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School holidays are a great time to get back in touch with swimming if you haven’t been to the pool for a while. With life’s usual routine, there’s so much going on that it can be hard to fit something like swimming in. Getting kids to and from school, extra-curricular activities, homework, mealtimes, bedtime rituals, and then sleep, all take up a lot of time. Unless swimming is already well-weaved into the family schedule, it might not get a look in.
And with new parents, there is SO MUCH going on already with raising an infant (work, nappy changes, walks, medical appointments, family visits or zoom chats), that fitting in pool visits is an extra that can easily be left by the wayside.
In both cases, you know that swimming would be a great activity for you and your child, if only you could fit it in.
Swimming during the school holidays
Getting to the pool over the school holidays is a great way to get the ball rolling on incorporating swimming into the fabric of your family’s life. Without the usual schedule, you can take your time getting to the pool, knowing that the clock isn’t ticking once you’re there. In addition, swimming can offer your kids, and your family as a whole, the following benefits.
Bonding time
Going to the pool all together is a great way to invest in family relationships, while doing something active and ultimately healthy. Rather than sitting at home watching yet another thing on Netflix, going to the pool together gets you all moving, and you feel great afterwards. You’ve moved your body, developed strength, and improved your swimming skills!
For those with young bubs, spending time with your infant at the pool is an experience unlike any other. It’s a delight to witness your child’s first time in the water, and if you take a class, it makes the task so much easier. Baby swimming lessons in a group setting are a great way to gain support and instruction from a baby swim teacher (we call them ‘baby whisperers’). You get to enjoy music and games, and also have the chance to meet other parents. Doing this during school holidays is great because the pools are buzzing with activity, and if you’ve been feeling a bit cooped up, you can get that hit of human interaction you’ve been missing.
It’s also a great way to get you moving, as well as your infant. Especially for new mothers, it can be a challenge to venture back to physical activity after having a baby, so gentle baby swimming lessons are a zero-pressure way of getting back into moving those stiff limbs. It’s also nice to be able to take advantage of the buoyancy of water, as not bearing the usual weight makes it a whole lot easier to exercise with your baby.
Boredom relief
Swimming is SOMETHING to do! We all know how things get over the holidays. You pack a lot in at the start, then run out of ideas and the boredom sets in. Suddenly kids are pulling at your sleeves asking for activities. Well, swimming is one activity that will stimulate your child mentally and physically, and dare we say it, wear them out a little? Which leads us to our next point…
Swimming is great for your child’s health
Exercise in water works so many of the body’s muscles, and is low impact. Even if your child isn’t swimming laps yet and is just enjoying water play, they’ll be exercising multiple muscles, burning energy, and releasing endorphins. For all of these reasons, swimming is a great way for your child to relax.
An additional benefit of swimming is that it aids in good sleep. Swimming in cold water causes a change in body temperature (the body temperature drops), and this can make you naturally sleepy. You can expect a more relaxed child after the excitement of the pool wears off, and hopefully, one that falls asleep a little more easily during the night.
It’s fun!
Particularly in summer, the time spent around the pool, or even on the way to and from the pool (particularly if ice cream is involved) is something to be savoured. The weather’s warm, there’s no rush, and you are all together.
A kids swimming program could add to the joy of school-free time. Attending a swimming program creates something for your kids to look forward to as holidays approach, and it is an enjoyable way for them to meet and spend time with other kids during the holidays.
School holiday swimming programs
When you’re not yet a confident swimmer, easing into things is really important. That’s why we recommend trying a kids swimming program, where your kid comes along to the pool over the holidays and learns new skills in a group setting, knowing there’s no rush to get to any particular swimming level.
These programs are a great way for your child to try swimming and learn vital water safety skills and swim technique. They can then decide if they want to continue swimming regularly, or further develop their skills in a school term program. (Often kids hear about these programs through friends, but aren’t sure if they want to commit to term classes without trying a holiday program first.)
Baby swimming lessons also run during school holidays, which means there’s no time during the year when you need to wait for the classes to start. Also, with more family likely on holidays at the same time, you can let them know about these classes and they can come along to watch!
For more information on baby swimming lessons, see our Foundations page. And for info on enrolling in one of Kingswim’s school holiday swim programs, see our Fast Track page. And for any other questions, big or small, you can make an enquiry here.
