As we know, summer is just around the corner, and as parents of a child with Down Syndrome, you must actively look for ways or activities that will get them active and as involved as possible. Let us introduce you to special needs swimming lessons near me. It is one of the best forms of exercise and comes with numerous developmental, physical, and emotional advantages. For children who have Down syndrome, swimming benefits can manifest in a quick time and is known to have a lasting impact. Let us have a look at those benefits:
- Physical Activity
Swimming consists of active involvement of all body muscles, thus offering a full-body workout, which means that the whole body is engaged and exerting effort. Furthermore, as water is responsible for giving swimming some distinct qualities, its buoyancy decreases the force and stress on the joints and body, thereby providing a gentle workout on the physical body, but it has a great aerobic impact.
As we know that weight management can be quite challenging for individuals with Down Syndrome, swimming is quite effective in combating it. Though swimming is a mostly cardiovascular and aerobic activity, the muscles too work simultaneously, thus offering tone and strength to the body.
Like any other cardiovascular exercise, swimming helps develop and build stamina, muscle, and endurance when one indulges in it regularly. Another wonderful physical benefit of swimming is the enhanced lung and respiratory capacity, thanks to the body’s unique requirements to hold its breath while it is underwater. Lung capacity can be defined as the volume of oxygen the lungs can hold, so when a person swims regularly, it increases this volume; thus, promoting circulation and better breathing. Moreover, healthy blood circulation helps prevent blood clots and body infections. Swimming has also proven to be especially beneficial for children with Down syndrome, who have a higher risk of respiratory infections. So, when parents enroll their child for special needs swimming lessons near me, that it helps them immensely.
- Developmental Benefits
Swimming implies that a person uses their brain as it needs a great sense of body coordination, awareness, and cognitive processing so as to perform the strokes effectively. Take the example of freestyle swimming; in this, the brain requires to process every arm stroke, alternating arms while keeping the face in the water all while turning the head for breathing at the moment the arm on the preferred breathing side pulls back start that arm stroke. This pattern continues as the swimmer kicks their legs and tries to maintain spatial awareness of which lane they are on and the pool’s length in order to anticipate the next wall and possible turn.
Don’t you think this is a lot of things to keep track of?! However, with ample practice, the body and brain become acquainted and gradually efficient with this technique. Swimming can greatly help stretch cognitive abilities by promoting this type of multitasking for children with Down syndrome.
- Emotional and Social Advantages
As we have already established that swimming involves tremendous practice, time, and determination for developing proficiency, and that is quite the reward one can get! In terms of swimming, there are many successes, be it big or small. For children with Down syndrome, swimming helps in improving their pride and achievements. It also brings more chances for peer interaction and socialization, which these children crave.
These are some of the benefits when a kid with Down Syndrome joins special needs swimming lessons near me.
Conclusion–
For children with Down syndrome, swimming lessons can offer a lifetime of benefits and a lot of fun too. With summer coming, this can be an ideal time to jump into the swimming pool and enjoy all the benefits it offers of swimming.
