5 Reasons why kids should keep swimming during wintertime
03/25/2021 | Written by Nikos Kaskaras in Kids
Many people believe that kids should practice swimming lessons only during summertime and then take a long break when winter comes. Well, dear parents, think again. There are indeed many good reasons why kids should keep swimming during wintertime and you should be aware of them. The myth of the so-called “winter break” is a fragile one. People are not bears. Our learning process should be active most of the time, if not throughout the whole year. Here, we present five basic reasons why swimming during winter times for kids is the best option.
Keeping stamina and health levels up
Swimming is a great activity for kids, providing them with numerous health benefits. It enhances their strength and flexibility, keeps their hearts and lungs healthy and improves their flexibility and strength. It is essential for all kids who are introduced into the world of swimming, that their practice should continue during wintertime so that they keep their rhythm going. The brains of the kids function like a sponge that absorbs information at a great scale, even greater than the adults. This is a period of their lives that they gradually form their personalities and their daily habits. Breaking the pattern of their swimming courses could affect their learning process and leave them behind in comparison to other kids who keep swimming during wintertime.
The myth of getting cold
At this point, it would be useful to clarify things around a subject that tends to influence parents when they come to decide about continuing the swimming lessons of their kids: The myth of getting cold.
Firstly, we shall point out that all swimming lessons for kids, throughout the whole season, are taking place in swimming pools where the temperature is regulated. Then, it is common ground among the medical community that swimming is beneficial for the immune system of kids. As Dr Sam Hay has stated: “People may be surprised to know that swimming through winter can improve a child’s immune system by keeping them fit and healthy, reducing their risk of catching a cold.”
Of course, in all cases, kids undertake specific medical exams before any swimming course to ensure that their immune systems are functioning properly.
Improving the swimming skills of kids
The element of continuation in education is highly significant. Kids especially, those who are “bombarded” with new information and knowledge daily, must keep practising their swimming skills as frequently as possible. When their learning routine is interrupted, it is natural that they will forget what they have learned during summer swimming courses. Subsequently, they would need to attend more courses for catching up. For kids, this means that they would need to put more effort to regain their swimming skills. For parents, it means that they will need to spend more money on the swimming lessons of their kids.
Swimming builds the confidence of kids
Self-confidence is a critical aspect of success for all individuals, regardless of their age. This is more evident in kids because they are still in the process of forming their identities and personalities. Acquiring a skill is an important factor for building self-confidence. On the other hand, diminishing swimming skills can result in low confidence levels, thus affecting their technique and stamina. Frequent swimming activity from a young age results in better physical condition, greater swimming skills and higher confidence levels.
Regular swimming ensures long term safety for kids
When we talk about the importance of swimming, we shall never neglect the pivotal goal of safety. Competent adult swimmers indeed tend to underestimate the value of safety as they take it for granted. It all has to do with the sense of self-confidence, mentioned before. When you are aware that you master all the basic swimming skills the safety issue attracts less attention. However, human achievements don't come by accident. All people who can swim safely have spent adequate time attending swimming lessons.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for the majority of children in Australia, as they quit swimming classes before they can stay safe in the water.
Consequently, it is not surprising that the number of drownings in Australia is worrying with the latest statistics showing that there has been a 10% increase.
The message should be quite clear: Making swimming classes for kids a regular activity can be life-saving.
Winter swimming improves the mood of kids
Wintertime is mostly considered by kids to be the “boring” period of the year. This is when school time absorbs most of kids time. It's true that during the last couple of decades, the daily timetable of kids in the Western world has become very busy. It would not be an exaggeration to argue that in some cases the schedule of kids is busier than the schedule of their parents. It's typical for many kids to start their day early in the morning and finish it in the late afternoon time. This is due to the increasing complexities of modern life and the high standards that current societies put upon their members. But have we ever thought about how all this affects the psychology and mood of kids? How can it possibly affect their future development? And how can swimming function as a positive mood factor for kids?
Let your children release their tension
Most parents feel anxious for their kids and try to provide them with the best qualifications for their future growth. This is fair enough. What many parents tend to neglect, however, is that kids shall be able to release their tension from their busy everyday life. Swimming can be the best option for both kids and parents. All scientific data show that winter swimming can improve the mood of kids. Swimming releases serotonin, a natural neurotransmitter that boosts mood. Winter swimming improves general well-being, decreasing negative factors like tension, fatigue and mood and negative state points.
Allowing your kids to get their stress out of their systems, in a way that will also enhance their life-saving skills, can be highly beneficial for their school performance as well as their psychological and mental development.
Winter swimming is excellent for kids to socialise
Kids love summers. This is the time that they are free to play much more and socialising with other kids is very easy. Wintertime is a different story for kids. They can socialise mainly during the short breaks during their school courses. Winter swimming for kids is very good for their socialising needs and can have great positive implications for their future growth. This is due to the social nature of swimming that plays a great role in improving the social well-being of kids. Swimming courses for kids also teaches goal orientation and helps them to form team-building skills and become active adults when they grow up. Indeed, a good socialising life for kids can have optimal results in their future as they learn from a young age the values of building solid relationships that can help them manage their emotions, make responsible decisions, achieve their goals and live a meaningful life. Swimming during wintertime can greatly help kids to keep a calm mind and find their balance.
Conclusion
Humanity lives a complex and highly unpredictable time and younger generations are the ones that will be most affected. For them to be able to manage the necessities of their daily lives, they will need a combination of physical and mental skills. Swimming can provide them with these skills that could be precious for their future. This is why kids should keep swimming during wintertime. Acquiring and improving the relevant skills that swimming brings can be a fascinating challenge for kids. Their best chance of getting the best out of it is to keep practising for as long as possible. Their gains can be enormous.
