Early-years swimming: Adding capital to young Australians
The Early-Years Swimming Research Project has been conducted over four years. It has centred on an examination of the possible benefits that may accrue for under-5s who participate in swimming lessons.
The importance of learning to swim at a young age cannot be disputed. With accidental drowning being the leading cause of death in under-5s, it makes good sense for all young Australians to develop water safety skills from a very early age.
The focus of this study is to investigate whether or not young children gain more than just swimming skills if they participate in early-years swimming.
This project has used a number of research techniques to explore the benefits, if any, participation in early-years swimming offers beyond swim skills for young children to answer the following questions:
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What, if any, are the physical, emotional, social and intellectual benefits of learning to swim for under-5s?
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What factors enhance the benefits in different learn-to-swim contexts?
Fact sheets
