Off The Sofa & Into The Water – Ways To Get Your Child Swimming

The Swimming Pool Store – Guest Post

With a decline in physical activity and a rise in children attaching themselves to everything from TVs to tablets, it so no wonder that obesity and poor health amongst children is a growing concern. Many parents are worried that their children can easily slip into a habit of laziness and lack of activity, making them less healthy generally and more susceptible to a number of illness and problems that could affect their quality of life.

This in turn has led to pushing them to take part in a number of different physical activities and sports in the hope that they will become fitter and much healthier – bolstered by the Olympics over 85% of children are now taking part in sport, with swimming being the number one choice for 5-10 year olds, beating football by over 10%.
Although this push has obviously worked for many children, it has not been the case for everyone. It is important to find an activity that they enjoy, and that doesn’t seem like a punishment or something that they are forced to do.

One type of physical activity that many parents don’t think of is swimming. Not only is this a fundamental skill that all children should learn, it is also something that many of them find fun and interesting.

Local Leisure Centre

Enquire at your local leisure centre as they may run swimming classes that your child can attend. This will help them to pick up the fundamental swimming skills that they need to be able to swim properly, and they can even achieve awards and badges depending on their swimming abilities. It can give them a chance to swim with other children and can be a fantastic way to make friends and socialise.

If your child already knows how to swim but you simply want to take them swimming regularly, your local leisure centre is still a great place for them to do so – it can be affordable for you, it gets them out of the house, and there are always lifeguards on hand to keep them safe and offer some advice. Around 84% of Britons live within two miles of a local swimming pool, which means they’re incredibly accessible and well within walking distance for a vast majority of the population.

It’s worth taking into account that you do have to adhere to the leisure centre’s schedule; it can sometimes be extremely busy at peak times which means that your child may not get the swim time or the space they need to ensure they have had a good workout. It’s also worth weighing up the cost benefits of membership over a ‘pay as you go’ approach – you may find that, if you’re starting to go regularly, paying for each session can make it significantly more expensive than a membership.

Swimming Club

If you notice that your child has a real passion for swimming and maybe has a competitive streak, you could think about enrolling him or her and in a swimming club, whether it is part of a racing team or even something such as synchronised swimming. Again this is a way to get your child involved with other children and make friends, whilst taking part in a healthy and energetic activity.

You need to ensure that you can commit to taking your child to the training lessons and to all competitions – whether it’s part of a team or just representing a club, it’s a big commitment. If you’re not sure if your child would want to be, or would be able to be, involved in something like a swimming club, then you may want to consider more casual options instead.

Install Your Own Pool

Although this may not be affordable for many parents, if it is something that is feasible to you it can have many advantages. Being in your own home, you don’t have to adhere to swimming times that other centres provide and means that the pool will never be overcrowded – giving your children the opportunity to swim at their own pace and increase their confidence . You and your children can enjoy the pool for both exercise and leisure, and can even be a great party idea. As it’s in your home you and your family are more likely to use it, and if indoors, it is something to keep your children occupied with on a rainy day, rather than being stuck to the computer or TV.

You must ensure however that you keep your pool clean and free from any bacteria, so ensure you use cleaning products from specialist stores like The Swimming Pool Store, who specialise in products specifically design for use in swimming pools – this can be as important to your children’s health as actually getting them active!

Now that you know the many benefits of introducing swimming as a regular activity in your child’s life, you should start enquiring today about which method would best suit you and them.

This post was written by Ekta Mair for The Swimming Pool Store, who specialise in swimming pool cleaning products, accessories and supplies.