Maybe humans can’t fly like birds (yet!), but that doesn’t mean that walking is the only we can get around—with just a little patience and a little work, we can learn to swim like fish, too. Of course, you could live without ever knowing how to swim, but who would want to?

Swimming offers so many benefits that it’s impossible to say that your life would be just as good without it—it builds muscle strength and endurance, improves circulation, helps maintain a healthy weight, alleviates stress and improves both coordination and flexibility, to name but a few.

Not to mention that knowing how to swim can easily save your life or allow you a person to save someone’s life! Learn to Swim Day was created to encourage people all over the world who don’t know how to swim, regardless of age, to finally acquire this incredibly beneficial skill or simply improve on their existing skills.

Learn To Swim Day is observed every year on the third Saturday of May and is dedicated to educating children and adults about the importance of learning to swim and general water safety. Learn To Swim Day is held before the start of summer, to ensure that anyone who cannot swim prior to summer is encouraged to learn, making for a safer summer of water fun.

While swimming is an activity enjoyed by people of all ages throughout the year, summer is the time when there is the most risk of drowning, with an increasing number of people taking to lakes, rivers, and swimming pools to cool off in the heat. Because there are a number of risks involved in swimming – and accidentally falling into the water or getting out of your depth – learning to swim from a young age is vital.

History of Learn to Swim Day

This little holiday was created in 2012 by ‘Swimways’, now known as ‘Teach Me To Swim’. Its main goal was to provide the opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of water safety as well as teach both children and adults how to swim.

At first, it was just a small event, but soon people began to realize just how important it was to have such a day, especially during the month when many swimming pools open for the summer all over the U.S.A.

Soon, corporations such as Target and Toys”R”Us joined Swimways in celebrating this day by offering promotions on swimwear and learn to swim items, as well as helping to raise awareness about Learn to Swim Day. Nowadays, it seems that more people take part every year, resulting in thousands of people finally mastering this extremely useful skill.

Raising awareness about water safety

Learn To Swim Day is the ideal opportunity to raise awareness about the crucial importance of being able to swim and being confident in and around water, particularly for young children. Learning to swim is an invaluable life skill that could, one day, save a child’s life, which is why raising awareness about learning to swim is so vital.

Did you know that drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children from one to 14-years-old? That’s why it is so important that children of all ages learn to swim, hence the need for Learn To Swim Day and the importance of raising awareness around this crucial health and safety topic.

Learning to swim can be a lot of fun, and can be practiced at any age. There are classes for swimming designed for children as young as a few weeks old that teach young babies and toddlers how to turn over into the water onto their backs, should they accidentally fall into water and are unable to get out, effectively saving their own lives.

As well as basic swimming lessons for children of all ages, there are also a number of advanced swimming classes that are designed to improve children’s swimming skills and increase their confidence.

There are also swimming classes designed to teach children and teenagers vital lifeguarding and lifesaving skills, so should they ever need to help another swimmer who is in trouble in the water, they are able to do so in a safe and confident way.

How to celebrate Learn to Swim Day

As you may well have guessed, the best way to celebrate Learn to Swim day would be to learn to swim. It is estimated that about half of all Americans can’t swim, so if you happen to be a part of this group, this day is the perfect time to change your life for the better!

Learn To Swim Day is all about encouraging people to learn how to swim and to ensure that from a young age children are encouraged to learn how to swim. Learn To Swim Day also encourages parents to book swimming lessons for their children, to help boost their water confidence and ensure that they properly understand water safety and how dangerous water can be.

Many swimming lesson companies offer deals and discounts as part of the Learn To Swim Day celebrations, encouraging parents to enroll their children in classes that could one day save their lives.

Don’t be shy, no matter how old you are, there and millions of other people your age who can’t swim, either. So get a bathing suit you feel comfortable in, and make your way down to your nearest pool, and take a few lessons. Learning the basics of swimming is generally considered quite easy for most people.

If you don’t want to take a class from an instructor, you could always ask a friend or relative who swims well to teach you. However, it is extremely important to exercise caution at all times, and take your time practicing in shallow, relatively still water for quite some time before venturing out into less safe territory.

And even when you do learn to swim well enough to feel comfortable in the water, you should never take unnecessary risks, like swimming in areas not monitored by lifeguards, disregarding warning signs, swimming under the influence of alcohol, or diving without first checking the water is at least 9-10 feet deep. You could also host a pool party or make a deal with your children that you will find the time to go swimming together at least once a week.