With the weather warming up, swim safety messaging is increasing and for good reason. Despite ongoing aquatic education, devastatingly, drowning is still the number one cause of accidental death in children under five years.
With that in mind, swim school leaders at Rackley Swimming are encouraging all families to improve their year-round water safety awareness, especially in preparation for our Summer holiday season.
“Swimming skills can help save lives, no matter the aquatic activity,” said Rackley Swimming General Manager, Cameron Speechley. “That’s why our community message, ‘This is Swimming’, is so important. It highlights how any body of water – surfing, wading, splashing, jet skiing, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing, tyre rafting, even building sandcastles – should be considered to be as swimming, because if a child falls into the water while doing that activity, swimming skills would be required,” added Speechley.
Rackley Swimming also suggests that year-round swimming is not only vital, but a smart decision. World first ‘Early Years Swimming’ research by Griffith University has shown that children exposed to regular swimming from a young age, can be six to fifteen months ahead of the normal population, when it comes to cognitive skills, problem solving, literacy, numeracy, as well as social ability, co-ordination, and following instructions.
“Swimming is one of Australia’s favourite hobbies. Through regular swimming lessons and our booster Holiday Swim Programs, we want to help ensure all Aussie kids don’t just love it, but are safer swimmers no matter the season,” concluded Speechley.
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