To help reduce the risk of drowning, Reyftmann recommends that children start swimming lessons as early as age two. It is even possible to start swimming even earlier: “Research has shown that swimming lessons are beneficial for children as young as one year old. It has even been discovered that children can start swimming at 6 months of age, or when they are able to hold their head upright. However, as a parent, it is important to take a few precautions before putting your child into swimming at a young age.
Factors to consider
Here are some factors to consider when starting swimming lessons for children:
- Health status
- Emotional maturity
- Physical and cognitive limitations
Of course, you can’t expect the child to do the backstroke. At this age, he will do rudimentary gestures such as kicking in the water. It should also be noted that this is more of an initiation than a real learning of swimming.
The ideal age to learn to swim
Even though more and more babies are swimming, learning to really swim requires a later age. The memory, concentration and movement coordination skills needed to learn to swim are considered to develop around the age of 6-7 years. Therefore, this is the ideal age to introduce your child to swimming.
