Children becoming familiar with the pool and learning to swim from an early age is fundamental for their integral development as long as it is integrated within a methodology and objectives, otherwise, knowing how to swim alone will prevent scares, but children swimming will not provide all the benefits that can be extracted from this practice. In this video we tell you how to learn to swim in Casvi Boadilla and what benefits the students get out of it.
When is it advisable to start swimming?
It is best to start as soon as possible, as children who swim in their first years of life adapt better to the aquatic environment. “The most important thing is that when they start school at 2 or 3 years old they gain confidence, that the experiences in the water are positive, that they are not afraid, because that will help them in their adaptation and learning in the future and not only in the pool,” she explains. Miriam López-Escribano, swimming teacher at Eurocolegio Casvi Boadilla and silver medalist in the 2008 European Waterpolo Championship with the national team.
For this reason, in the Casvi group of schools we include swimming in the school timetable from 2 years old to 6th grade with two sessions per week so that the students obtain the benefits of swimming.
What is the first thing they should learn?
- Flotation: as the word itself indicates, it is the action of floating and is fundamental in the first stage in the pool. Staying out of the water, autonomously on their backs, will give them confidence and security in the aquatic environment.
- Propulsion: once they are able to stay afloat in the pool, they must learn to propel themselves using their body. In this way, they will be able to move around the pool autonomously.
Among the playful activities that we can carry out in their first dives in the children’s pool are moving their legs while kicking, fetching a toy at a certain distance, sliding on a mat as if it were a boat or riding on a churro as if it were a little horse. In this way, they will begin to move in the pool in a pleasant way, creating positive sensations and experiences.
“The goal is for them to learn to swim and become proficient in the pool. In addition, we seek to get them to reflect on the importance of adopting a healthy and balanced lifestyleThis is carried out through the International Baccalaureate methodology. Thus, through the transdisciplinary theme of who we are, they work on different lines of inquiry. For example, in 6th grade they work on the connection of the human body’s apparatuses and healthy habits so they reflect on what foods are healthy to improve our performance,” explains Raúl Velasco, swimming teacher at Eurocolegio Casvi Boadilla.
In a transversal way it can also be transferred to other subjects such as mathematics, because knowing the meters of the pool and the time it takes to do a length, they will be able to calculate how many meters they cover with each stroke. They can also try to improve their marks by analyzing the angles of their arms and legs and improving their technique.
Other benefits of swimming for children and adolescents
- No impact on joints. Swimming is a low-impact sport for joints and bones, so there are no risks for our students in terms of joint growth, as is the case with other sports. In the water, the body floats, so the risk of injury is lower. Of course, we must not forget to warm up beforehand to minimize the risk of injury in the water.
- They strengthen the heart and improve lung capacity. Aerobic exercise increases lung capacity as blood circulation improves. In addition, through swimming, if the proper technique is used, the muscles of the whole body are strengthened.
- They learn to control their breathing. One of the fundamental aspects in the pool is to control your breathing in order to be able to swim with ease afterwards.
- Calorie burning, increased appetite. As water offers resistance to the movement of our body, we will burn more calories than doing other sports, and the practice of sports will also whet the appetite of children and adolescents.
- Improvement of the psychomotor system. By swimming, students will improve their coordination and motor skills. At the same time, it improves their perception of space because they have to move along their street without bumping into the corkboards.
- Improves confidence and self-esteem. Children will lose their fear of an initially unfamiliar environment. In the water, what doesn’t work is to stop trying, because as Michael Phelps said: “If you say I can’t, you’re limiting what you can or could ever do”.
- They acquire hygienic habits. Showering before and after getting out of the pool, wearing flip-flops or booties to prevent fungus, wearing a diving cap and goggles are habits that will make them aware.
