Core Four: Swimming
Recall our main legs to the Chair of Vision:
Ocular Inputs: Retinal imaging and somatoreceptors in the eyes to provide information about where they’re pointing.
Vestibular/Balance Inputs: We need a sense of how the head is moving in order to properly direct gaze and predict target movement.
Somatosensory Inputs: Body senses from the whole body, from your toes to your neck, to provide information regarding body position in relation to visual targets of concern.
Swimming, one of my Core Four favourite activities has so many benefits. To vision, you say? What does swimming help vision? Let me explain.
Visual targeting relies on not only clear eyesight but also on first knowing where your body is situated in space. You also need a strong sense of balance and awareness of head movement- that is, we need to know if it is us moving or our subject/signal is moving to know how to adjust our eyes’ position to stay on target.
Swimming helps to promote awareness of balance function, and awareness of the whole body as a functioning unit. The effort to coordinate the required movements will build strength, endurance, and mental focus – regardless of skill level. At a core level, swimming will promote visual targeting skills through reinforcement of primarily the non-visual components of visual targeting and gross motor and somatosensory awareness.
As a collateral benefit, we know that vestibular stimulation can and does positively impact on mental focus, attention, mood. Putting a child on a swing for 10 minutes before classes has a similar impact behaviourally to giving them stimulant medication.
Swimming is accessible, inexpensive, and it can be done in small groups and individually. For children, the play opportunities are nearly priceless and disguised as fun times. Finally, skill level does not matter, but it is important to provide some guidance and structure activities so that the child is moving forward in skills, not simply repeating the same preferred activities.
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Swimming and vision? What? Learn how vision is more than just eyes and why developing strong vision is key to improving child behaviour and performance in and out of school. Swimming has serious benefits for visual functional development at any age, just like the other Core Four activities in this series. Learn more by clicking here.