With summer right around the corner, children of all ages will be flocking back to the pool in hopes of beating the summer heat. But when is the right age to begin teaching children the basics of swimming? According to swim instructor Daniel Roberts, there is no time like the present.
Roberts said that waiting too long to teach children the importance of swimming can cause them to fear the water, making it much more difficult for instructors to teach fundamental skills.
“It varies a lot by kid, but I do generally say the earlier the better,” he said. “If you wait too long, they can develop a fear of water. It can just be based on something like they saw a scary movie like ‘Jaws’ when they were too young — that kind of phobia that kids develop. So earlier is better. Little kids have no fear of water. There is no natural fear there, so they take to it a lot easier.”
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