Benefits of Swimming for Toddlers

Juggling school runs and busy schedules is one of the biggest challenges for families in a city like London. On top of school and nursery, most parents also add extra-curricular activities, like swimming, to their children’s already busy week.

Swimming is fun and popular in summer, but when winter comes it can lose its appeal. Many parents keep up weekly lessons all year round anyway, but it’s natural to wonder whether year-round lessons are really worth it, especially for toddlers.

Why Swimming?

“My mom was terrified of the water… she didn’t know how to swim ’til much later in life, so she didn’t want to pass that fear on to me.” ~ Missy Franklin, Olympic gold medallist and USA swimmer

The human body is designed to move, and from the very start, movement on land or in water has a positive effect on a child’s growth and health.

Many parents don’t realise that children under three can’t yet learn swimming strokes like front crawl or backstroke. What toddler swimming lessons do is help young children gain water confidence, socialise and learn the basic skills that make learning proper technique much easier when they’re older.

The benefits of toddler swimming lessons

• Overcoming any fear of water early and building a love of the water
• Growing confidence, both in the water and out of it
• Stronger parent–child bonding through close, playful time together in the water
• Learning early water safety skills in a calm, supported setting
• Creating happy memories together

“The most important things a child can inherit are fond memories.” ~ Frank Sonnenberg

What a Toddler Swimming Class Looks Like

Toddlers swim with a parent in the water beside them. Each class is a mix of fun water activities, singing popular nursery rhymes and playing with colourful toys, so children learn without even noticing.

What nicer memory could a child have than singing and playing in the water with their mum or dad every week? And for parents, there’s nothing quite like seeing your child’s happy, confident smile.

Toddler Swimming at Blue Wave

At Blue Wave Swim School, our parent and toddler classes are for children aged 1.5 to 3 years and run on Saturdays during term time at Wimbledon College.

Find out more and book toddler swimming classes in Wimbledon