Summer is Over, Now What?

Summer is over.

I’m sorry that I have just ruined it for you, but it’s time to face the cold hard facts.

The kids are going back to school.
It’s time to purchase school supplies.
Time to go back to the regular routine.

All of these things are true, however, there is one thing that is very important…

Just because summer is over and school is now in session does NOT mean that swim lessons end.

Say it with me: YEAR. ROUND. SWIM. LESSONS!

As a WoC swim instuctor, I’m ALWAYS encouraging parents to put their children into swim lessons. Not just the children, but the parents too! Yes, you too adults!!!

Swim Lessons is just like grade school…trust me I know, I’m a K-8 educator as well.

One swim lesson does NOT mean that you or your child can swim. It’s like saying “oh ok I did Kindergarten, I’m done!” Now, doesn’t that sounds crazy?!

Becuase it is crazy, but people say it all the time in reference to swimming and swim lessons.

Learning how to swim is similar to learning how to play the piano (something that I know how to do as well)! The more frequently you practice, the easier it is to retain skills and progress into more advanced skills. So just think of it as this, if you take a break from lessons, the longer the break, the longer it usually takes to get back on track where you left off. Therefore, I STRONGLY recommend staying in year-round lessons to retain and build on life-saving swimming skills.

Swimming is one of the best exercises available to humankind! Yes, you read that correctly. It can decrease anxiety and depression, and it’s meditative. Swimming also stimulates the brain, which fosters the growth of new brain cells and promotes child development.

Here are jus a few reasons why parents some parents and adults tell me they choose to only do swim lessons during part of the year are:

swimming in the winter may make me and/or my child sick
my child already spends a lot of time in other pools during the summer
my child is too busy with other extracurricular activities
can’t justify the cost of lessons year round

giphy-4 — Even Curry is shaking his head on this one.

Large gaps of time between swim lessons can let a fear of water develop. Yes, of course, during the summer most children spend a lot of time in pools. However, this time in pools gives them a chance to develop bad habits. Just because a child plays in pools in the summer doesn’t guarantee that they are developing healthy swimming skills.

So what is your plan now? Yes, basketball, football, futbol (soccer), and any other sport is important but please keep in mind that

Drowning is one of the top 5 causes of death for people aged 1-14 years for 48 of 85 countries
Nearly 80 percent of people who die from drowning in the United States are male.
From 1999-2010, the fatal unintentional drowning rate for African Americans was significantly higher than that of Caucasians across all ages.

– via The World Largest Swimming Lesson

I know that’s a LOT to think about, but it’s time to do something about it. So what are you going to do?