It's commonly known that swimming is great for your physical health - building up strength in both your muscles and your airways - but did you know that swimming can also make your children smarter?
Research by the Griffith Institute, which surveyed 7000 parents with children under the age of five, found that those who learn to swim at a young age reach many of their developmental milestones earlier than what is normally expected. The research involved parents from Australia, New Zealand and the United States and also looked at the development of 180 children aged 3, 4 and 5 years who took part in intensive testing.
The children who were involved in pre-school swimming and infant aquatics lessons not only achieved physical milestones faster, they also scored significantly better in visual-motor skills such as cutting paper, colouring in and drawing lines and shapes, and many mathematically-related tasks. Their oral expression was also more highly developed along with their general literacy and numeracy skills.
Lead researcher Professor Robyn Jorgensen says the study shows early-years swimming has a wide range of benefits that could assist children in school. “Many of these skills are highly valuable in other learning environments and will be of considerable benefit for young children as they transition into pre-schools and school."
Royal Life Saving Society WA recommends that children start their swimming journey as early as possible, with many of our Endorsed Swim Schools offering parent and baby classes for children as young as six months old, some as early as 8 weeks!
Find out how you can give your child a head start by visiting one of the Endorsed Swim Schools providing Infant Aquatics in your area.
Endorsed Swim School Directory
