It’s no secret that physical activity and mental health are closely related. Activities that challenge children physically and mentally are inherently great for building confidence because children can see the results of hard work as they improve and eventually master a skill. Swimming classes for kids in Miami, FL is an activity that improves confidence and can be started when children are as young as one month old! Here are some reasons swimming lessons are so successful at boosting a child’s confidence.

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Independence

One of the best ways to help a child build confidence is to allow them to be independent. Swimming is a skill that largely relies on a child’s independence in order for the child to be successful. A parent or swimming teacher can provide support to children to a certain extent, but eventually even infant swimming classes teach a child to be totally independent. Infants are taught how to survive in the water in case they accidentally fall in, while older children are taught to independently move through the water. Children learn to trust their instincts when they’re allowed to be independent, which in turn increases their confidence.

Decision Making

Learning to make decisions and deal with the consequences is another factor in children becoming more self-confident. There are numerous decisions children can make in swimming lessons, whether it’s something as simple as which game or activity to engage in or deciding which stroke to focus on as children master their skills and desire to move into more competitive swimming. Of course, children are prone to making mistakes, but when given the chance to make decisions and cope with the consequences, their confidence will grow, and they’ll develop better decision-making skills to avoid the same mistakes in the future.

Frequent Success

Children will see success quickly during swimming lessons. The improvements may happen in very small increments, but a good teacher and parent will be able to point out these improvements so that the child will see their success. Once children are accustomed to the water, they often begin to progress rapidly with regular instruction. Seeing their improvement and success increases their confidence and increases the drive to learn more as well.

Building Skills

Swimming builds skills by improving coordination, burning fat, and building muscles. This is good for a child’s overall health, but it’s good for confidence and emotional health as well because it’s exercise that’s fun. As skills are improved and mastery is reached, many children will enter competitive swimming. Competitive swimming is also good for confidence because not only do children compete against other children, but they learn to compete against themselves and work hard to reach personal bests and improve individually.

Reaching Goals

Setting goals is an important component of swimming lessons in Santa Monica and is a great way for children to build confidence, especially when they have a teacher to help them set realistic goals and create a plan for reaching those goals. Goals can start with something as simple as holding their breath for a specified amount of time or jumping in the deep end. They can progress to treading water, swimming a certain amount of laps without stopping, and mastering individual strokes. Regardless of how simple or intense the goals are, children will gain confidence as they pass benchmarks on their way to reaching their goals.

To help your child boost their confidence, contact SwimRight Academy today to enroll them in swimming classes.