Infant Swim Lessons: The Benefits To Learning Early

Summer is officially over. But, before you put away the swimsuits, consider these 3 reasons to enroll your baby in swim lessons this fall.

1. Early swim lessons help build a foundation for water safety skills, overcome fear of the water and long-term enjoyment of various water activities. Maryia Johnson, USA certified swim instructor at CVMC’s Fitness Plus, believes that it is best to start children in the pool at an early age. “Children at a very young age may not have the motor skills necessary to swim on their own, but an early introduction to the pool helps them get over the fear of water while learning basic techniques needed for pool safety,” Said Maryia. ”In my experience, children receiving lessons on a regular basis are able to swim on their own with adult supervision by the age of 2 1/2 to 3, although every child is different.”
2. Swimming can be a helpful part of a child’s development. Early swimming encourages a healthy lifestyle, teaches a child about setting and attaining goals, fosters independence and boosts self-esteem. Research has shown that children who learn to swim at a young age achieve a wide range of skills earlier than the normal population. Many of the skills learned help young children transition into formal learning contexts such as pre-school or school.
3. Bonding time with parent and child. While learning important skills in the infant swim lesson, your baby is gets to spend quality time with you! In fact some psychologists suggest that the 30 minutes of undivided attention and skin to skin contact that infant swim classes offer, benefit the parent/infant relationship.

What are Infant Swim Lessons like at CVMC?

All lessons are held in CVMC’s heated indoor pool and last about 30 minutes. Maryia insures that every parent and child is comfortable in the water by using various toys, games and activities that make learning to swim, fun. The age for infant and toddler classes rage from 6 months – 3 years old requiring at least one parent to participate, but she encourages both to attend. Children are taught how to float, kick their legs and put their head under water while parents are shown things like how to properly dip their babies under water for a short breath hold, the beginning of gliding and separation in the water.

Babies, not even a year old, are already comfortable in the water thanks to infant swim lessons taught by Maryia Johnson. If you are interested in infant swim lessons call 828.326.3680, or stop by the Fitness Plus Center.