Beating summer sun can break the facade of even the toughest person. The best way to combat this summer time fatigue is by both drinking and swimming in water!
For children especially it is vital that they learn the ins and outs of water safety and basic safety principles. In terms of education development, there is no doubt that hands-on, tactile learning experiences help progress children developmentally and socially, along with the pleasure and fun of learning a new athletic endeavor.
Safety is a key component to any new activity or experience for a child. It is critical that the instructions they receive are both formative and informational. The most important areas to cover when discussing being around a large body of water (pool, lake, ocean, etc.) is adult supervision. A great resource for helping kids learn about water safety is the American Red Cross. The general website offers a specific portion dedicated to teaching children about water safety. It’s called Whale’s Tales. They offer a variety of teaching plans and instructional videos that teaches kids the most essential dos and don’ts of playing in the water.
Additionally, water activities have been proven to developmentally allow children to grow in five different categories.
- Develop Motor Skills
- Problem Solving
- Emotional growth
- Language development
- Science and Math
These five developmental areas can come from all sorts of activities and exploration. Some suggestions include bubbles, painting on the sidewalk with water and any sort of activity that may require a water activity table. In addition to playing with sand in these types of tables, water play is also a possibility. Children are able to play with boats, toy fish and model water animal habitats in order to truly become one with water and water animals alike.
Not only is playing with water an important part of the above five developmental skills, but it is also a crucial part to art and creativity as well. By painting the sidewalk with water and easel painting with food colored water, children are able to explore a creative component to the element of water. Exploration and curiosity are fundamentals to any learning, but are especially prevalent in tactile kinetic learning techniques. With these two ideas mastered and integrated into all aspects of water play – anything’s possible!
Last, but certainly not least, learning how to swim in water is just as, if not more important than water play. At summer camps in the United States this summer thousands of children all across the country and taking swim lessons at all different capacities. All over the world there are different types of swim lessons and instructors teaching children and adults any and all levels of swimming. Swim lessons not only lead to being water safe, but they also learn a valuable life skill that can be used in anything from a great summer workout to being safe at the beach. The combination of both swim lessons and water-based activities truly is a win!
Overall, splashing water and comfort in and around the water are vital areas for children this summer in terms of both cognitive development and overall safety at both swimming pool and beachfront developments. Whether it is a small water activity table, or swimming in a huge ocean, children need to be exposed to water for both safety and developmental reasons.
