Swimming lessons save lives: What parents should know
Child & Teen Health Swimming lessons help prevent drowning — the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. June 27, 2024 By Claire McCarthy, MD , Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing Reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD , Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing Share Share this page to Facebook Share this page to X Share this page via Email Copy this page to clipboard Print This Page Click to Print Before going any further, here's the main thing parents should know about swimming lessons: all children should have them. Every year, over 4,500 people die from drowning in the United States — and, in fact, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. Swimming lessons can't prevent all of those deaths, but they can prevent a lot of them. A child doesn't need to be able to swim butterfly or do flip turns, but the ability to get back to the surface, fl...