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Best Tips for Teaching Children About Water Safety 

november 27, 2020 Blog

Children are curious, and that’s a wonderful thing! Whenever you’re around water, it’s essential to nurture their curiosity and ensure they stay safe at the same time. Remember that water safety extends beyond deepwater — kids can drown in as little as 1 inch of water. It’s critical that parents and caregivers understand the risks of drowning and teach their children about water safety rules to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.

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Top Water Safety Tips for Children 

Here are the top four water safety tips for both younger and older children.

Must Learn How to Swim

Giving children swimming lessons as soon as they are ready is crucial. As a parent or guardian, you should continually pay attention to a child’s whereabouts if near water, avoid distractions, and keep them within arm’s reach. Water survival skills to focus on when teaching a child how to swim include:

  • How to tread water or float
  • Turning in circles in the water to find an exit
  • How to properly exit the water

Never Go Into the Water Without Adult Supervision 

It’s crucial to teach kids the importance of never swimming alone. Explain to them, no body of water is safe without a lifeguard and that lakes, ponds, beaches, water parks, and marinas all require certain precautions. 

Learn How and When to Wear Life Jackets

Life jackets are a must! Boat operators must have U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets on board for every passenger, and it’s important to instruct children to wear a life jacket whenever they are near water. Ensure that the life jacket is:

  • Easily visible to boaters and rescuers when in the water.
  • Approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
  • Suitable for the intended water environment or activity.
  • Property fitted around the body, with all the ties, straps and zippers correctly fastened.

Teach Older Kids About Drowning Statistics

For older children, knowledge may be vital to ensuring water safety. Swimming in an open body of water — like an ocean, lake or river — is different than swimming in a pool. Statistics show that 3,572 people die from drowning every year in the U.S., and 945 of them are children. 

Tips for Parents and Guardians 

Here are important water safety rules and tips for parent and guardians.

Learn CPR for Drowning

Learning how to perform CPR properly is one of the best actions you can take toward ensuring water safety for children and anyone who enters a body of water. We recommend finding a CPR course online through the American Red Cross.

Create and Enforce a List of Water and Dock Safety Rules for Kids

A practical and crucial tip is to create a set of water and dock safety rules and enforce them. These rules may include, but are not limited to:

    • Hold the hand of an adult when getting onto a boat.
  • Always wear a life jacket when on the dock and make sure an adult is with you.
  • Always stick a foot or hand in the water before jumping in. If you feel any tingling, tell an adult immediately as this can be a sign of electricity in the water.
  • Jump out and away from the dock, and do not jump on others.
  • No diving in places where you do not know the depth of the water.

Install Safety Railings on Your Dock for Added Stability

Safety railings have many benefits for docks. They help prevent falls, promote balance on platforms and steps, increase water safety during inclement weather and provide comfort and peace of mind. Railings from EZ Dock give everyone a solid surface to hold when on the dock as well as provide safer access to the water.

Contact EZ Dock to Learn More About Dock Safety Today

EZ Dock offers the most durable patented dock railings and dock systems available, all engineered to provide optimal safety with minimal maintenance. Reach out to us online to learn more about docks and water safety or request a quote today.

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