Keep kids swimming all year round

Why children should keep swimming all year round!

As another summer begins and our colder days are greeted with warm sun its imperative our children continue their swimming. SwimMagic Coordinator Tara Macky at Rotorua Aquatic Centre highlights some of their reasons why swimming all year round is so important.

Keeps children active
In the winter months we tend to slow down, spend more time indoors and are generally less physically active. With summer on the way swimming can help change this!

Children have lots of energy; just ask anyone that has spent a rainy day indoors with their child! Swimming provides children the perfect opportunity to get active and burn some energy while parents can be assured they are in a safe and warm environment.

Maintain swimming skills
Speak with any experienced swimming instructor and they will tell you how important it is to keep swimming through the summer months to ensure continued progress while ensuring skill and technique don't lapse due to large breaks.

The more we do something the more confident we feel and swimming is no different especially for younger children who will grow a strong positive relationship with water through consistent year round lessons.

Balance is better and swimming provides this
Swimming is a fundamental skill with numerous cross overs to other sports. Research tells us that a balance of different sports is better than early specialization and swimming can be a fantastic way to create balance throughout the winter months.

Through swimming transferable skills, greater creativity and better decision-making capabilities can be developed which can benefit a child in their chosen sport.

Greater neurological and social development
Swimming has such great benefits for children's learning potential. The exercise of swimming is very good for the brain. By continuing to swim year round, your children can have benefits of enhanced neurological development, advanced cognitive development, increased memory and improved social skills.

Stronger Immune systems
Children who swim year-round are less likely to become ill than those with a less active lifestyle. Swimming never causes inner ear infections, and swimmer's ear (outer ear infections) can be easily prevented by thoroughly drying the ears.

These five reasons are just the start, find out for yourself and head down to the Rotorua Aquatic Centre this summer and discover the other benefits of year round swimming!