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Why sign up for preschool tennis lessons

Why sign up for preschool tennis lessons

Keen for your preschooler to play tennis? Preschool tennis lessons provide a great introduction to the game in a fun environment. Preschool tennis lessons come with lots of benefits too. They teach preschoolers valuable life skills such as teamwork, dedication and self-confidence, and offer a whole host of physical, social, emotional and developmental benefits as well.
Benefits of recreational gymnastics

Benefits of recreational gymnastics

Taking part in recreational gymnastics from a young age comes with many benefits for toddlers and preschoolers. As well as helping them to develop their co-ordination and build their self-esteem, it’s all about having fun and focusing on interactive play and their social well-being. Preschool gym classes encourage toddlers and preschoolers to be active in a safe, monitored environment.
8 Benefits of trampolining for kids

8 Benefits of trampolining for kids

Kids love trampolines! Not only are they fun, but when used regularly, studies have shown that jumping on trampolines offers many physical, health and educational benefits for kids too. Check out some of the benefits trampolines can offer.
Making the most of preschool swimming lessons

Making the most of preschool swimming lessons

Learning to swim is such an important life skill for children to learn from a young age and having swimming lessons even before they start school is a great place to start. Here are some expert tips to help you navigate the process, from choosing a swim school and booking lessons to what you can expect from lessons, moving through progressions and everything in between.
Ballet for toddlers & preschoolers

Ballet for toddlers & preschoolers

Do your kids love to dance? Have a little ballerina who’s begging for lessons? Music and movement or preballet classes provide a great early introduction to ballet for toddlers and preschoolers and offer many physical benefits too.
Easy ways to build your kids water confidence

Easy ways to build your kids water confidence

Swimming is an essential life skill and building water confidence is the first step when it comes to teaching your kids to swim. Water confidence is all about how comfortable your kids are in water. As a parent you can play a huge role in developing this confidence and teach them core water safety skills from an early age.
Importance of exercise for kids under 5

Importance of exercise for kids under 5

We all know that physical activity is important for young children for their whole development, building their confidence, strength and improving balance. Being active is what kids are born to do! Find out more about the importance of exercise for preschool kids.
Summer’s on the horizon – is your family water-safe?

Summer’s on the horizon – is your family water-safe?

Water is an essential part of Kiwis identity and many under 5's grow up spending their holidays at the beach, fishing off the rocks, swimming in a pool or learning how to drive a boat. Yet according to Safekids Aotearoa, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children between 1 and 4 years old.
5 Benefits of starting swimming lessons as a baby

5 Benefits of starting swimming lessons as a baby

Starting swimming lessons as a baby comes with many benefits including improved physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. It also sets a positive foundation towards a lifetime of participation and enjoyment in a variety of water sports and time spent on, in and under the water. On the whole, children who start swimming lessons early are far more relaxed and happy in the water, and in a country as water-loving as New Zealand, this is vital.
Essential water safety tips

Essential water safety tips

It’s officially summer and water safety is more important than ever as you spend your days at the beach or by the pool. It's not only important to actively supervise young children in and around water, but to be conscious of potential safety hazards too. These 5 tips will make an enormous difference to your family’s water safety over the holiday period and could even save someone's life.
Physical benefits of teaching babies to swim

Physical benefits of teaching babies to swim

There are many physical benefits of teaching babies to swim, as well as helping them to overcome their initial fear of water. Swimming helps babies physical progress later in life, along with providing them with some essential social skills.
Benefits of swimming in winter for young kids

Benefits of swimming in winter for young kids

Parents often withdraw their kids from swimming classes in winter as a ‘precautionary measure’ each year as the temperature drops. When they return to swimming later in the year, not only have they missed out on the many benefits of swimming, they find that their kids still caught all the colds that went around. Check out these tips and keep your kids swimming throughout winter.
Physical education in the early childhood years

Physical education in the early childhood years

Research has shown that early childhood physical education is important and improves more than just physical wellness. It also assists and improves mental and emotional development in children too. The earlier the age physical education is taught, the earlier children begin to develop the ability to think critically.
The cognitive benefits of swimming for babies

The cognitive benefits of swimming for babies

There are many benefits of introducing your child to swimming whilst they're still a baby, including improved physical development as well as social development – not to mention fun! However, the benefit that is overlooked most often is that of cognition or mental benefits which are incredibly important for the development of children as a whole.
The social benefits of swimming for babies

The social benefits of swimming for babies

A weekly swimming lesson is often a child’s first social experience out of the home that involves their peers. They learn to relate and interact with each other and look forward to seeing their classmates each week, and even watch them for cues when it comes to taking risks and learning something new. The best way for babies to learn is by example, and as they are with children their own age, a lot of fun goes along with it.
Kids Learning Plateaus

Kids Learning Plateaus

Often students learning a new motor skill, like swimming, experience a sudden lack of progress after a very strong start. This can be because of something called the 'learning plateau'. This term describes the way in which a period of rapid skill acquisition can be followed by a prolonged 'dry spell' during which no discernible progress is visible.
The emotional benefits of swimming for babies

The emotional benefits of swimming for babies

Swimming lessons can help babies develop an emotional bond through interaction with other children in their class and positive encouragement from their parents. Early swimming also fosters a growing sense of self-esteem, confidence, independence and as a child’s ability to freely move through the water increases - so does their sense of wellbeing.
The swim safe benefits for your baby

The swim safe benefits for your baby

We are a culture that thrives on being able to spend time at play on our beaches and waterways, but we still need help when it comes to staying safe. Entering the water safely at an early age is a great way to begin, and the benefits of 'baby-friendly' swimming classes are unique, uplifting and contribute to the positive development of the whole child.
7 lifesaving tips for parents at the beach this summer

7 lifesaving tips for parents at the beach this summer

Going to the beach this summer? A YMCA Auckland Lifeguard shares 7 lifesaving tips that could make the difference to your family’s lives this season.
Keeping kids safe around water

Keeping kids safe around water

Water play can be a great source of fun and exercise for the whole family, but it can also be dangerous for kids if the proper water safety precautions are not taken. The good news is though there are many ways to keep children safe in and around water. Check out these helpful tips.
Teaching kids how to put their head underwater

Teaching kids how to put their head underwater

A key element in helping young kids to develop their water confidence, is to teach them about submersion and how to feel comfortable putting their head underwater. Young kids can sometimes be afraid to submerge their head fully underwater, but as a parent you can play a huge role in teaching your kids this core swimming skill from an early age.
Teaching kids how to float in water

Teaching kids how to float in water

Not only does teaching your kids how to float provide them with a strong foundation for learning to swim, it’s also one of the most important core water safety skills they can learn from an early age.
Teaching young kids the swimming kick

Teaching young kids the swimming kick

Learning how to kick in water correctly will help your kids to swim more efficiently in the future and will help to lay the foundation for other swimming strokes too. Kicking is a gross motor skill and a critical swimming skill, but it can be hard work at first and will require some concentration to get it right and for your kids to stay afloat.

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