Every summer children eagerly await for their parents to take them to the local pool to beat the summer heat. But before the kids can jump into the refreshing water without their parents they first have to learn how to swim.
When I was 15 years old I got my first job as a swim teacher and it is a job I still go back to every summer. In my four years of helping children of all ages and skill levels, I have come to discover the key to success and an easier time in the water is age. Kids who start swim lessons as late as the age of four have an easier time adapting to the water and pick up on the skills faster than the kids who start at the age of five. However it is not the fault of the child for their late start in the water. It is the fault of the parent.
When a child is exposed to the water at a young age, any fear they have about it can be conquered much easier than a child who has had to wait for their chance to jump in the pool. More often than not a child at that age does not have any fear but rather is more open to the adventure of swimming.
Another advantage of early exposure to a pool is how quickly the kids pick up on the techniques and skills needed for proper swimming. Younger children are easier to manipulate in the water when demonstrating a new swimming skill because their muscles haven’t fully stiffened up while older kids are more developed and try to fight you which makes demonstrations harder. It is also more difficult to teach older children basic swimming skills such as floating on their back and kicking their feet because of their size. They have hit at least one growth spurt which means more body to move and keep afloat.
Learning how to swim is also an important life skill that every child needs to learn. Not only can it help them survive if, God forbid, they fall into the water, but it can also save them some embarrassment later on in life when they get invited to pool parties. Being the odd person out isn’t easy no matter what stage of life you are in but when you are younger it seems like the end of the world.
Teaching children to swim and sharing my love for the water has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and my students starting at a young age definitely makes my job as the teacher easier and the lessons go a lot smoother.