No matter what time of year it is, it’s important to have water safety top-of-mind. Whether it’s the eagerly-anticipated return of sunshine and warm weather days spent in the pool or an upcoming vacation, Goldfish Swim School – Danvers is sharing some tips to help keep your family safe in and around the water:
- Basic water safety. It’s imperative that your kids know how to act appropriately in and around bodies of water. This includes walking — not running — around pools. Goldfish Swim School – Danvers’ top priority is water safety and the instructors focus on safety during every lesson, with even more intensity during several Water Safety Awareness Weeks throughout the year.
- Learn how to go underwater. Not panicking when inadvertently going underwater is paramount, for sure, but when your kids know how to hold their breath and go underwater it heightens their confidence in and around the pool, lake or ocean. Goldfish Swim School – Danvers instructors utilize integrity, compassion and trust to help your kids improve their swim skills and get extraordinary results.
- Understand basic swim strokes. Obviously, your infant who just started swim lessons probably won’t be doing the backstroke across the pool this summer (but you never know!). But for older kids who will be playing in the water, it’s helpful to have some knowledge of basic swimming strokes.
- Always swim with a buddy. No matter your age or skill level, always swim with at least one other person.
- Do keep an eye on your kids and listen. Always know where your kids are and how they’re doing. It’s important to understand that potential drowning signs may not include a loud, splashing fit. It can be easy to silently slip underwater while struggling to stay afloat and breathe, so you may not hear a commotion and nearby swimmers may not even notice. That being said, it’s still necessary to keep your ears open to listen for sounds of anyone calling for help — or
silence when there should be joyful voices in the water. Always keep one eye and one ear on what the kids are doing in and near the water. - Make sure you pack the sunscreen. When you’re outdoors, make sure you and your kids have sunscreen on — even on cloudy days. You’ll be protected against painful sunburns (because no one wants to have their vacation ruined by little ones who are in pain and can’t enjoy themselves!), and against potential long-term risks.
- Pack snacks — and water. Especially in warmer weather, it’s important to make sure the kids are staying hydrated. Make sure you feed the kids some snacks as well. Staying fed and hydrated helps prevent muscles from cramping up while swimming and keeps kids’ energy up to make sure they’re able to stay safe in the water. We always have a snack (of Goldfish crackers!) on the way to swim lessons.
- Have life-saving equipment nearby. That may mean life jackets, floatation devices, long poles in a pool, a first aid kit, and more. You probably always have your phone nearby to be able to take pictures of your kids doing cute stuff while swimming — but you need to be ready to call 911 if needed, too.
Goldfish Swim School – Danvers offers swim lessons, year-round, for children ages 4 months and up, as well as family swim times, a recreational swim team and weekend birthday parties. Features include a heated pool for shiver-free swim lessons and small class sizes (4:1 student: teacher ratio). Register today and learn more at: www.goldfishswimschool.com/danvers. My son and I love their Danvers location at the Liberty Tree Mall!
Hot tip: Family swim, held several times a week, for both members and non-members, at the Danvers pool, is also a fun, indoor activity for the winter months!
This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swim School – Danvers.