YMCA staff work on swimming skills with preschool students on August 30, 2016. According to a body of research, when kids swimm at an early age they gain a number of educational benefits.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Some children are eager to jump into the deep end of the pool, while others may be terrified to even put their toes in water. But getting young children into the pool can be well worth it. Turns out, according to a body of research, getting kids swimming at an early age comes with a number of educational benefits.
“Physical activity of any kind is great for kids as it helps them maintain a healthy weight, develop better sleeping patterns,” said Jen Smallwood, director of the Monroe County YMCA in Bloomington. “It even combats things like depression and helps in developing their focus, too.”
Most preschool programs don’t have access to swimming pools with life guards and swimming instructors, according to Smallwood. But here at the YMCA things are different. With easy access to a pool, swimming is key to the center’s preschool curriculum.
“Children can learn swim safety primarily and it helps the child to holistically learn in order to get their brain developed,” said Casey Fall-Guerra, co-teacher in the YMCA’s preschool room. “We also focus on their gross motor skills.”
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Staff say the center is particularly interested in the health and wellness of children as a foundational part of child development. So there’s a focus on skills that get children ready for kindergarten: social emotional skills, counting, shapes – and swimming.
Studies suggest that early year-round swimming lessons for young children accelerates physical, intellectual and emotional development. And children who learn to swim at a young age often reach many developmental milestones earlier than others.
“I think this is really a unique opportunity for kids here at YMCA,” Fall-Guerra said. “How lucky they are to be able to learn swimming lessons when they are at school.”
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Fall-Guerra and her fellow preschool teachers all have bachelor’s or associate degrees in early childhood or a related field like elementary education or child development.
They know swimming comes with benefits, but they say learning safety skills is just as important. In fact, understanding water safety is largely considered the number one benefit of enrolling a child in swim lessons early, according to YMCA director Smallwood.
“We did have one parent who was concerned,” Smallwood said. “That parent was an emergency safety worker in EMT and had experienced experiences of trying to save children from pool danger.”
The YMCA always has a lifeguard on duty during swimming classes and invites parents to observe. Smallwood said allowing parents at classes helped them see swimming’s benefits, too.
“We do have a very small group size with each instructor, so there will be five children to one instructor at the pool versus may be ten to one in the classroom. It really helped!” Smallwood said. “They got to know us, trust us. They got to feel more comfortable letting us take their child to the pool.”
