Keep Your Kids Afloat This Summer: Essential Swimming Practice Tips While Lessons Are on Hold!

Amy Peden, UNSW Sydney

A number of swimming academies have momentarily closed for the summer recess. However, this does not imply you should cease assisting your kids in learning to swim.

What activities can you engage in during this time to maintain your children’s swimming abilities?

Summer hazards

Bear in mind, summer is a peak season for drowning incidents. Australia registers its highest rate of drowning fatalities during the warmer months, and regrettably, 134 lives were lost last summer.

The risk escalates during this period as individuals flock to the water in search of relief from the heat. The school and public holidays also result in people visiting unfamiliar locations.

Youngsters are particularly affected, with their risk of drowning doubling during school holidays compared to term periods.

Staying safe

Adults must actively supervise young children near water. This entails being within an arm’s reach when in the water with children under five and older if your children are non-swimmers or weak swimmers.

Supervision can lessen as children mature and enhance their swimming capabilities. Nonetheless, the safest position for parents is in the water enjoying fun activities with the kids.

Additionally, it is crucial to remember that “active supervision” signifies dedicating all your focus on your children (no mobile phones or multitasking).

Along with pool fencing and adults acquiring knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), learning how to swim is a fundamental strategy to mitigate the risk of drowning.

This ensures children possess the skills and understanding necessary to keep themselves safe in various aquatic environments and situations.

Every bit of swimming counts

Studies indicate that any activity (even casual play) in any form of water can significantly enhance swimming skills.

My 2016 Australian research conducted with colleagues from Royal Life Saving Society revealed that any time spent in the water – ideally at least once every two weeks – correlates with improved swimming skills in children (ages 5–12) who are already enrolled in swimming classes.

Children who have access to a home pool also tend to be stronger swimmers than those without access to one.

While the exact reason remains unknown, this is likely due to the expanded chances to practice their swimming skills informally. It might also be that parents are more diligent regarding lessons.

Discuss water safety as well

To comprehend what children should be capable of at different ages, review the National Swimming and Water Safety Framework.

This can provide you with suggestions for practice activities and serve as a reminder of a comprehensive approach to swimming education, which encompasses personal survival and rescue techniques. For instance, by the age of six, every Australian child should be able to enter and exit shallow water independently, float and recover to a standing position, and swim continuously for five meters.

Discussions about water safety with your children may involve establishing and reinforcing rules regarding water access, like “no approaching the water without an adult” or “no climbing on the pool barrier”.

When at the beach, always choose a patrolled area and explain why it’s essential to swim within the flagged zones. If lifeguards cannot see you, no one can assist you should trouble arise.

Consider all types of water

With lifeguards present and a regulated environment, community pools are statistically the safest venues for swimming.

However, it is crucial for children to engage in various swimming settings, including cold water and currents. For the last twenty years, rivers have been the primary sites for drowning incidents in Australia.

This is why enjoying the water responsibly with your children this summer presents an excellent chance to practice their swimming abilities. Numerous “Christmas swims” (as referred to by Bluey) and water activities will ensure noticeable progress when children return to swimming classes for Term 1 next year.

Amy Peden, NHMRC Research Fellow, School of Population Health & co-founder of UNSW Beach Safety Research Group, UNSW Sydney

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