Drowning awareness – getting children involved in pool safety and responsible swimming through interactive play
Drowning is one of the leading causes of childhood death in South Africa, but it is entirely preventable. Every year, 250 children lose their lives to drowning in swimming pools, and for every fatality, many more suffer permanent brain damage due to oxygen deprivation during near-drowning incidents. These tragedies highlight the urgent need for robust safety measures around swimming pools.
Drowning happens quickly and quietly, often without splashing or cries for help. Children are naturally curious, and even a momentary lapse in supervision can lead to disaster. This makes it critical for parents and guardians to implement multiple layers of safety to protect children.
The primary layer of safety should be a safety cover such as the PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover which creates a childproof seal over the water. This cover comes with safety certification and is the single-most effective way to prevent access to the water, withstanding 220kg.
A further layer of safety is education and engaging children when teaching pool safety, which is highly effective. This can be a great learning experience, promoting trust and confidence with far reaching results. Even if there is no pool at the home, parents are encouraged to still teach water safety as children will visit homes with pools. Teach these skills and provide refresher games right up to the age of 12.
Here are some tips and exercises for children to learn about the dangers of water and why the pool should be covered as soon as swimming is over.
- Treasure hunt
Organise a treasure hunt in a pool, where clues relate to water safety rules. Children can discover treasures while learning important safety concepts.
- Simon says… swim safely!
This game puts a water safety twist on the classic game “Simon Says.” For example, commands can include “Simon says float on your back” or “Simon says practice your front crawl,” reinforcing swimming techniques and listening skills.
- Love a cover
An exercise to help children understand that the solid safety pool cover is to be respected, and that includes helping to keep it in good shape and clean. Give each child a soft broom and a bucket of water, and allocate each a section of the pool cover. The first to sweep the leaves and clean their section is the winner.
- Fastest cover first
Another pool cover game – in teams of two, each child stands on opposite sides of the pool. Working in unison, they lift the batons and bring the cover on or off the pool, and close or open the ratchets. The game is timed and the fastest to close the cover and operate the ratchets correctly wins. This game for older children reinforces the need to recover the pool quickly, the minute everyone leaves the water and swimming is over.
- Rescue relay race
Children form teams and simulate a water rescue scenario, where one member pretends to be a struggling swimmer. This activity promotes teamwork and teaches proper rescue techniques, while also warning of the dangers of trying to rescue another swimmer. A great exercise for older children.
- Swim buddy relay
In this game, children take turns swimming across the pool while holding onto a float or noodle, practicing teamwork and swimming skills in a fun relay format. Promote the use of inflatables but also teach that they don’t make a child drown-proof.
- Safety quiz show
Create a quiz show format where children answer questions about water safety rules, such as swimming only when an adult is present, when the pool cover must be in use, and recognising emergency situations. This can be made competitive with small prizes for correct answers.
- Digital water safety game
This online game takes children through different scenarios to teach them how to stay safe around water. It includes digital rewards for completing sections of the game, making it engaging for children. Test the trial version here.
- Red light, green light
Adapt this classic game for the pool by having children stop or swim slowly based on colour cues, teaching them to follow instructions in water.
- Lost and found
In this imaginative game, children pretend to be lost in the pool’s deep end and must navigate back to the shallow end and steps, learning navigation skills and how to stay calm in emergencies.
- Rescue relay
Simulate emergency scenarios where children learn to identify someone in trouble and practice lifesaving techniques like signalling to adults that a child in the pool is in danger and they need help.
Talk openly about the dangers of water with your children, including how drowning can happen quickly and silently. Teach them to recognise unsafe situations and how to respond appropriately by calling an adult for help rather than trying to perform a rescue themselves.
The bottom line is that children need to be supervised around pools, and the pool must be covered at all times. Additional layers of safety such as these educational games will lessen the likelihood of a tragedy playing out in your pool.
Let PowerPlastics Pool Covers watch your child when you can’t. Learn more about the bestselling safety pool cover at https://powerplastics.co.za/product-category/pool-covers/safety-covers/
