The importance of swimming practice in the education of boys and girls

1. The importance of sport in boys and girls

It is essential that, even if the parents initiate the child in the practice of some sport, whether individual or collective, it is the child himself who chooses, based on his preferences and his abilities, the one for which he is most comfortable. prepared, this way you are guaranteed to have more fun and get better results.

 If it is a collective sport, its practice must become a discipline where the child must be aware that he is an integral part of a team, and that if he does not complement himself with it, he is not only harmed but to the whole team.

2. Swimming: a very complete sport

Swimming with lifeguard class is one of the most complete and fun sports and, why not, life insurance, since at a certain moment you can avoid drowning. For this reason, it is essential that the child begins to swim and is integrated into the aquatic environment from a very young age, in order to lose fear and become familiar with it. Normally, the fear of water increases as the child grows, in such a way that the longer they are away from the water, the more feelings of distrust and phobia they can develop, making it difficult to learn swimming.

• The exercises that are decided to be carried out in the water must be approached as a game and, therefore, the baby must have fun doing them.
• The baby will be the one to decide when the activity ends.
• Avoid rushing things or doing them too quickly, following the baby's rhythm.
• You have to smile at all times.
• You have to explain to the baby what is going to be done and what is going to happen so that it does not come as a surprise.
• It is very important to reinforce their achievements with applause and congratulations.

3. The importance of the family in this learning process

  In the Aquatic Education Programs , the intervention that parents can exercise is fundamental, through affective attention and transmission of security and confidence, being together with the intervention of the monitors, the cornerstone on which the acquisition of language is based, the exploratory behavior of the baby, the increase of the communicative, psychomotor, cognitive and personal interrelationship capacity.

    Educators must keep in mind that parents are participants in the connection that is created around the concepts of family, water and play, and can carry out the transfer of the link gradually, depending on the child's maturational level in terms of psycho-affective development. In this sense, it must be taken into account that at approximately three years of age, boys and girls will accept the absence of their parents more readily.

4. Requirements that sports facilities must meet

It is essential that swimming pools comply with regulations, in order to guarantee that the activity that the child is going to carry out is totally safe for their health and physical integrity. For this reason, they must meet the following requirements:

It is recommended that the water temperature be 32º, and may vary one degree above or below, depending on the season of the year. When the conditions of the pools are not what they should be, there is a risk of hypothermia. Therefore, if we notice that a little one is starting to get cold, we have to take him out of the water immediately, since in addition to a possible cooling, this unpleasant memory will remain in his head for the next dive, and he may lose enthusiasm.

5. Safety measures to enter the water

  In children's swimming, and to prevent possible accidents and damage to children, a series of recommendations must be taken into account:

In the pool

If the child uses cuffs, they must be supervised by an adult at all times. The muffs are very dangerous, since they can generate a false tranquility and lead us to lose our minds for a moment. It must be taken into account that they can deflate or slip out of the children's arm, leaving them unprotected with the risk of drowning.

goog_2061504929Regardless of the system used (sleeves, floats...), children must be supervised at all times.

Avoid bathing in pools with depths that do not offer visibility.

You should start with small pools since the sound frequency of large pools is much higher.

It must be verified that the pool water is clean and correctly chlorinated, so that it meets the corresponding health requirements, and thus avoid water intoxication.

The pool must be accessed by the corresponding ladder and never jumping from the edge to avoid accidents.

In children who have not learned to control their breathing underwater, avoid immersing them since they could swallow water causing injuries.

If the child begins to shiver, take him out of the water and cover him up so that he recovers his temperature.

At sea

Special precaution must be taken in the sea, being important to know the marine currents and the depth of the space in which we are not going to bathe. Special attention must be paid to seabeds that offer poor visibility or that are loaded with seaweed or slippery stones.

• There is no need to swim with a red flag.
• Bathing near rocky areas should be avoided, since a current could make us crash into them.

6. What do you need to bring to the pool?

Swim diapers, since they are mandatory in almost all pools.

Tight-fitting swimsuit to prevent, where appropriate, excrement from reaching the water.

7. Advantages of swimming

SWIM = PLAY = PART OF LIFE = LEARNING

At an early age, contact with water should be interpreted as a game, so that the child, in addition to having fun, comes into contact with the aquatic environment. You can develop countless games in the water, free or organized.

Through play, the child becomes aware of his body and the world around him, learning to accept the separation and control the anguish that this causes him, thus strengthening his personality.

• goog_2061504933Stimulates the senses.
• Promotes socialization without trauma.
• It offers a greater range of shared games.
• It promotes fun and motivates the spirit of play.
• Strengthens emotional ties with parents.
• It helps them share with other people.
• It favors the relationship and socialization with the peer group.
• It establishes and reinforces the alliance between the child and their parents and between the child and the monitor(s).
• Develops motor skills, intelligence and sensory skills.
• Promoting the autonomy process
• The child walks away from the security base. She acquires autonomy as soon as she separates from her parents, learning to trust other people, such as the monitors.
• It favors the development of vital survival skills.
• It enables you to discover your limits.
• Children begin to control arm movements and pedaling.
• Although it cannot move on land, it allows it to do so in the water, giving it greater autonomy and independence.
• It favors the orientation in the displacement, allowing to discover a multidimensional space. Strengthens the immune system.
• Motor and respiratory development
• It favors the integration of combinations such as: up-down; in out; Left Right…
• In the water there is no segregation:
• A blind child will be able to move by himself around the pool when he has learned to orient himself, for example, taking the reference of the curb.
• A poly disabled child will be able to move with some autonomy in the water, with the help of certain restraints.
• An autistic child can be integrated by sequences in a certain group.
• A child with behavioral disorders will learn that in the water you cannot attack others.

Conclusions

  We must bear in mind that children who are born without specific psychosomatic problems are capable, from a very young age, of entering a swimming with American lifeguard vienna va pool held by the hair of an adult and immersing themselves in it, without running any danger. Swimming is something innate, like monkeys holding on to their mothers so they don't fall while jumping from tree to tree.

As educators, we should not be interested in mastering the technique, or perfecting styles, rather we must ensure that they acquire adequate behavior in this medium, which is water. These new and original movements will help you to tackle a new activity and evolve in the water.