When To Start Swimming Lessons in Lane Cove

Carlile Swimming has made a huge investment in Lane Cove by opening their purpose built pool at Lane Cove West.  The pool was designed in collaboration with Australia’s leading aquatic engineers who were responsible for some of the largest projects in the world including the 2000 Sydney and 2008 Beijing Olympic Aquatic centres.

One of the most frequently asked questions by parents is when do I start my child in swimming lessons (and when do we stop)?  It is an important question when you live in a country surrounded by water, where fun in the sun and water are as much a part of our childhood as band-aids and bikes, swimming lessons are a rite of passage and a necessary lifesaving skill. But when should your children start? We asked Carlile Swimming to answer this frequently asked question.

Waterbabies

If you turn to google, finding out when to start formal swimming lessons can be confusing. Immediately after birth, at 4 months, 6 months, 3 years, 4 years… It’s true, children don’t have the fine motor skills to perform freestyle ‘correctly’ until they are 4 but Australian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association guidelines suggest 4 months is an ideal starting age. This allows time for parents to have bonded with their babies, for the immune system to be stronger and for a medical history to have developed.

Swimming lessons for your baby are all about water familiarisation and safety (for them and you). Lessons for your toddler are important to teach them water safety rules, allow them to learn about boundaries and teach them real skills that can be life saving and form the basis of swimming strokes.

There is no specific time that is going to make your child an Olympic champion and they will never be drown-proof, but children who are comfortable and confident in the water at an early age are better prepared in case of an emergency. And that is what water confidence lessons are all about.

Swimming is surviving

Swimming is a survival skill; one that could, quite literally, save your child’s life. Accidental drowning is the leading cause of death in Australian children under 5. But participating in formal swimming lessons throughout the whole year is associated with an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning in children between 1 and 4 years (although this is just one step in building the layers of safer swimming). That’s a great return.

Swimming is thriving

A four-year project, Early-Years Swimming: Adding Capital to Young Australians, led by Griffith University concluded that children who attend swimming lessons early show more advanced physical and cognitive skills than those who don’t. They show better visual-motor abilities, such as drawing lines and colouring in shapes. They also excel in following instructions, language, counting and solving mathematical problems. Indirectly, it could help them become better performers once they’re at school.

 

Great expectations

You may believe your child will be the next Dawn Fraser or Ian Thorpe but you should be prepared for the fact that swimming takes time. It is a gradual progression; one that takes time and constant participation. By starting at an early age you are giving your child a head start but lessons need to continue for skills to be maintained. Think about how your child’s walking would progress if they were prevented from doing so for an extended period. It wouldn’t; they would regress. Even if you can’t see substantial progress every week, your child is at least maintaining the current ability level, and that is progress.

My child can swim, can we stop?

That depends. Everyone’s idea of what constitutes swimming differs. Is it when they can dog paddle? When they can swim to the other side of the pool? Can swim freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke? When they can swim 1km?

According to the Royal Life Saving Society – Australia, children are starting swimming lessons at a younger age than ever before but many aren’t reaching benchmarks that could save their lives. They recommend that children be able to swim 400 m continuously without resting or struggling before considering stopping formal swimming lessons. We say, just keep swimming. 

Just keep swimming

Keeping kids in swimming programs is not without its challenges. Parents struggle to keep their children motivated, and to fit lessons into a busy week of activities. Lessons often end up clashing with weekend sport and they cost money.

For Australians, learning to swim isn’t just about the pool. Our lifestyle means there is always water around — be it a lake, beach, swimming pool or river — and the conditions in each of those places is vastly different. A child who is a strong swimmer in the pool and who is exposed to other swimming environments is less likely to panic if conditions place them out of their comfort zone.

Swimming lessons alone certainly don’t eliminate the risk of drowning, but a better understanding by children and parents of the aquatic environment and their own capabilities is a first and important step in the process of aquatic education.

And remember, while learning to swim takes time it can save your child’s life (and enhance their life in many ways), be it now or in the future. That’s worth the investment.

About Carlile

Carlile Swimming have been pioneering new teaching and training methods for more than half a century and are recognised worldwide as a leader in all aspects of aquatic education.

Contact Details

Address: Carlile Swimming, 4 Sirius Road Lane Cove West NSW 2066
Book Here: Bookings
Phone: 9188 1027
Email: Click Here
Website: www.carlile.com.au
Facebook: facebook.com/carlileswimming

This is a sponsored post. Carlile Swimming are ITC Gold Sponsors. Thank you to all our ITC Gold Sponsors who support ITC. ITC is a local business with a huge community focus. This support enables us to to keep improving our website and fund our community work (and keep Mr ITC happy)  #itcgoldsponsors