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Last week, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance published a statistic from the Total Aquatic Programming's Drowning Data that showed there were 46 registered drowning incidences in November 2021. With drowning statistics still so higher, there could be a time where you and your family are out enjoying a day at the pool or beach and recognize that someone needs help. Educating yourself and teaching your children about what to do if they see someone who needs help could not only save that person's life, it could also help ensure their own safety while helping someone in need.
Here are some tips and information you can teach your children about what to do if they notice someone who is in distress while in the water.
How to recognize someone who needs help?
There are many common signs for someone who is in distress. Knowing these signs and signals could prevent a distressed person become a fatal statistic.
Common signs of someone who is in distress are:
Who you need to call and what you need to say?
If there an ever an emergency either in the water or on land, it's important to teach your little ones who to call and what they should tell that person.
Teach your little one to call 911 if there is ever an emergency. Be sure to explain what an emergency is. We recommend teaching your children that an emergency is a situation that is a risk to your life, health, or home. We recommend you tailor this definition to meet the developmental ages of your children. It's important to teach your little ones what they should tell the 911 operator that picks up the phone. 911 operators are trained to ask questions that will help them determine what responders are needed at the scene. By teaching your children what to tell the 911 operator, it could contribute to faster response times. Teach your children to provide the following information:
What can you do while waiting for help to arrive?
There are sometimes in which EMS has a longer response time due to the location of the incident. If your children see someone who is in need of help and know that it may take some time before EMS or a trained rescuer responds to the emergency, there are safe ways they can respond that could save a life. It's just as important to practice the following responses as it is to talk about them. Practicing these top three safest ways to respond to a water emergency will ensure their safety while helping someone in distress.
Top three safest ways to help someone in distress:
Each situation will vary and the approach you choose will be based on where the person in distress is. Regardless of the situation, it's important to remember that you should NEVER go in the water to rescue someone unless you are a certified lifeguard or rescuer. Accidents happen and we don't want you to become another fatal static while trying to help someone in need. Certified lifeguards and trained rescuers have specialized training to help them safely rescue someone in distress.
Rescuing someone who is in distress and using a reach, throw, or row approach when a trained lifeguard or rescuer is not around could save a life. If a person in distress is not rescued, they will drown. There could be a time where your children notice someone in distress. Let's teach them the tools they need to safely save a life.
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While it's a fact that accidents happen, it's important to teach our little ones how best to respond. Having the skills and knowledge of what to do in case of an emergency or dangerous situation can save a life! Below you will find the top three scenarios and how you should teach your children to respond if they are even in one of these dangerous situations. SCENARIO 1: While swimming you can no longer touch the bottom and are starting to feel tired. You should... bob back to an area where you can stand in chest-deep water. To bob back to shore, you push off the bottom of the swimming area (lake, ocean, pool, etc.) as hard as you can and leap forward. Take a breath when your head is above water and then take another leap forward. Continue this pattern until you are back in chest-deep water. If you are too tired to continue, float on your back or tread water while calling for help. SCENARIO 2: While you are swimming you see lightning or hear thunder nearby. You should... get out of the water immediately and leave the swimming area. If possible, get indoors. SCENARIO 3: While swimming at the beach, you notice that the current keeps pulling you further away from the shore and you are having a difficult time making any forward progress swimming back. You are most likely caught in a riptide. You should... start swimming parallel to the beach instead of swimming back to shore. Once you no longer feel the pull away from the shore, you are out of the riptide and can begin swimming diagonally back to shore. If you are too tired to continue, float on your back or tread water while calling for help. Keep floating until someone comes to rescue you, someone throws you a floatation device, you no longer feel the pull away from the shore, or you have the energy to start swimming again. Understanding what to do in dangerous situations is part of being a safe water-competent swimmer. To learn more about your swimmers' knowledge of water safety and how you can support them at home, take our water competency quiz!
Creating a set of family rules about water safety will help make sure everyone in the house knows the expectations about water safety. It teaches your children that you value the importance of water safety.
Tip 1: Keep the rules short, but important!
Keeping the rules short meaning small phrases and just a few, helps children remember them. When you are first starting to come up with family water safety rules, consider starting with 3-5 rules Once you've begun to see your swimmers have mastered them. Once you recognize that these rules have become their new habit, you can start teaching them new water safety rules they should know.
Tip 2: State each rule/expectation in the positive!
For years parents and educators have been telling children what "not" to do. Studies have proven that by framing rules in the positive, people are not only more receptive to the instruction, but also know exactly what is expected of them. Therefore they are more likely to adhere to that rule.
Tip 3: Practice them over and over again before going to the water!
Growing up you were probably told that practice makes perfect. Well, recently I've heard a new phrase... Practice makes progress! Learning about water safety is not something we want to learn once and forget. Revisit safe water practices will help them become habits. Safe water habits are what we want to instill in our children. Remember that if we don't use it, we lose it. It's essential to always keep the topic of water safety open to continuously develop water safety habits and stay true to your values.
Tip 4: Make sure everyone in the family knows and follows the rules!
Most children learn best by watching their adult role models do things. If water safety is something you value, modeling safe water habits for your children will help make these new rules the new habit.
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Did you know our world is 71% water?
97% of that water is our beautiful blue oceans! The ocean is an incredible place to travel to on a family vacation or a beautiful place to spend your summer days if you live nearby. As beautiful as our oceans are, they are magnificently complex. Check out these tips to keep your family safe when swimming in our oceans!
Tip 1: Check the weather & tides before swimming.
We often talk about the importance of checking the weather before going swimming. When heading to the ocean, not only is it important to check the weather, it's also important to be aware of the tide schedule before going swimming. Our moon's gravitational pull affects our oceans. This is what creates high tide - the water is higher on the shoreline with a smaller sandy area, and low tide - the water is further away and there is more sand on the beach.
Knowing about the tides is important because this will alter where the water drop-offs are in the swimming area. It can also affect the undertow and rip currents. Two features of the ocean that swimmers MUST know about before going swimming.
Tip 2: Always swim in the designated swimming area when a lifeguard is on duty.
When swimming at a beach swimming areas are most likely marked with red and green flags. It is important to swim between the green flags. This is the area that is not only supervised by a lifeguard, it's an area where surfers, kayakers, paddle-boarders, and boaters cannot enter.
Tip 3: Know about rip current and what to do if you get caught in one.
Rip currents are a strong, often narrow, current that brings water away from the shore and back out to sea.
NOAA (National Ocean & Atmospheric Administration) has put together an excellent Q&A all about rip currents included how and why they are formed along with more safety tips. You can find thatQ&A Here! What to do if you get caught in a riptide:
What to do if you see someone who needs help:
Tip 4: Swim at least 100 feet from piers or jetties
Piers and docks are used mostly for boats or for people to walk on to enjoy the beautiful beach scene.
Jetties are built to help protect and sustain our beaches. They can be dangerous to swim near because the current can sweep you towards these areas before you know it. Swimming near these man-made structures can cause injury. Be sure to swim at least 100 feet away from them. If you notice that you are getting closer to these structures, you can get out of the water and walk future down the beach to swim in a safer place. You can also swim in the opposite direction providing that the current isn't that strong.
Our beaches can be a beautiful place to enjoy the scenery for a day, weekend, or a longer vacation. It's important you and your families know these and other safety tips before swimming at the beach.
Find this information helpful? Want more tips on what to teach your children about water safety? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!
Most people think that if my swimmer learns to swim in a pool, they will know exactly what they need to do when swimming in open water. While learning swimming skills in a pool is a fantastic start, as parents, there is more teaching we need to do to ensure our swimmers know how to stay safe in open water due to different features that are not in a pool setting. Check out these three tips that you swimmer MUST know about Lakes, Rivers, & Streams.
Tip 1: Always check the weather before going swimming.
So often we find that our weather changes in a day. Growing up on the coast, we would sometimes have very cold rainy mornings, but by mid-day, the bright sun came out, dried up the rainy weather, and created the perfect beach day. After moving to Vermont, I quickly learned about mountain weather - we could wake up to the perfect lake or boating day, spend a few hours in the sun, but then my 4pm, without fail, a thunderstorm we start rolling in.
Regardless of where you live, if you are planning to head out to the lake, a river, jump in a watering hole, or go fishing in streams, be sure to check the weather. Meteorologists do their best to give us the most accurate weather information and while we know it may not be 100% accurate, it's important to be aware of what could happen. You should never be in, on, or around the water when a storm hits.
Tip 2: Always swim in the designated swimming area when a lifeguard is on duty.
Lakes that are safe for swimming always have a designated swimming area. This is an area that is a safe place to swim because it is maintained by the lifeguard staff. Hazards are moved out of this area and boats are permitted from coming into this area.
Keep in mind, if you plan to go boating, fishing, or kayaking in a river or stream, there is typically NOT a designated swimming area. This doesn't mean to can't jump in for a dip, but it does mean that you must be aware of any potential hazards while swimming in open water.
Tip 3: Get familiar with your swimming environment.
Regardless of whether you are swimming in a designated swimming area, boating in a river, or fishing in a local stream, you must become familiar with your swimming environment. Learn about the area before you go swimming. While at the lake, consider asking a lifeguard about any sudden drop-offs, currents, rapids, debris, etc. that you should be aware of so you can make water-safe decisions.
Learn something new? Interested in learning more tips on what to teach your children about water safety? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!
Heading to the pool or waterpark is always a fun and exciting day. No matter what pool or water park you go to, these 5 must-know safety tips will help you and your family have a safe and splash-tastic time!
Tip 1: Always swim with a buddy while a lifeguard is on duty.
Swimming with a buddy is not just about having a good time, it's also about water safety. When swimming with someone you know, there is another person who can call a lifeguard should an emergency arise.
Lifeguards are trained professional rescuers whose primary responsibiliy is to prevent emergencies from occuring. Should an emergency arise, Lifeguards would know which care to provide to help save or sustain a life. Swimming under a lifeguard's supervision is another added layer of protection while enjoying a pool or waterpark with your friends and family.
Tip 2: Always look at the lifeguard when they blow their whistle. Be sure to follow their directions.
A lifeguard most often uses a whistle as a way to get a swimmer's attention when they need to communicate water safety rules. Lifeguards also use whistles in the event of an emergency, such as a rescue needing to be performed or having to clear the pool due to thunder and lightning. Regardless of the reason why the lifeguard blows their whistle, your response should be the same:
Every time you hear a whistle blow, it's important to
stop, stand up, and look at the lifeguard. Sometimes it's hard to tell if the lifeguard is trying to get your attention. By looking at the lifeguard, you will be able to recognize if the lifeguard is speaking to you. Even if the lifeguard is not speaking to you, you should pay close attention to what the guard is saying becuase you might learn something new.
Tip 3: Know where the lifeguard office is and who to ask for help in case of an emergency.
An emergency can be a very stressful situation for adults and children. It's important to take a tour of the facility with your kids to locate the lifeguard station and stands prior to jumping in!
This will teach your swimmers where to go and who they should go to in the event that someone needs help. Teach your children then when they ask a lifeguard for help it's important to tell the lifeguard their name and what happened.
Tip 4: Look before you jump in.
Sometimes pool and waterparks can be very busy, while other times it seems like your family has the whole place to themselves. Regardless of the number of people at the facility, it's always important to look and be aware of your surroundings before you jump in.
The two most important things to look for are:
Tip 5: Become familiar with any specific facility rules and be sure to follow them.
Every facility's rules are slightly different due to the structures and attractions on sight. For example, a facility with a water slide would have additional regulations than a facility without a waterslide. Knowing and understanding the rules of each attraction will help swimmers make water-safe decisions when swimming.
You can usually find the pool rules listed on the sign when you first arrive at the facility. Most of the time, facilities have specific rules posted near each attraction. Be sure to review it with your swimmers before they start playing.
What to learn more tips on how to teach your children about water safety?
Sign up for our newsletter! We believe it's important that everyone should have the skills and knowledge necessary to stay safe in, on, and around the water. We also know that everyone learns differently. There are primarily three different types of learners:
To support our communities, families, and swimmers, we've come up with a list of activities that can support different learners in all learning one important lifesaving topic...Water Safety! Different Activities To Teach Kids About Water Safety Read stories about water safety and swimming. Both fiction and non-fiction texts are great. Check out our book list here. Show A Photo of Earth and have a discussion:
Come up with a list of fun activities you can do on the water. Identify water-smart tips that someone may need to know when participating in those activities. Go on an adventure to a local pool, waterpark, lake, river, stream, ocean. Show them the differences between the way the water moves, posted signs that should be read, and safe places to swim. Sign your little one up for swim lessons! Have some other creative ways you've taught your swimmer about water safety? Help other families by sharing them in the comments below!
When it comes to raising water competent children, it is essential that the conversation doesn't just happen in swim lessons. The conversation must continue at home. When children see a connection between things they learn in lessons to things they hear their family talk about, they learn that water safety is something their family values and therefore must be important. We recognized that raising water competent swimmers can be a challenge, especially if you do not have a strong swimming foundation. To support you, we've come up with some topics on what to talk about and some important times to talk with your swimmers. What do I talk about with my swimmer? Water competency means that your swimmer not only has strong swimming skills but also knows how to make smart choices in ANY type of water. The conversation starts with teaching your swimmer about the water in and around your home. Here are some questions you can ask your swimmers when talking about water safety at home:
Remember every swimmer is at a different stage in their development and understanding of water safety. When you start talking about water safety, keep in mind that you will want to start where your child is at. Consider connecting new information with the knowledge they already have. When is a good time to talk about water safety? "My days are so incredibly busy with taking our children to/ from school, after-school activities, playdates, birthday parties, and more! We have to cook, clean, bathe, work, go grocery shopping, help my kids with homework, and sleep. I hardly have time to relax. Now you want me to talk about water safety? Isn't that what I'm paying a swim instructor for? Lady, are you out of your mind." Do those thoughts sound familiar? We hear you! Parenting is hard! Our days are crazy! And YES, the swim instructor is the expert! We also know that YOU CAN DO THIS!
Before you go tossing in the towel, check out these logical times throughout our insane days where you can naturally chat about the water with your swimmers...
Talking about water safety doesn't need to be a huge undertaking. The best water safety conversations are those that are specific and relevant. Talking about water safety before heading to the beach or taking a bath will help your swimmer remember those safe water habits you've been modeling and practicing while having fun! Remember that starting the conversation at a young age, consistently talking about water safety, and modeling water safety habits will help build a water competent swimmer! YOU GOT THIS! Fact or Fiction: My kids are water competent because they can swim in a pool. (Part 3 of 3)10/18/2021 FICTION! Another tricky one! A water-competent person has water smarts, swimming skills, and the ability to help others while engaging in water activities in, on, or around ANY body of water. You should not assume that someone who is a competent swimmer in the pool will be a competent swimmer in open water. How do I support my kids in becoming water competent?
Practice swimming with your swimmer in a variety of aquatic environments Reason 1: Open water has a lot of characteristics, attributes, and features that an enclosed swimming pool does not. When swimming in open water, swimmers should be knowledgeable about currents, rip currents, tides, riptides, undertows, and jetties. Reason 2: Always remember to practice under the supervision of a certified lifeguard! Enjoying the open water can be a wonderful summertime or vacation experience. Swimming with a certified lifeguard on duty ensures that you have a safe and positive water experience. Reason 3: Responses to water emergencies are also different depending on which type of water you are swimming in. Completing swim lessons up to and including Level 6 teaches swimmers basic water rescue skills in any body of water. You should continue to reinforce what should swimmers should do if they recognize a water emergency. Understanding the difference between each body of water will help you and your swimmer make smart decisions while swimming in any body of water. Check out our Water Competency Questionnaire to determine if your swimmers are Water Competent!
Fact or Fiction: My kids are water competent BECAUSE they go to swim lessons. (Part 2 of 3)10/11/2021 FICTION! This is a tricky one. While it's true water competency develops in swim lessons, it's important to remember that participation and engagement are essential parts of helping your children become water competent. Just attending swim lessons is not enough. Check out our tips for how to stay actively engaged before, during, and after swim lessons. How do I support my kids in becoming water competent?
Be active and engage before, during, and after lessons Before lessons...
During lessons...
After lessons...
Check out our Water Competency Questionnaire to determine if your swimmers are Water Competent! Stay tuned for part 3 or 3!
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