation and step-by-step process of how to perform the 5 common Types of Swimming and Swimming Strokes;
- Freestyle/Front Crawl
This kinds of swimming strokes enables you to swim longer without becoming exhausted. To perform the front crawl, You lay on your stomach with your body parallel to the water. Use alternating arm movements to push yourself forward like windmill motion that starts with pushing underwater and recover above water. You should move your legs with a flutter kick, which is executed with pointed feet while your legs alternately rise and fall. Refrain from bending your knees.
By tilting your head to the side when your arm is in the recovery position above water, this is the time to recover your breathing to meet your swimming strokes.
- Backstroke
This kinds of swimming strokes provides back workout and help individuals with their back problems. To perform backstroke, Floating on your back and alternating your arms in a windmill-like action to push yourself backward. Your arms should begin the circular motion by pushing underwater and recovering above water, similar to the front crawl. You should flutter kick with your legs. Look straight up with your face above the surface.
Maintain as much straightness in your torso as you can, Lower body to keep your legs submerged. Avoid bending your torso excessively or allowing your hips to sag too low to avoid slowing down. To get a stronger kick, keep your legs close together and kick from your hips.
- Breaststroke
To perform this kinds of swimming stroke you should start with your stomach down. In front of your body, your arms move in a half-circular motion beneath the water’s surface. Your legs need to perform the whip kick. To execute the whip kick, pull your legs from behind you and straight up close to your body while bending both at the knees and hips. Then your legs come back together after moving backward and to the side. The motion of a frog is frequently used to describe this swimming style.
- Butterfly
This is an advanced swimming stroke and provides you a great workout. To perform Butterfly stroke, Start with your stomach facing the pool’s bottom to execute the butterfly stroke. To move ahead, simultaneously raise both of your arms over your head, push them into the water, then raise them back up to the surface. You will raise your head and shoulders above the water as you lower your arms into the pool. Your legs will kick like dolphin’s lower body and tail, thus your legs must remain straight and joined throughout the action. Your body should be moved in a wave.
- Sidestroke
This is traditional Types of swimming, it’s not frequently perform in swimming competitions, but its is important to practice it for safety purposes. When saving someone, lifeguards used this stroke frequently since it’s easiest to drag something behind you. To perform Sidestroke, from the world it self you need swimming on your side, while using a scissor kick and alternating arm motions to go forward movement.
Meanwhile, It’s Important to learn multiple different swimming strokes because each one has different benefits in a different scenarios, whether you want to learn to swim for competition, exercise, or for safety purposes. Learning can be more challenging and demanding, but it is also a lot of fun and exciting.
Children need to improve on each swim stroke they can perform in order to become safer swimmers. Young swimmers will be able to navigate the water more effectively if they learn the different kinds of swimming strokes. Additionally, it will boost their confidence and avoid traumatic in the water. Keep in mind if you’re planning to your kids in swimming lessons, learning to swim does not make a child “drown proof.”
Never forget that learning to swimming is simply one of the important to prevent from drowning. When your child is in or near a pool or other body of water, you should always keep a close eye on them and don’t let your kids swimming alone, if possible you can join them or seat near in the swimming pool to be more safety and also you can bonding and enjoy swimming with your kids. Applying sunscreen in your body is very recommendable for you to protect your skin from sunburn and to avoid darking color of your skin.
You must read an article that is related about How to Teach Your Child to Swim to know more knowledge and safety purposes.
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Written by Alfred P. Alaba
