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Duncan's Water Safety School

Kids Zone

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Water Safety Starts at Home!

There are some awesome resources available for kids to keep water safety as high a priority as fire safety, road safety and stranger safety!

The following resources are eternal links to some of Duncan's favourite resources:

Children's Book Series

Colouring Pages

Water Safety Games & Activities

Did you Know?

There are so many statistics on water safety available. Most of the ones mentioned on this website are from the Lifesaving Society - Ontario, Canada. For more information on your local statistics, contact your local Lifesaving Society Branch or other association representing drowning prevention in your area.

Noteworthy Facts About Water Safety

Did you know...

  • Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children aged 1-4?

  • Drowning is silent, not loud and thrashing like you see on TV?

  • In 100% of fatal drownings in children under 5, distracted or absent supervision was a factor?

  • It is possible to drown while wearing a lifejacket?

  • Not wearing a lifejacket accounted for over 3/4 of fatal drownings in Canada in 2025? This statistic applies to boaters and recreational swimmers 15+.

  • Children are usually taken out of swimming lessons around age 9 or 10 due to increased time commitment to other activities, despite its long-lasting and potentially life-saving benefit.

  • 75% of drownings in children under 1 occur in the bathtub.

Fun Facts About Formal Swimming Lessons

Did you know...

  • There are very few standardized curriculums for learn to swim programs? Some, such as the Lifesaving Society's Swim for Life program, is taught in many public, municipal and private facilities throughout the country, while others, generally private facilities, create their own programs designed to fit their own goals.

  • Among many (usually private) swim schools, there is no standard certification required of their instructors. Some schools are of the "if you can do, you can teach" mentality, while others require up front certifications and spend months on internal training regimens.

  • Not all learn to swim programs are equal. Some teach to streamline kids into competition, some, like Marlin Swim Academy's Guppy Program, are survival-based and others have a streamline to advanced leadership and lifeguarding courses.​

Parent Portal

Duncan's Parent Portal

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Swimming lessons should do more than just teach people how to swim. They should also teach swimmers:

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  1. When it is safe to jump into water.
    Jumping, especially diving, without looking can result in traumatic injuries and even death. Swim instructors should always use a cue when prompting swimmers to jump into water.

  2. How to behave around water.
    Swim instructors are strict enforcers of behaviour around the water. Running and horseplay on a slippery deck can still result in catastrophic head or spine injuries. Holding onto our friends is also a strict "no, no". We keep our hands to ourselves to prevent injury to others.

  3. How to be responsible around the water.
    This is where keeping your pre-teens and teens in the swim programs will greatly benefit them. As they start taking chances with everything they do, their safety is no different. Getting to know their limits may help prevent this from ending up in disaster.

  4. Manners and social rules.
    Absolutely, yes! For some, swimming lessons are the first organized activity outside of the home where children are faced with a new authority figure. It should be expected that children adhere to social rules of conduct and behave in a matter that supports learning. Where this isn't possible, support programs and options should be available to assist accommodations.

I am not ready to sign my child up for formal swimming lessons or, I don't have lessons available to me. What can I do at home?

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If your issue is accessibility, we need to advocate for you! Organizations such as the Lifesaving Society, Canadian Swim School Alliance, United States Swim School Association, the International Swim Schools Association and so many more, are designed to help increase awareness for water safety and drowning prevention. If your area is currently under-serviced, reach out to your local organization for help.

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If you have your own fears surrounding water, for any reason, we encourage you to reach out for professional assistance. Not only does delaying formal swimming lessons greatly increase the risk of drowning in children older than one, it also makes the process of learning much more difficult for the swimmer, the later they start.

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In the meantime, here are some great activities to get you started at home:

  1. Make bath time fun! If you have little kids who are big enough to splash around in the tub, get some bath toys, bubbles, tile stickers and cups to play with. A fun association with the water is a great step to building a healthy aquatic relationship.

  2. If your tub is big enough for two, or you still have a very small child, enjoy a nice relaxing soak together. This makes for great bonding time and can establish that the tub can be a safe place when properly supervised.

  3. Ready to start submersions? Take it slow with a wet cloth - either rub it gently over their face or allow it to drip on top of their head at first. Slowly build up to enough water where you can start using a cup. If there is enough water going over their face that they will need to hold their breath, make sure to use a cue (ie. 1, 2, 3...) so they know when to expect to hold their breath.

  4. If your baby is small enough, for this to work you can try tummy submersions, but we recommend consulting with your local professionals to walk you through these steps.

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My child suffers from extreme separation anxiety, how can I get them in the water with the instructor?

Slow, easy steps. Program providers should not be forcing children into things they aren't ready for. At least, not in our opinion., but it also doesn't mean that you should delay formal swimming lessons or forego them all together. 

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Instead, find a program better suited for a slower pace. Marlin Swim Academy's Swim to Thrive program is suited for children who are not ready for a skill-based program and/or need a slower, more patient and less guided approach. If your program allows, suit up and join your child in the water. Help the instructor earn your child's trust by participating, engaging and having fun!

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If your local program does not support this approach, find a new program that aligns better with your values.

How old does my child need to be to start swimming lessons?

  1. Did you know that starting your children in formal swimming lessons as infants does more than just get them "used to the water"?​

  2. When you enroll in a professional program, not only do swimming lessons set your children up for success in most learn to swim programs, but they also help children meet normal growth and development milestones! Even more so, trainers with education in child development can help educate parents on early intervention when they may not be meeting "normal" milestones in swimming, well before school and even before daycare!

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Some survival-based programs will take infants as young as 2 months of age, so long as they have good head and neck support. Others, many who only offer Parent and Tot style programming for infants, start around 3-4 months.

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While watching your child's swimming lessons, consider the following:

  1. Fun plays a crucial role in learning.

    • Diving for rings helps with breath holding and control as well as coordination, sommersaults and handstands help practice re-orientation and underwater coordination and jumps help with all of the above!

  2. Swimmers require rest.

    • Taking a break to ensure they are able to complete skills safely and effectively is an important part of a swim program.​

    • Little kids, especially babies, are not be able to expel water on command like old kids and adults. They need a break to allow a burp or a couch to naturally make its way out. It is unsafe to continue through this phase without a break.

  3. Strength and coordination are huge factors in being able to develop "proper" strokes. Children who are too young to have hit this developmental phase may not be able to complete these skills, no matter how hard they are pushed.​

Things you should find out before enrolling your child in a swim program:

  • What is the most important thing for your child(ren) to learn?

  • What is purpose of the program you are looking at? What does their program develop swimmers to do and does this align with your goals?

    • Learn to Swim (i.e. stroke development)​

    • Survival Skills

    • Competitive

  • ​How large are the class sizes? Will your child thrive in this setting?​

  • Does your child do well in a busy, loud environment or do you need to limit the stimulation? Should you consider private lessons?

  • What certifications are the instructors required to have and do they have to maintain them? Is this an internal certification system or a national system?

  • Budget. Without getting into the depths of why, this is a factor that still needs to be considered. What does your child need and where do you need to compromise, if at all? Not all programs are created equal and, just because it costs more, doesn't mean it's better.

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Learn more information on local statistics, for Ontario Canada, here.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

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