Lockdowns have resulted in the significant decrease of physical activity levels among children. Sports England’s latest study shows that 31.3% of children and young people in England do less than an average 30 minutes a day of sport or physical activity. That is an increase of 2.4% from the previous year bringing the total number of less active children to 2.3 million. There are countless activities children can get back to after lockdown, but we strongly believe swimming should take priority over other extra-curricular activities for every child. Read on to find out reasons.
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Swimming can save lives
It may sound dramatic, but it is true. Drowsing is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide with the highest drowning rates among children 1–4 years, followed by children 5–9 years, according to World Health Organisation. Therefore, swimming is a life skill that everyone should acquire from a young age. Even before the pandemic, 23% of children were leaving primary school unable to swim 25 metre unaided and one in five cannot self-rescue, despite swimming being on the national curriculum. With regular swimming lessons, children learn how to stay safe in and around water – you cannot learn swimming by reading a book or watching YouTube!
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Swimming helps to build a stronger body
With swimming, you use most of your muscle groups, so it is perfect for toning muscles, building core strengths, and stamina. It also helps to expand lung capacity which is beneficial for everyone but especially for asthma sufferers. These are reasons why many children who swim regularly tend to be good at other sports as well.
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Swimming is a mood booster
One in 4 people in UK experience a mental health problem each year and it is reported that the proportion of children with mental issues is 50 % higher than before the pandemic. Swimming produces endorphins, the hormones that make you feel happy and increase the positivity. In addition, breathing patterns and rhythmic movements created with swimming can be meditative. Another study shows that swimming can reverse damage to the brain from stress through a process called hippocampal neurogenesis. We have seen time after time anxious or fidgety children leave swimming lessons calmer and more relaxed.
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Swimming can make your child smarter
Studies from Griffith University shows that young children who regularly swim are above average when it comes to cognitive skills, problem solving in mathematics and languages. Swimming has also shown to have a significant impact in improving memory function and thinking skills.
Swimming is one of the best and most valuable activities out there for your children, and with this skill it would open doors to other opportunities later in their lives. It is a true worthwhile investment for your children.
We offer swimming lessons to children from age 2 years and above with up to two children per class to maximise learning potential. Lessons, taught by our highly experienced coaches, are engaging, confidence building and results-based. All our venues have COVID measures in place.
If you want your child to get back into swimming, email contact@sportsgeneration.co.uk or call us on 0208 940 9431 to find out more.