Teaching kids to swim is a great way to spend a summer. Overcoming fears, learning new skills, and improving abilities are important ways that we develop self-confidence and self-esteem. Learning to swim also means learning about water safety; part of each lesson I teach is practicing ways of helping avoid water accidents. Even small children can be taught basic water safety and rescue techniques that all of us should know.
Staying safe around water means using common sense and remembering a few basic rules.
Don't swim alone. Children must swim only when supervised by an adult, a person at least 14 or over. Have some sort of safety equipment handy. Homemade is fine.
Swim where you know what the bottom is like. In ponds, streams, lakes and pools, do not dive until you have checked the depth and for obstructions. Many small hotel pools are only four feet deep. There is no safe place to dive.
Do not run in the pool area and do not horseplay. In the excitement of playing, it is easy to forget how shallow the water is or how near the edge the edge of the pool is.
Use diving boards appropriately. Dive straight from the end, not toward the side of the pool and swim quickly away from the board following the dive.
Non-swimmers should not use floats or supports. Learn rescue skills and never attempt to rescue a distressed person by swimming. Even trained lifeguards use other methods and take flotation devices with them if a swimming rescue is necessary. A simple poem names the safety rules: reach, throw, row.
Most water accidents involve people falling near the edge who could be reached easily. Reaching assist means extending an arm, a leg, a towel, shirt, blue jeans, belt, fishing pole, plank, chair, etc. to bring someone to safety. Human chains formed with non-swimmers on the shore and swimmers in the water can reach great distances. Throwing assists are made by tossing something that will float to the person in distress. Safety rings, life jackets, ice chests, plastic jugs, pool floats, benches, even spare tires will all provide support and with a rope attached allow you to pull the person to safety.
For victims who cannot be reached by throwing from shore, rowing to them is a good choice. Finally, swimming to a spot near them and then shoving a support to them while maintaining a safe distance for yourself is an option for good swimmers.
Children can have fun practicing these rescues and learn valuable skills at the same time. The next time you are thinking about the fun of swimming, take a few minutes to review and practice with your child some basic water safety rules and techniques.
Darby Kethan has a master's degree in child development, and has experience as a social worker, educator of young children, educational consultant, and as a professional trainer for a national educational foundation providing professional development to teachers. Visit her website at darbykethan.com.
