Why Young Children Should Learn to Swim

Learnings from Participation in Early Years Swimming
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-30469-2
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 178 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

This groundbreaking text presents findings from the first comprehensive international study examining developmental benefits of swimming lessons for children under five.

Robyn Jorgensen’s research reveals that quality swimming programs benefit young children's development across multiple areas, demonstrating early aquatic education’s impact on development beyond traditional water safety and swimming instruction. Using Bourdieu's framework of capital and drawing on the Australian context as a case study, the author documents remarkable gains across cognitive, linguistic, social and physical development, with participating children achieving developmental milestones up to 18 months ahead of international benchmarks. The research measures these significant outcomes while also examining the critical environmental factors that produce such results, including specific teaching practices, program quality indicators, and swim school characteristics that distinguish effective early aquatic education from basic swimming instruction. As well as demonstrating where gains occur, the book explores why quality swimming environments enable young children to flourish across developmental domains.

A must-read for swimming industry professionals seeking evidence-based insights for their program development, this important book will also interest early childhood educators, policymakers addressing pre-school educational gaps, and researchers across education, sport and child development.

Zielgruppe

Academic and Professional Reference

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jorgensen, Robyn

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Sport | Tourismus | Freizeit Sport Schwimmen, Tauchen
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Schulen, Schulleitung Kindergarten & Vorschule
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: Introduction: The Catalyst for the Research

Chapter 2: Early Years Swimming Context

Chapter 3: Australian Swim School Landscape

Chapter 4: International Perspectives on Early Years Swimming Industry

Chapter 5. Does EYS Add Capital to Young Swimmers?

Chapter 6: Survey - Do Swimming Children Reach Milestones Earlier?

Chapter 7: Child Assessments

Chapter 8: Outcomes, Limitations and Caveats

Über Autor(innen)

Robyn Jorgensen is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Canberra, Australia. She has worked in the field of education and equity, with a particular focus on mathematics education and qualitative research. She was the recipient of 12 Australian Research Council grants, is widely published and has a strong international reputation in education. The Early Years Swim study that Robyn conducted has had considerable impact in the international swim industry and resulted in her induction into the Australian Swim School Hall of Fame in recognition of her contribution.