Developmental milestones are defined by the Cleveland Clinic as “behaviors that mark stages of typical growth. Children all develop at their own pace. However, most children pass through specific changes at approximately the same time as they get older.” These milestones greatly impact the skills that can be mastered while taking swim lessons. A child who is 6 months old, will not be able to master everything that a 3 year old child can since they are in two very different stages of development. This does not mean that starting your child in swim lessons at 6 months old is not beneficial; however, it is important to keep in mind what to realistically expect your child to be able to accomplish based on where they are at developmentally. For an in depth look at developmental milestones for different age ranges, check out these checklists from the CDC.
What Developmental Milestones Coincide with Swimming Skills?
Many various physical developmental milestones go hand in hand with skills we work on at swim lessons. Here are a few different examples:
Using Arms to Scoop
An example of a developmental milestone that signals your child would be ready to practice scooping their arms to swim, would be if they are independently reaching out to grab objects such as toys.
Scooping and Kicking Simultaneously
Bilateral coordination, such as crawling, is a great developmental milestone that signals your child is able to work on scooping their arms and kicking their legs simultaneously.
Rolling from Back to Belly & Belly to Back
Your child being able to roll both from their belly to their back, and their back to their belly during tummy time, is a great indicator they’re developmentally ready for rolling while swimming.
Holding on to Wall/Monkey Crawling
One developmental milestone that signals your child is ready to independently hold onto the pool wall and monkey crawl, is if they are able to independently pull themself up to stand.
Climbing out of Water
A great sign that your child is developmentally ready to practice independently climbing out of the pool, is if they are able to crawl up the stairs or onto furniture such as a couch.
Jumping into the Water
Your child being able to broadly jump on land, including jumping over objects, is an important developmental milestone we look for, before having your child practice independent jumps into the pool. This ensures that they are able to jump out far enough from the wall for safety.
What is the takeaway?
Developmental milestones have a significant impact on your child’s swim lesson journey, but that does not mean we are unable to work on certain skills if the child may not be fully developmentally ready for them. It can actually be incredibly beneficial for your child to start practicing certain skills sooner as it can help to teach the child that swimming skill AND the developmental milestone. It is just always important to keep in mind that depending on where your child is developmentally currently, certain skills can take longer to master. To learn more about the benefits of starting your infant in swim lessons, read our blog post,
“Dive In Early: The Benefits of Starting Swimming Lessons for Babies and the Best Age to Start.”
Join the SLWM family and let us help you dive into your aquatic journey with confidence.
Join the SLWM family and let us help you dive into your aquatic journey with confidence.
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