While the holidays will look different for many this season, there are ways to think creatively to ensure gifts are fun for kids while also being easy to give! The gift of swim lessons is one your kids can experience and enjoy through the holiday season and beyond, and one that will give them skills to be safer and stronger swimmers for life. Here are 10 reasons to give your kids the gift of swim lessons at Big Blue Swim School Johns Creek this holiday season.
1. Swim lessons are a safe and comfortable year-round activity for kids and families alike: As the weather gets colder, kids will soon need indoor activities to keep them busy and active throughout the winter months. Big Blue’s warm and spacious indoor facility is a safe and comfortable space for kids to be active year-round, with 90-degree, ultra-clean pool water, an HVAC system that brings fresh air from outside to the pool deck every 10 minutes for swimmers, and a socially distanced viewing area for parents to relax or get work done.
2. Swimming keeps kids physically active and healthy: Swimming is one of the safest
and best cardiovascular activities for kids. It’s a low impact activity that promotes long-term heart and lung health. Kids build muscular strength and endurance with continuous weekly swim lessons.
3. Swimming promotes brain development: Swimming supports social, emotional, cognitive, language, and fine motor skill development, according to a study by the Griffith Institute for Educational Research. It helps with the mind/body connection as it requires an immense amount of focus and physical coordination. 
Additionally, when kids swim, their brains release endorphins, which helps boost their moods. Finally, swimming gives kids a place to develop relationships and social skills as they listen, learn, and play in the water with others.
4. Learning to swim gives kids confidence as they learn new skills: Big Blue celebrates every accomplishment kids achieve in the water, whether a new skill or overcoming a fear. They call these Big Moments because they know they will last a lifetime. Big Blue provides kids with a safe place to feel confident, secure, and proud of themselves with every bit of progress they make in the water.
5. Swimming helps kids build resilience as they work to overcome fears and challenges: Every day at Big Blue, Swim Associates help kids learn new swimming skills and are right by their sides as they reach new milestones. But every swimmer has to overcome an obstacle or two before achieving those Big Moments. Swim lessons build confidence and teach kids resilience by challenging them to push beyond their limits, to try and try again, and to trust their own abilities.
6. Preparing for safe summer swimming happens in the winter: As a parent, you may already know these staggering statistics: drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1-4 and the second-leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 14 in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control. The good news is that swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning by 88%! In order to be ready for safe summer swimming, kids need to start learning to swim in the winter months. This gives them time to get comfortable in the water, learn new skills, and build the endurance needed to be strong swimmers.
7. Swimming is beneficial to other activities: There are so many benefits of swimming, including cross-training for other kid’s activities. Swimming pairs well with many other sports and activities because it builds aerobic endurance and muscular strength, is a low-impact activity that can actually help when injuries are present, and require a lot of mental strength, which helps kids clear their heads and focus on what’s in front of them.
8. Swim lessons give kids a routine and something to look forward to each week: It is so important for kids to have a routine, particularly when so much of the world around them is changing. The consistency of weekly swim lessons with our friendly staff in our warm and welcoming environment is both an activity and a destination that kids can look forward to each week.
9. Safety is core to teaching kids to swim: Big Blue Swim School is committed to providing a safe environment for kids to learn and improve upon their swim skills all year long, which means the health and safety of families and staff is a top priority. In response to COVID-19, Big Blue has implemented a number of practices and procedures to protect from the virus, including enhanced cleaning protocols every 30 minutes, wellness screenings prior to entry, social distancing in the waiting area, limited capacity in each lesson, and usage of personal protective equipment. You can learn more about the extra precautions they are taking in response to COVID-19 by visiting the Health & Safety page of Big Blue’s website.
10. Big Blue is offering BIG holiday savings! New customers can visit Big Blue’s website to access their holiday promotion. Get your first four swim lessons at Big Blue Swim School for just $60 to jump-start swim progress this season, and make for a memorable gift that keeps on giving.
