Children under five years of age, who have swimming lessons, may develop better language, literacy, and numeracy skills in school.
In a
four-year study Griffith University in Australia surveyed almost 7,000 parents
of children from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America, and
independently assessed 177 children aged 3-5 years. The study found that
children who had early swimming lessons performed better in school tests. They
scored significantly better in numeracy, mathematical reasoning, oral
expression, understanding, complying with directions, and visual motor skills
(cutting paper, drawing lines, and colouring in). They achieved certain
milestones earlier than normal populations of children below five years of age,
the interim report, Early-years swimming:
adding capital to young Australians, stated.
Both the
parents’ survey and the child testing (to a lesser degree) supported the
outcomes. There was a view that only wealthy families could afford swim lessons
and therefore the study reflected social status. However, the researchers said
the study showed a significant difference in school performance between early
swimmers and the normal population regardless of socio-economic background.
Parents
indicated that children under five years who had swimming lessons gained
confidence in and out of the water, which may lead to greater transition to
school. Swim instructors added that swim lessons included social and simple
educational skills, such as waiting their turn, lining up in queues, respect
for others, counting to three before entering the water, motor skills, obeying
instructions, and social interaction.
Researchers
also recommended that children who do not do well at school, particularly in
the early years, may improve at school if they participate in swimming lessons
as a means of remedial learning and child development.
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