According to the National Home Education Research Institute, there are about 2.3 million students under homeschooling programs. Their research estimated that the homeschool population continues to grow by 2% to 8% every year. It is no wonder why such kind of education is quickly gaining popularity in the country. After all, it is the ideal solution for parents or guardians who prefer a customized and manageable curriculum for their children.
Homeschooling curriculums are more flexible than what public and private schools offer. However, students still need to meet certain requirements, including participating in physical education (P.E.) classes. If you are homeschooling your kids, you might want to consider incorporating swimming lessons to your P.E. program. In this post, we are going to discuss the benefits they can bring to your children.
Teach them an Important Skill
It is undeniable that swimming is a crucial and life-saving skill. When you include swimming lessons to your homeschool program, you can help your children build up endurance while in the water, allowing them to grow stronger. Your kids will even learn how to perform different strokes correctly, helping them avoid injuries while swimming. You can also opt to have the swimming lessons in your pool enclosure so you can supervise the safety of your kids.
Encourage them to Have a Healthy Lifestyle
No matter the age of a person, swimming lets them have a healthy lifestyle. When you introduce this to your kid at an early age, you are encouraging them to care for their wellbeing. In most cases, children tend to have fun in the water. So, when you let them swim, they will not feel as if P.E. is a chore. They will enjoy this activity while getting regular exercise in their weekly activities.
Nurture Their Confidence
By incorporating swimming lessons to your homeschool program, you are helping your child gain a new level of confidence within and beyond the bounds of a pool enclosure. Your kid will be taught to swim properly, allowing them to get rid of their fears of the water. Moreover, you can let your child improve their social skills. You can let them join classes with other homeschooled kids who are learning to swim.
Open Opportunities for Them
By introducing swimming to your kid, you can also open opportunities for them. They might grow an interest in the world of water sports. Once they learned all the basics of swimming, their skills and level of confidence will improve. That said, they might consider engaging in extra-curricular activities related to water sports, including diving, competitive swimming, and triathlons, among many others. Who knows…you might have an Olympiad someday!
Child balancing on a noodle
Help them Build a Successful Future
One of the primary reasons why any curriculum in the U.S. requires P.E. is to get children to move during the school day, lowering their risk of obesity. What’s more, P.E. teaches them how to work with a team, which can be a valuable skill they can use when they go out in the world. Enrolling your children in swimming classes helps you accomplish these goals. Swimming can let your kids gain a fearless attitude and a healthy lifestyle—tools they’ll need to achieve success in life.
Practical Activities for Starting your Homeschool Swimming Lessons
Enrolling your child in formal swimming lessons is always the best way to introduce them to activity. However, if your kid is very young, you can still prepare them for the actual P.E. classes. Here are some basic swimming skills you can teach your child:
Blowing Bubbles
When you are going to introduce swimming to your child, you need to ensure that they become comfortable having their face in the water. It is crucial for your kid to learn how to exhale when they are submerged. Your aim is to make this an automatic response for them. So, if they fall into a pool, they will instinctively exhale and avoid choking on water. In many cases, this skill can save their life.
Kicking
Let your child hold on to the edge of the pool while teaching them how to kick in the water. You can even incorporate a fun game to encourage them to do the task. However, make sure that they don’t confuse big splashing with kicking effectively. After all, bigger movements are not necessarily better.
Submerging
You can begin teaching this skill by letting them submerge by the edge of the pool. As they get more comfortable to the activity, you can let them learn how to hold their breath longer by asking them to retrieve objects from the bottom of the pool. Make sure you do this activity at the shallow end of the pool.
Kid Submerged in Water:
Remind your child to exhale fully as they go under the water. When they pop up, they should take a sharp inhale before immediately submerging in the water and exhaling again. This activity allows your child to learn how to regulate their breath, which can be useful once they study a more traditional stroke.
Floating on Their Back
It is crucial for your child to learn to properly position their head. They should be able to comfortably point their chin and belly button to the sky. When you are teaching this skill, you must let your child know that you are about to remove support. Try resting their head on your shoulder before you support their neck and lower back.
Treading Water
Treading water is a skill that your child can use in case they’ll ever need rescuing. With this skill, they can keep their head up while calling for help. Swimming instructors recommend using a noodle when teaching this skill. You can begin by teaching them how to balance on the noodle like they are riding a bike. After that, teach them to balance on the noodle as if they are sitting on a swing. Once they’ve mastered balancing on the noodle, you can teach them proper treading motions. Eventually, they will learn how to tread water without relying on the noodle.