How Swimming Helps Kids Build Strength
Summary: Water-based activities like swimming lessons, hydrotherapy, and simple water play help children build strength in a safe and supportive environment. The natural resistance and buoyancy of water encourage muscle development, core stability, coordination, and endurance without placing stress on growing joints. Whether your child is developing typically or needs extra support, time in the pool is a fun and effective way to build strength and confidence.
Hydrotherapy and water play is one of our favourite ways to help children improve their strength and coordination. The resistance and buoyancy of water provides different challenges than land-based play to little bodies that are growing and learning all the time. Plus, it's such a fun activity for kids.
What's the difference between hydrotherapy and swimming?
Hydrotherapy is a form of exercise therapy conducted in water. Unlike a regular swimming lesson, hydrotherapy sessions involve completing structured exercises in the pool that use the unique properties of water to support and challenge a child's body.
Swimming lessons are structured, supervised sessions designed to teach, refine, and master water safety and swimming skills for all ages. While not focusing directly on strength, the benefits of core strength, arm strength, and leg strength still occur.
Water play is exactly as the name explains and is just as good for strength development! While mucking around, diving, pushing off the bottom, and monkey climbing around the edge of the pool, kids move against the resistance of the water and are therefore sneakily doing strength training while they play.
No matter whether it's hydrotherapy,
swimming lessons, or water play, water is a fantastic medium because it's buoyant, supportive, and provides gentle resistance. This means your child can get a full-body workout that targets strength, coordination, and endurance.
How pool exercise builds strength
Exercise in the water uses a few key principles to help children develop muscular strength:
1. Resistance Training Without Weights
Water naturally resists movement. Every kick, push, or pull requires your child to work against this resistance, increasing muscle work while being low-impact. This is particularly the case for their core muscles.
2. Buoyancy Reduces Load
For children with weaker muscles, joint issues, or specific conditions like low muscle tone or hypermobility, gravity can make exercise difficult. Water supports their body weight, allowing them to perform movements they might struggle with on land. This enables repetition, which is essential for building strength over time.
3. Core Stability and Balance
Moving through water challenges a child's balance and engages stabilising muscles in the trunk and hips. Each movement requires coordination, helping kids develop a strong core, which is foundational for all functional strength and daily activities.
4. Endurance Through Fun, Functional Activities
Being in the water is fun! Games, obstacle courses, and playful exercises keep children moving, and the buoyancy of water allows kids to play for longer periods than they might on land. This sustained activity helps build endurance, which is a crucial component of overall strength.
Who can benefit from water play, swimming lessons, and hydrotherapy?
All kids! Water-based activities are particularly helpful for children who:
- Have low muscle tone or hypermobility
- Are recovering from injuries or surgeries
- Have developmental delays or struggle to keep up on land
- Are looking to improve strength, coordination, and confidence
Even for typically developing children, time in the water is a fun way to strengthen muscles, improve endurance, and boost physical skills and confidence.
If you're unsure where to start or want tailored advice for your child, a paediatric physiotherapist like the team atBrave Kids Physio can help guide you in the right direction.
Physio-recommended water games to build strength
These are some of our favourite strength exercises for kids aged 4 to 10 years. Kids of different ages need different levels of support, so parents, be ready to help! Hop in the pool with your kids and try these games:
1. Wobbly Seat Game for Core Strength
How long can your child sit on a kickboard for? Don't let it pop out from underneath them!
Top tip: the bigger the kickboard, the easier!
How about trying it under one foot? Keep it under and don't let it fly out.
2. 3, 2, 1 Blast Off! For Leg Strength
Launch like a rocket by encouraging your child to hold onto the edge of the pool with their hands, then place their feet on the wall up nice and high in front of them (just like taking off from the blocks for backstroke).
Count down to ‘Blast Off!’ and watch or help them let go, push off as hard as they can with their legs, and send their arms backwards over their heads.
Make it a challenge to see how far they can glide and add some kicks in with their legs!
3. Monkeying Around for Arm Strength
Have your child pretend to be a monkey by holding onto the edge of the pool, with or without their feet on the wall, and see if they can hand walk along the edge. Add it to an obstacle course, make it a race, play chasey, or use it to get to the spot where the dive games are.
The bottom line
Get in the pool! It doesn't matter if it's swimming lessons, hydrotherapy, or water play – it's good for kids of all ages. If your child has low muscle tone, hypermobility, or is struggling to keep up with their friends at school, water play is one of the best things you could do with them. They'll have fun and build strength at the same time.
With warm indoor pool options in our area, kids can build their confidence and skills in the water all year round.
So what are you waiting for? Be Brave – and jump in!
Frequently asked questions
Does swimming really help build strength in children?
Yes.
Water provides natural resistance, so every kick, pull, and push strengthens muscles while remaining gentle on joints. Swimming also builds core stability and endurance over time.
Is hydrotherapy different from swimming lessons?
Hydrotherapy involves structured therapeutic exercises guided by a health professional.
Swimming lessons focus on water safety and skill development, but they still support strength, coordination, and overall physical development.
Is water play enough to improve strength?
Absolutely.
Climbing out of the pool, pushing off walls, diving, and playing games all require muscles to work against water resistance, making water play a sneaky but effective strength builder.
Who benefits most from water-based activities?
All children can benefit.
Water activities are especially helpful for children with low muscle tone, hypermobility, developmental delays, or those recovering from injury.
How often should children swim to build strength?
Consistency matters more than intensity.
Regular weekly swimming or water play sessions help children gradually build strength, coordination, and confidence over time.
