Teaching babies to swim ‘a waste of time’
PA Wellington Teaching babies to swim is a waste of time, says the Water Safety Council. The council says in a policy statement that children under three years cannot be taught to swim or made safe in the water. “A water-safe infant cannot be achieved,” the statement said. “The object of any preschool aquatic programme is to allow the child to become familar with the water environment.” Nearly half of all four-year-olds lacked the co-ordi-nation „to master formal swimming; the council said. “The Water Safety Council cannot, as a matter of national policy, rely upon pre-school aquatic programmes to solve the preschool drowning problem.” The statement said preschool . swimming training was not effective in preventing drownings because drowning was so unlike the teaching situation that any skills learnt by the child tended to be overwhelmed.
A number of inquest reports had shown that infant drownings were caused by heart attack as a result of the colder water found in home swimming pools compared with the teaching pool. The council said it would be impractical to expose children to the hardship of
the colder water during swimming lessons. As well, the level of instruction required for older children to become safe was beyond the level of heated pools available in New Zealand and the commitment of parents, the council said. The object of pre-school aquatic programmes should be to provide enjoyable water experiences and prepare children for school leam-to-swim programmes.
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Press, 30 December 1985, Page 6
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247Teaching babies to swim ‘a waste of time’ Press, 30 December 1985, Page 6
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