Ask any young swimmer about the benefits of their chosen sport, and they’ll likely talk about stamina, strength, and overall physical fitness. But one benefit of swimming that’s seldom addressed is how it contributes to intellectual development. At Swimming Los Angeles Swim School, youngsters and parents alike learn all about the physical and intellectual benefits of children’s swimming lessons. In fact, the earlier kids start, the more intellectually inclined they’re bound to be as they grow.
Recent research has shown that young swimmers tend to reach developmental milestones earlier than their peers. In general, swimmers reap the most benefits in areas like emotional intelligence, physical development, language skills, and self-confidence. Let’s take a brief look at each of these areas:
- Emotional Intelligence: Because swimming is a social sport, children who start swimming classes early develop the emotional and psychological awareness they need to work well in teams and be supportive of others.
- Physical Development: Aside from physical fitness, swimming also supports fine motor skill development. This is especially true for infant and toddler swimmers, as they are trained to be ready to take action on their instructor’s count of three.
- Language Development: Researchers have also found that kids who start swimming at a young age often have a better grasp of literacy, numeracy, and oral expression.
- Self-Confidence: Many swim lessons focus on achievable goals and this contributes to overall self-confidence. This goal-oriented confidence is easily translatable to other areas like schoolwork and relationships.