← Back to full guide | Tip: print it, sign it together, and tape it where everyone sees it — the back door or the fridge

Our Family Water Safety Pledge

Water is one of our family's favorite places — and we keep it fun by keeping it safe. We promise to follow these rules every time we are near a pool, lake, river, or ocean.

WaterWiseKids.com — Free water safety education for families

🤝
A Promise We Make Together
Read it out loud · Sign your name · Post it where everyone can see it

🧒 I Promise (Kids)

  • I will always ask a grown-up before I go near the water. Never alone, never without permission.
  • I will only swim when a grown-up is watching me. If I cannot see my Water Watcher, I get out.
  • I will walk, not run, on the pool deck and wet ground.
  • I will keep learning to swim and practice my back float and my "swim, float, swim" until I can do it on my own.
  • I will wear my life jacket on boats, docks, and in open water — even if I am a good swimmer.
  • I will never push, dunk, or hold a friend underwater, and I will never pretend to be drowning.
  • I will stay away from pool drains and never sit on or play near them.
  • If a friend needs help in the water, I will yell for a grown-up and reach or throw — I will not jump in after them.

👪 We Promise (Grown-Ups)

  • One of us will be the Water Watcher at all times — eyes on the water, no phone, no drinks, no side tasks — and we will hand off the job out loud.
  • We will stay within arm's reach of any child under 5 and any child who cannot swim.
  • We will keep gates and doors to the pool closed and latched, and put away toys that tempt kids back to the water.
  • We will enroll our kids in swim lessons and keep them going — water skills are the layer that protects a child when nothing else does.
  • We will learn CPR and keep a phone, a reaching pole, and a flotation device close to the water.
  • We will use only Coast Guard–approved life jackets — never water wings or floaties — as safety devices.

In an Emergency — Fill This In Together

Call: 911
Our address: ______________________
Nearest cross street: ____________
Grown-up cell: __________________
Backup contact: _________________
Who knows CPR: __________________
  • If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds matter most there.
  • Reach or throw, don't go. Use a pole or a floating object before entering the water yourself.
  • Call 911 and start CPR the moment a child is pulled out and is not responding.

✍️ We Sign This Pledge

Child's name
Child's name
Child's name
Grown-up's name
Grown-up's name
Date

Created by WaterWiseKids.com — Free water safety education for families

Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, American Red Cross, U.S. Coast Guard

Back to the full pledge guide · Water Watcher card · Family pool safety checklist

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The Biggest Promise on This Pledge: Learning to Swim

Every rule on this pledge buys time. Swim skills are what protect a child in the moment a rule slips — formal swim lessons reduce drowning risk by up to 88% for children ages 1–4. Find quality, safety-first programs near you.

Find Swim Lessons Near You