As they grow up, kids usually have a lot of energy. They want to run, play games and move a lot in general. A great way to spend that energy usefully is to do sports. Exercise can help children improve their coordination, become more tenacious and build their physical strength.
Nevertheless, what would be the right sport for a kid? Some parents may consider that team sports, like football or basketball, are too dangerous for very young children, whereas running is not enough to exercise their entire body.
Based on those criteria, one of the best sports disciplines for children is swimming. When we swim, it involves all the muscles of our body, from the legs and arms to the back and abs. It is also an excellent cardio exercise that improves our stamina and strengthens our heart.
In our article, you can discover the ten best reasons to start swimming.
Another great benefit of swimming lessons for kids is that it helps them improve their motor coordination. To swim fast in the water, we need to perform regular series of movements with our legs and arms. We breathe in at the beginning of each sequence and breathe out towards the end of it.
The better our movements are coordinated and the more accurate our technique is, the faster we'll swim. Swimming lessons help children get better control over their movements, which can be useful if they switch to another sport one day or carry out physical tasks later in life.
Given all its benefits, swimming is a very popular sport for children in Australia. There are pools and aquatic centres in almost every city, where a child can take classes with a tutor, and there are various options to enrol in a swimming class at school.
In this article, we'll look at the best places to find inspiring swimming lessons for kids and learn to swim correctly while having fun.
You can search for how to get the best swimming lessons near me in Australia here.
The right age to start swimming
What makes swimming such a great exercise is that it can be practised by kids of literally any age. Babies can learn to float and makes basic swimming movements in the same way as toddlers and bigger kids. What's more, they often love to swim in a pool and are generally willing to take lessons.
Of course, parents should be particularly careful if they teach very young babies to swim. It is recommended for babies to swim only in warm water and they should be constantly accompanied by a parent to feel confident in the water.
Learning to swim can be very beneficial for babies' development because they get used to being in the water and can continue building on that first experience as they grow up.
As they become a bit bigger, young kids can start taking swimming lessons with an instructor to learn the right technique and exercise in an organised way. The coach is going to draw up a training program for them so they'll steadily improve their level of skills.
Read more about swimming for elderly people in our article.
When we learn to swim, it is very important to follow the coach's instructions and accurately repeat the movements they teach us. That can be a useful experience for children because the skills they develop will serve them in their school lessons later on.
You can look for a child swimming instructor in an aquatic centre and enrol them in a fun training program with other children.
Swimming lessons at school
Sports are an important part of the Australian school curriculum because they help children acquire various useful skills, such as perseverance and teamwork, and improve their physical health at the same time.
If you want your child to practice swimming in their school sports lessons, it can be a good idea to look for a school offering that option right from the start.
That can be a great opportunity to drastically improve their level of swimming skills because they'll get regular training for years and will be accompanied by a qualified coach in each class.
Additionally, school swimming lessons can give kids additional motivation for exercise, as they'll attend the classes with their schoolmates and have much more fun in the process.
A lot of schools organise swimming competitions among their students. That can be a great test for their level of skills. They'll gradually develop a taste for healthy competition and become more focused both in their swimming lessons and in other classes.
The most talented kids can be even given the opportunity to take part in large competitions at the city level to try themselves as sportsmen.
You can find out about the best swimming lessons in Melbourne here.
Can you swim and do another sport at the same time?
If your child is learning to swim, that should be totally enough for their healthy physical development. However, it is common for kids to be curious at a young age and may want to give other disciplines a try as well. Their swimming classes should not be a hurdle in that case.
If they take several swimming classes a week in an aquatic centre, you may simply reduce the number of sessions and dedicate that time to another discipline.
Given the advantage of swimming for the child's fitness, they are likely to perform well in their new sport right from the start. They'll pick up the new techniques more quickly thanks to their coordination skills while their strength and stamina can help them keep up with and even outperform their competitors.
In our article, we described in more detail how swimming can help you lose weight.
If your child is old enough to practice team sports, they can be a great complement to swimming. They'll learn to interact with other players to achieve their common goal while also being able to count on themselves. Just make sure to leave some exercise-free days in their schedule to give their muscles time to recover.
Swim with fun
If you want your child to swim really well, it may be necessary to follow a training program and exercise regularly in an aquatic centre. However, we don't always swim to achieve high athletic results.
Spending time by the water can also be simply pleasant and relaxing. You can take time to sunbathe, talk to your friends or read a book, especially if you are on holiday. You can take a dip from time to time to refresh yourself and swim for pleasure.
Children usually enjoy spending time on the beach and if you know that they know how to swim well, you won't have to worry about them.
Additionally, the ability to swim can allow them to practise other fun holiday activities, such as surfing, scuba diving or canoeing without any risk.
How to find a good coach for your children?
The best and safest way to learn to swim correctly is to take lessons with a qualified instructor. Depending on your goals, they can draw up a tailored training program and watch over your technique as you exercise. That way, you'll make sure that your level constantly improves over years.
A good place to start your search for a coach is the aquatic centre or public pool near your home. Many of them offer group and individual lessons for kids, so you may well find something good for you.
Training in an aquatic centre near home has numerous advantages. Your kid won't need to use public transport and have more time to study or rest after each class.
If the classes offered in your aquatic centre don't suit you, there is a good alternative, which is to find a private coach for your child. The advantage of private classes is that you'll have a much bigger choice of instructors and can organise your lessons directly with them.
A good personal coach can track your kids' progression over years and tweak their training program according to their current level of skills. The children are going to get used to their instructor with time and feel more comfortable in the classes.
Meet the perfect coach on Superprof
A lot of people would like to meet a good coach or private tutor for themselves but don't know where to start their search. A helpful tool that we can recommend to you is Superprof.
Superprof is an online platform where tutors and instructors in over one hundred disciplines offer their lessons.
Superprof has a powerful search engine to look for a coach by location, subject, price and other criteria. You can get information about each instructor, learn about their training experience and read reviews from other users if you need to know more.
There is more on swimming for rehabilitation purposes in our article.
You can contact our instructors directly via the platform to ask them questions about their services and book classes if their offer gets you interested.
Most of our coaches give their first class with a new student for free, so you'll have an opportunity to meet them in person and make sure they are the right person to teach your child.
Discover swimming lessons on Superprof today!
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