Swimming through Winter is important for a number of reasons and we recommend that you continue with your child’s lessons even as the weather gets colder. Because taking a break in Winter means two strokes forward, one stroke back for your child.
Skill Regression
The biggest drawback of taking a break from swimming lessons is the likelihood of skill regression. Swimming techniques require muscle memory and, especially, consistent practice. A prolonged absence will lead to a decline in skills, making it harder for your child to pick up where they left off.
Skill regressions are very noticeable in children under the age of 6 after as short of an absence as 2-4 weeks. As children get older, they hang onto skills a little longer and may take less time refreshing those skills upon return, but we notice that tween & teens coming back to swim lessons after an extended break have regressed and have to work hard to get back to where they once were.
Statistically Speaking
Statistics show that taking a break from swimming really sets children back in their progress. Not only that, water safety has year round importance.
It’s a common misconception that drownings only occur in the summer when everyone is enjoying water activities in pools or at the beach. However this isn’t the case. Royal Life Saving found that 34% of drownings happen in the Autumn and winter seasons.
Royal Life Saving is a great source of information if you want to do some further reading about the importance of consistency in your child swimming lessons.
Royal Life Saving Society – Australia
You’ll Spend Less
You may think you’ll save money by skipping swimming lessons during winter, but that’s actually a false economy. Children who have a break from swimming regress in their skills and often end up needing more lessons than they would have if they had continued with their lessons all year round.
Loss of Physical Fitness
Swimming is an excellent way for children to maintain cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone. Taking a break can lead to a decrease in overall physical fitness, which might affect their performance when they return to the pool.
Upon return, even children who swim shorter distances (like in our Turtle & Stingray levels) will find that swimming is more difficult than it was before their break.
Breaking Routine
Establishing a routine is crucial for building and maintaining skills with any endeavour. Taking a break can disrupt this routine, making it harder for your child to get back into the rhythm of regular swimming lessons. This can be especially difficult for younger swimmers, like our Goldfish and Seahorse levels, whose learning and development relies on repetition and predictable patterns.
Emotional Impact
For children who find joy and a sense of accomplishment in swimming, taking a break can be emotionally challenging. The absence of this positive outlet can impact their mood and motivation.
Conversely, children with anxiety about swimming lessons can experience a reigniting of this anxiety after a break, prolonging the amount of time it takes to overcome those fears and start being able to acquire skills. We see this in children with anxiety across ALL AGES!
Link to Article – Now is not the time to give up on swimming lessons | Royal Life Saving Society – Australia