How does swimming develop babies' social skills?

Benefits of swimming for babies (Part 1/3): developing social skills

When you watch a child move, you can see that their mental development is achieved through their movements –Maria Montessori.

Maria Montessori, one of the most innovative and brilliant minds in children's education and a benchmark for education that aims to develop the child into a complete adult human being, comfortable with himself, with society and with humanity as a whole, consider that movement is the way a child's mental development is reflected.

Imagine how a baby sees the world. Every detail that surrounds us is new to him! His first experience with that detail determines his view of it and can build his skills or fears.

Water, and especially positive experiences in the aquatic environment, can lead to visible and beneficial emotional and cognitive development in the baby.

A large-scale study by Professor Robyn Jorgensen, on 7,000 children in Australia, demonstrated that those children who started swimming lessons at a young age have noticeably superior cognitive and physical abilities compared to those who did not have such a start in life. This study was supported by two others, conducted in Germany, and by a study in Melbourne, which confirmed and highlighted the mental abilities that swimming develops in children. Thus, unlike children who did not have an aquatic education, those who were initiated into the aquatic experience from a young age have:

• greater control over instincts;
• a greater desire to succeed;
• greater self-confidence;
• much more developed social skills;
• a higher IQ;
• better memory;
• a higher ability to retain and process new information;
• the ability to resolve difficult situations more quickly;
• the ability to orient oneself more easily in space;
• more developed organizational and leadership skills;
• stronger introspection and analysis skills.

In fact, bilateral movements, which use both sides of the body to perform an action, help the child's brain grow.

These movements build neurons throughout the brain, but especially in the corpus callosum. This facilitates communication, feedback, and modulation from one part of the brain to another. Therefore, this can improve:

-reading skills

-language development
-academic learning
-spatial awareness

When swimming, your child moves their arms while kicking their legs. And they do these actions in the water, which means their brain registers the tactile sensation of the water, plus its resistance. Swimming is also a unique social experience that improves their brain's growth power.

A 2010 study revealed that 4-year-olds who took swimming lessons at some point between the ages of 2 months and 4 years were better adapted to new situations, had more self-confidence, and were more independent than non-swimmers.

An older study reinforced these findings, illustrating that a program that included year-round early swimming lessons for preschool-aged participants was associated with:

– greater self-control
– stronger desire to succeed
– developed self-esteem
– more comfort in social situations than non-swimmers.

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