When we work to teach your kids to swim, we include a significant dose of repetition in every lesson. Our curriculum builds upon the skills learned each week, and we spend a lot of time reinforcing these skills over and over again - intentionally. We do this when teaching a toddler to swim because it develops muscle memory, improves mental development, and ultimately results in a stronger, more capable and confident little swimmer. Here’s a little more about the benefits of repetition in swim class and in other learning environments.
1. Swimming Strengthens Brain Connections.
When kids repeat something over and over again, the connections in their brains that help them learn are actually strengthened. This improves their mental development, and cognitive function, and helps them to remember more and perform better.
2. Swimming Gives New Levels of Understanding.
For little ones, everything around them is largely unfamiliar. So when they learn something new, and then repeat it multiple times across multiple days, weeks, and months, their grasp of the learning is deepened a little bit more each time. So the more the skill or idea is repeated, the more they truly understand it.
3. Swimming Creates Mastery - and Muscle Memory.
You may have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect” but we prefer the amended version, “practice makes permanent.” Repetition helps young minds understand, absorb, and ultimately master new skills and concepts for the long haul. This means that muscle memory gets developed along with this mastery, which is especially important in swim lessons.
After all, mastery and muscle memory means that kids’ bodies can automatically remember and engage in life-saving skills when needed, even outside of the familiar atmosphere of swim lessons.
4. Swimming Increases Confidence.
Repetition in a learning environment is also valuable because it helps children feel more comfortable with the material, which increases their knowledge and feeling of self-worth. Confident swimmers and learners are more adept, secure and able to thrive in a variety of settings.
5. Swimming Contributes to Comfort and Security.
Anyone who has done something silly or even read a book to their child, just to hear them squeal, “again!” over and over knows that repetition is not just important to kids for learning purposes, it’s also one of their favorite things. Especially in their early years when they have very little control over their lives and everything is new and unfamiliar to them, children seek out things that are predictable. When they repeat the same skills or routines time and again, this predictability helps them feel more comfortable and secure. Now you have some more information about why repetition is a key part of our swimming curriculum and how it helps reinforce learning while instilling confidence and comfort in our little swimmers. Contact us to learn more about our swim programs for kids.
