Children’s swimming lessons from 4 months to 12 years

Swimming is an essential life skill. About 400 people [1] lose their lives to drowning in the UK every year, with thousands more suffering injuries as a result of drowning events, so we believe that it is essential that children are taught as early as possible to be safe in and around water.

At Seriously FUN Swimming Schools, our children’s swimming lessons are designed to equip children with the vital life saving skills that they need to be safe in the water, but just as importantly, to enjoy being in the water. Teaching children to be fearful of water and to avoid it is the wrong way to prevent them from coming to harm and research [2] shows that children who are confident, capable and understand the risks are less likely to make poor decisions such as entering unsafe waters or going out of their depth.

Teaching parents and children

We offer children’s swimming lessons to children as young as 4 months old who are accompanied in the water by a parent or guardian. This is essential in educating parents on safe water practices and habits that they will continue to impart to their children as they grow up together as a family, enjoying the water and having fun while learning to swim.

We believe that it is essential that parents accompany their children on this journey as there may be times in life when they will want to swim as a family at an un-lifeguarded pool, or in the sea or a river. In these circumstances, it is essential that they know how to assess the dangers posed by the environment, supervise their children closely and make the right decisions as to when to end a swimming session.

The benefits of children’s swimming lessons

Children love to play and splash in the water and our lessons give them the skills that they need to do so safely. We offer the opportunity to learn to swim in a FUN and structured manner, in a small group with similarly aged friends and our experienced and friendly staff to guide them.

We teach all children a water safety routine that ensures that they can safely jump into the pool, turn around under the water, swim back to the edge of the pool and exit. Over time, this safety sequence becomes instinctive and can help a child who accidentally enters a body of water to escape safely.

We always recommend that children are supervised at all times around water, but by placing a deep emphasis on water safety during lessons, children become accustomed to enjoying being in the water in a safe manner that could one day save their life.

Resources:

[1] https://www.nationalwatersafety.org.uk/media/1005/uk-drowning-prevention-strategy.pdf

[2] https://www.watersafetyusa.org/water-competency.html