I learned from my sports master during my primary school that “Teaching children to swim is an essential milestone that provides a critical, lifesaving skill while promoting physical health, accelerating cognitive development and building self-confidence. Formal swimming lessons can significantly reduce the risk of accidental drowning in young children. Learning skills like floating, treading water & breath control equips kids to handle unexpected emergencies. By building comfort in the water, children are less likely to panic if they accidentally fall into a pool or rough open water, especially during flood seasons.”
Based on my own learning experience, movements used in swimming - such as bilateral cross-patterning (like using both arms and legs alternatively) - help me to connect the two hemispheres of the brain, improving overall coordination and balance. It has been proven in educational studies show children who learn to swim early reach major cognitive milestones, such as numerical, oral expression, and literacy skills, quicker than their non-swimming peers.
I love the full-body workout activity because swimming is an excellent, low-impact exercise that improves cardiovascular health, muscular strength, and endurance without putting stress on growing bones and joints. So, introducing children to water based activities at a young age fosters a healthy, active relationship with physical fitness that can last into adulthood. As such, I am happy that two grandkids decided to join their older siblings for swimming.
With guidance of Naufal, a professional swimming coach, Izz Fayyadh & Ilyan Faqiqah, have already overcoming fears in the water & learning new strokes that provides a massive boost to their self-esteem. I observed participating in swim classes allows children to interact, share goals, and build friendships with their peers in an inclusive & fun environment. An impactful swimming lesson format transforms splashing into progression-based learning. Decades of research show early aquatic instruction is the most successful when it targets a child's psychology, handling fear first to unlock rapid skill acquisition.
Zulkifly Baharom (hajizul50@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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