*Advertisement Feature in Conjunction with Simply Swim

Why It’s Important to Teach Your Children to Swim

Swimming, it is something I have such great memories of as a child. From when my Grandma used to pick us up and take us swimming every Saturday morning, to jumping the waves on the beach on holiday, or swimming in the pool with floats and speeding down water shoots. I never wanted to get out when I was told it was time to go home, and I always had fun. Equally, my husband has always loved to swim and has surfed from a young age. As parents, this fun and enjoyment of water was something we have always wanted to pass onto our children.

However, I also believe learning to swim is incredibly important from a safety point of view too. For example, did you know that globally drowning is the 5th top causes of death for children aged 1 to 14 years according to the World Health Organisation? I was pretty taken aback by that statistic.

Learning to swim is a skill that I think every child should have. I view it as an essential life skill, rather than a nice to have and my two oldest were both rolled into swimming lessons at age 3, I plan for Bodhi to follow suit when he is old enough. Their lessons are definitely paying off, they both love to swim and play in the water, and being near a pool or the sea (or both) on holiday is always on our must list.

However, on holiday two summers ago we had an amazing holiday and we stayed in a villa with a pool. While the children were never left unattended by the pool, when Aria was playing she did accidentally manage to fall in. My husband was in the water quicker than you can blink, but it did really bring it home to us just how easily accidents can happen and how important it is for children to learn how to swim.

If that isn’t enough to convince you, here are the top 5 reasons why it’s important for your child to learn to swim:

• It’s an important safety skill and can prevent them from an accident or drowning
• A great life skill that teaches them about risk and judgement
• Fab exercise and is one of the few sports that gives your whole body a workout
• Builds stamina, concentration and coordination
• It’s fun!

As with any form of exercise it’s a good idea to make sure you have the right equipment. For children learning to swim, swimming aids, goggles, pool noodles, floats, fins, float suits and armbands are really useful. If you’re looking for somewhere to kit out the whole family ready for swimming, why not visit Simply Swim who have everything from swimsuits and wetsuits, to swimming towels.

Are your children learning to swim?