Have you enrolled your children?
Being around water is part of everyday life in Australia, which is why it may not come as a surprise that swimming is our most successful Olympic sport. However, you don’t have to harbour ambitions (or have ambitions for your children) to be the next Mack Horton or Emma McKeon to get involved!
Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death for Australian children under 5 years of age, which is why learning to swim and be safe around water is important from an early age. In 2018/19, 19 Australian children aged 0-4 years drowned – the majority of these incidents (63%) occurred in swimming pools.
Enrolling your child in swimming lessons should be a successful, happy and positive experience for children and parents alike. Introducing your child to swimming early on helps to familiarise them with water, teach them about water safety and provide them with essential life-saving skills they will have for their entire lives.
Astrid has been a qualified swimming instructor for over 15 years and conducts daily lessons for babies and primary school children. She urges all parents and carers to enrol their children in swimming lessons.
“Learning to swim provides children with many benefits, including learning swimming and safety skills, developing their coordination, fitness, social skills and confidence. Participation in swimming lessons can be a life saving experience”, said Astrid.
With summer coming to an end, the cooler weather can make it harder to get into a pair of bathers, especially when the icy winter mornings and cold, dark nights hit! However, interruption to swimming lessons can impact children’s ability and confidence, so it’s important not to let the cooler weather put you off.
Astrid also stresses the importance of children continuing to participate in swimming lessons as they get older and not viewing lessons as something that only toddlers need.
“Family schedules get busier and many parents believe that by primary school, their children are equipped with the necessary basics of swimming survival. In reality they are often lacking the confidence, water awareness and the skills that could one day save their life or someone else’s”.
There are many benefits and pleasure your child will get from the ability of being able to swim, so if you haven’t already, search for and have a discussion with your local swim school about the options that they have available.
For more information on water safety for children, please click here.
