Swimming instruction for pre-school children.

Abstract

Accidents are the leading cause of death in children between 1 and 4 years of age and drowning is the number three cause of fatal accidents in this age group. About 15 per cent of all fatal accidents between ages 1 and 4 years are due to drowning. The American Academy of Pediatrics is, therefore, concerned about the 2,500 deaths each year due to drowning including the over 800 infants under four years of age who drown annually. We do not wish to delay the learning of water skills for so long as to be teaching swimming only to a few survivors. On the other hand, we are aware that one of the unfortunate characteristics of this