Learning how to move, skillfully swim, and be safe in the water takes, not only conscious effort, but a whole lot of sensory and motor skills. Let's jump in!
Think about the last time that you went swimming - in a pool, lake, or the ocean (note: all of these create a different environment and experience that requires differing levels of skill!). Was it like riding a bike? Did you remember how to keep your head upright and above water? Or if you went under, were you aware of what direction the surface was to come up for air? Did you remember (and automatically) to take a big breath of air before going under, and blow it out while under? Were you able to coordinate both your arms and legs to adequately propel yourself in a forward motion to get out of the water safety?
All of those skills, and more, are supported by a strong foundation of sensory integration and motor skills!
So.. how does sensory processing have an impact on swimming skills? First and foremost, let's look at the impact on our vestibular system. Our vestibular system has two very important jobs. One is to tell the brain where our head is in space in relation to the rest of our body and the environment, as well as how fast (the acceleration) we're moving. Its second job is to monitor the constant pull of gravity, which also assists us in knowing where our whole body is in space (orients us into an upright position), but provides an avenue for us to develop strength, endurance, and coordination as well!
Being fully immersed (up to our head/neck) in the water lessens the downward pull of gravity on our bodies via the opposing force from the water called buoyancy. The combination of these two forces gives us our capacity to float. Each individuals capacity to float is different - due to the dependence on their weight and the displacement of that weight in water - but that's a physics lesson for another day. What we want you to get from the photo below is that our center of gravity and center of buoyancy fall at different points in the body; and because our ability to float requires those forces to be vertically aligned, our bodies will often begin to rotate and move through the water to obtain that alignment. Why is that important to know and understand in terms of sensory processing? Well.. if you don't have a strong foundation of vestibular processing, and your body begins to rotate and move in the water involuntarily you might start to panic (cue a fight or flight response!). The same happens to our kids when they are learning to move and skillfully swim in the water!
The next two systems that help us orient ourselves in the water and provide an immense amount of input while swimming is our proprioceptive and tactile systems. These two systems work so closely together to aid in knowing where our body is in space while in the water. In addition, our swimsuits (especially those rash guards with long sleeves) provide extra tactile input to the skin in and out of the water.
Side note: I love having our kids in long sleeve rash guards while they have swimming lessons because it provides a more 'real' experience of having clothes on if they were to ever fall in the pool - again extra tactile and proprioceptive (and heavy) input they need to process and manage to be safe!!
Moving along to our auditory and visual systems and how they assist in learning swim skills. As children get older, their vision becomes the dominant sense. In doing so, we are able to use our vision to assess the environment to see if it's safe for us to move (think crossing the street). Visual skills not only help us with orientation of our body in space, but also allow us to know what's up, down, and/or at our sides - a HUGE component of being able to orient ourselves in the water and gauge the depth or distance to safety! Our auditory processing skills come into play with our ability to listen to instruction, wait our turn, and following directions (i.e. "walking feet") to keep everyone safe around water.
So.. now we know swimming involves the whole body and is deeply rooted in sensory processing and integration!
As we close, we want to share some statistics about swimming and water safety. These aren't meant to scare and steer you and your children away from the water, but rather to inform and educate you on one of the "why's" behind this post. Keeping kids safe in and around water is so near and dear to our hearts (mainly because we both have a pool at our homes), and it is NEVER too early to start providing safe and fun water experiences while teaching our little's these essential skills!
Drowning is the #1 leading cause of death in children ages 1-4
Drowning is fast and usually silent; typically happens within 20-60 seconds
23% of childhood drownings occur during a family gathering near a pool
Learning to swim can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% for 1 to 4 year old's who take formal lessons
Unintentional drowning is PREVENTABLE! (more on this in a bit)
I've asked A & D's swimming instructor, Lindsey Rachel (owner of Little Inks Swimming), to provide us with her biggest and best tips on keeping kids safe in and around water this summer (not just pools!). Here's what she had to say!
Miss Lindsey's Top 4 Preventative Water Safety Tips:
Learn/teach life saving skills through formal instruction
Use life jackets
Fence off pool/water
Be on the lookout - have a water watcher!
Learn/teach life saving skills:
Swim lessons - teaching children basic life saving techniques
Floating
Moving through the water
Turning around and getting the wall
Learn CPR
The American Red Cross
American Heart Association
Life jackets:
Having colors be bright and bold- ex. ORANGE and YELLOW; recommend to stay away from BLUE life jackets because the water is blue.
Making sure life jackets are Coast Guard approved - there will be a label on the inside of the jacket with approval on it!
Testing them out- different life jacket, different body types. Want to make sure if fits properly and check expiration date
Fence:
Installing a 4 sided fence, with self closing and self latching gates around backyard pools can prevent children from drowning. The more barriers around a pool, the more lines of defense for safety there are. You may also use door and window alarms, doors and windows with locks, approved pool covers and a Safety Turtle Pool Alarm. A Safety Turtle pool alarm that is installed in your home, while the child wears a locking wristband. When the wristband is exposed to water, it sends an alarm off in the home to alert the caregiver of the child entering the water.
Be on the lookout - Have a water watcher!
When your children are in or around water, it is important to supervise them at all times; even if they are proficient swimmers. When around water, whether it is a pool, lake, ocean or a bathtub, it is important to not get distracted and to provide the child or children with full supervision. If there is a pool party, designate a “water watcher”.
A few other notes/tips to keep your kids safe around water (not just pools!): When not swimming or playing in the water, start by eliminating all attraction to it. You may do this by removing toys, floats, rafts, anything that may catch a child's eye, away from water. Empty out all buckets, drain bathtubs immediately after use, keep toilet seats covered and locked, and establish pool rules with your children. Let them know they can only swim when a grown up is watching them, no diving in shallow water, jump out and away from the wall, and no running around on the pool deck.
Flotation tools - Water wings and puddle jumpers have been deemed as safe with the puddle jumper being coast guard approved. The problem with these flotation devices is that they train children who wear them to be in an upright swimming position in the pool. It keeps the child's head above the water and their feet below the surface. This position is also known as the “drowning position”. Many children do not recognize, or have the cognitive ability to realize, that when these devices are taken away off they would not be able to swim independently. This tends to create a false sense of security for these “swimmers” by allowing them to swim freely in the water (which builds confidence) with these flotation tools on. However, without these devices, they would likely not be able to swim independently or save themselves in the event they ever fell in.
That's a ton of information - but we're hoping you have found this helpful and informative. Swimming is such a great developmental activity that works on building and integrating the whole sensorimotor system.
Swim on (safely!) friends,
Amy, Cassie, & Miss Lindsey
Sources:
Facts & Stats about Drowning https://www.stopdrowningnow.org/drowning-statistics/
Rushell, B. S. (2007). Flotation in Swimming: The forgotten technique modifier. Swimming Science Bulletin
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