Water Safety Tips for Kids: Ensuring a Safe and Fun Summer
June 4, 2025
Water Safety Tips for Kids: Ensuring a Safe and Fun Summer
Summer is the perfect time for swimming, boating, and splashing around in lakes, pools, and oceans. While these activities bring joy and relaxation, water safety comes first. Whether at the pool or open water, understanding key safety practices can prevent accidents and save lives.
At The Granite YMCA, we believe that teaching water safety and swimming skills is one of the most valuable life lessons we can offer. Each year, over one million children are taught essential water safety and swimming skills through YMCA programs. Our mission is to teach children and adults how to swim safely, build confidence, and develop character—creating awareness that can save lives.
We’ve partnered with Dartmouth Health Children’s on this important topic. Take a look at their Tiny Tips video below for some pointers on how to properly fit a life jacket.
Important Reminders Around Water Safety
- Always Watch Closely: Supervision is the most critical safety measure. Keep children within arm’s reach when they are near or in the water. Designate one adult to focus solely on watching the kids—free from distractions like phones or conversations.
- Proper Life Jacket Fitting Matters: Coast Guard-certified life jackets are the safest flotation devices for children. Avoid using arm floaties or puddle jumpers: These devices can be dangerous as they often position children in a vertical, face-down position. When choosing a life jacket:
- Choose the right size: Ensure the jacket fits snugly around the child's chest without being too tight or loose.
- Secure all straps: Adjust straps and buckles properly so the life jacket stays in place.
- Test fit: Have your child wear the jacket and gently lift them to make sure it stays secure.
- Double-check before entering the water: Proper fit can mean the difference between safety and danger.
- Teach Kids to Swim and Practice Safety Skills: Enrolling children in swim lessons provides them with essential skills like floating, treading water, and safe water exit techniques. Regular practice helps reinforce these skills.
- Use Bright Colors for Visibility: Bright swimsuits in colors like pink, lime green, or orange make children easier to spot in the water. Increased visibility ensures that supervisors can monitor children effectively and respond promptly in emergencies.
- Recognize the Risks of Open Water: Swimming in lakes, rivers, or oceans differs from pools due to currents, waves, and uneven ground. These natural elements can be unpredictable. Teach children that open water requires extra caution and awareness.
- Join the Movement: Take the Water Safety Pledge: The YMCA is proud to play a vital role in water safety education. By teaching over one million children annually, we help build a generation that is confident, safe, and aware around water. We encourage everyone to be part of this important effort.
You can take a pledge for water safety today through YMCA of the USA at Phones Down, Eyes Up. This pledge emphasizes the importance of paying full attention when supervising children near water—because every second counts.
Water safety is a shared responsibility. By supervising children closely, ensuring proper life jacket fitting, teaching essential swimming skills, and being prepared for emergencies, you can help create a safe environment for all water activities. Remember, vigilance, education, and community efforts like those championed by the YMCA are key to preventing accidents and making summer memories safe and enjoyable.
Stay safe, and enjoy a fun-filled, worry-free summer of swimming and outdoor adventure!
About the "Tiny Tips" Series
The Granite YMCA and Dartmouth Health Children’s partnership is dedicated to enhancing youth and family well-being. Through our "Tiny Tips" series, we’re able to provide parents and caregivers with tips from Dartmouth Health Children’s doctors and care teams. "Tiny Tips" cover topics from mental health to tummy troubles and everything in between. Together, we’re extending our impact by delivering health-related information that focuses on youth development and healthy living.
