Early years swimming as new sites for early mathematics learning

Abstract

Australia is a country that has a strong interest in water and swimming with most of the population living within one hour of a body of water. Significant numbers of parents take their under-5s to swimming lessons. Anecdotally, the swim industry believes that swimming enhances many aspects of young children's growth and learning. This paper explores the ways in which the swim environment for under-5s offers significant opportunities for learning many mathematical concepts that have the transferability to school contexts. However, with the costs of swimming lessons being high, questions are posed regarding equity and the potential of swimming to further advantaged the already advantaged.