Why Infant and Child Swim Lessons Are So Important

We spend a lot of time here at Texas Swim Academy spreading the word about the benefits of early swim lessons, and it’s because those benefits are so numerous and profound: accelerated physical and cognitive development, improved social skills, infant-parent bonding, and more. But the most important reason, the number one reason we are so dedicated to teaching children to swim and be comfortable in the water is because every year early swim lessons save thousands of young lives.

In 2009 the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development released a study that showed how effective early swim can be at preventing drowning. Drowning deaths in children age 1-19 were investigated and compared to emergency events in which the child did not drown. In the 1-4 age group only 3% of children who drowned had taken swim lessons, compared to 26% in the group of children who survived. In the 5-19 age group the numbers tell the same story: of the children who drowned only 27% had taken swim lessons, compared to 53% of children who survived.

The study’s authors concluded that swimming lessons are an important part of a complete drowning prevention program.

If you haven’t introduced your child to swimming yet, now is the perfect time. Cold temps in winter and spring might not seem like the best time to be in the water, but trust us: it’s warm in here! More importantly your child gets a jump on summer, when everyone wants to be in the pool. Tackling swimming now allows your child plenty of time to get comfortable in the water and build skills that will come in handy in a few months.

We know it’s tough finding time to fit in another activity into busy schedules, but early swimming is not just fun…

It doesn’t just promote physical, cognitive, and social development…

Learning to swim could also save your child’s life, just like it saves thousands every year.