Dive Into Water Safety: Keeping Kids Swimming Smart This Summer

As swimming schools close for holidays, it's crucial not to let kids' swimming skills lapse, especially during summer, when drowning rates peak. Active supervision, teaching water safety, and regular water activities at home or elsewhere can help maintain children's skills and enhance their safety awareness in various water environments.

This summer, as swimming schools take a break, parents are urged not to let their children's swimming skills stagnate. While the sun-soaked months invite families to cool off in various bodies of water, they also coincide with Australia's peak season for drowning incidents, which claimed 134 lives last year.

Youngsters are particularly vulnerable, with drowning risks doubling during school breaks. Vigilant supervision is crucial, especially for non-swimming or weak-swimming children. Experts emphasize the importance of parents staying actively engaged in water activities, avoiding distractions, and reinforcing water safety rules.

Informal water activities, whether at home or elsewhere, can significantly improve children's swimming capabilities. With lifeguarded environments dominating as the safest places to swim, exposure to different water settings, like rivers with currents, remains essential for building comprehensive swimming skills and water safety knowledge.

(With inputs from agencies.)