Why winter is a great time to learn to swim

As many of us Canadians are experiencing, winter months can be cold, icy and snowy – and all we want to do is bundle up and stay warm.  A natural tendency, for sure, but did you know wintertime is a great time to learn how to swim? Swimming is not just for summer; it can be a great year-round activity!

Learning how to swim is always beneficial for water safety and life skills, and the Red Cross runs various swim programs for different age groups. But a common misconception is to stay dry and warm in the winter, steering clear of pools; but indoor pool facilities are always warm and the water inviting.

Here are more reasons to swim your way through winter:
 

• Keep active! Indoor swim pools make a good respite for restless children. It’s a fun activity to keep the whole family active indoors during even the coldest months. Physical activity will shake away that cooped-up, cabin-fever feeling of even the darkest winter months.
   
• Boosts confidence. Keep children’s confidence high with consistent swim practice year-round. If you stop swimming in the winter, your child will have to catch up again, re-learning previous skills they were taught before and potentially make them feel less confident in their swimming skills.
   
• Get summer-ready! Winter is a great time for new swimmers to begin with the basics, preparing them better for water activities before summer arrives.
   
• Build long-term skills. The repetition of consistent swim lessons reinforces existing skills and advances their abilities in the water. With a break for winter, kids can lose their groove and development, both physically and psychologically. Maintaining swim programs year-round ensures consistent reinforcement of these skills, which is particularly important for infant, toddler and pre-school aged children where long-term skill retention and muscle memory is beginning to develop.
   
•  Increases brain power. Children who learn to swim at a young age have been shown to reach many developmental milestones earlier. As well as achieving physical milestones faster, children can also improve their visual-motor skills, and mathematical related tasks by swimming.¹

With swim programs run by community pools in most cities, find a place to swim close to you!

 
Related stories:

• Adapted aquatics program includes people of all abilities
• Swimming and water safety: Never too late to learn
• Getting comfortable in the water before walking

1. Deborah Marshall, 2012, Swimming Kids are Smarter, Griffith University