Water Safety for Elementary Schools

Why elementary students

For children ages 5 to 14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes (CDC, Drowning Facts). Elementary students are old enough to learn rules, practice them and share them with their families.

Late spring, before summer break, is a natural time for a water safety unit, but the messages work any time of year.

What to teach at each grade

A suggested progression written by WaterWiseKids. Each band builds on the one before.

The CDC notes that drowning happens in seconds and is often silent, that formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning, and that children who have had lessons still need close and constant supervision. It also advises against hyperventilating before swimming underwater or trying to hold your breath underwater for long periods of time (CDC, Preventing Drowning). The land-only help rule for grades 4 and 5 follows the American Red Cross: "reach or throw, don't go" (American Red Cross). Life jacket guidance follows the AAP for lakes, rivers and other natural water (AAP) and the CDC for boating (CDC).

Classroom activities, no pool needed

• Kindergarten and grade 1: use the kindergarten package lessons: sorting water places, "May I?" practice and the help words. Younger children practice getting a grown-up only, never reaching or throwing.
• Buddy check (grades 2 to 5): pair students as buddies on a walk or at recess. When you call "buddy check," pairs find each other and raise joined hands. Talk about why a grown-up still watches.
• Safe or risky? (grades 2 to 5): show photos of different water settings, with no one in distress, and have students name the hazard and the safe choice.
• Reach or throw from land (grades 4 to 5 only): tape a "shore" line on the classroom or gym floor; everything past it is pretend, dry "water." From behind the line, staying low, students practice reaching with a pool noodle or throwing a soft ball on a rope to a target or a stuffed animal; no student plays a person in the water. Students help from land and never go in after someone: the American Red Cross rule is "reach or throw, don't go" (American Red Cross). In-water rescue is for lifeguards and other trained rescuers. If shouting for help and calling 911 is all a student can safely do, that is the right choice.

Free curricula you can use

WaterWiseKids is not affiliated with these organizations.

• Longfellow's WHALE Tales from the American Red Cross is a free course on safe behavior in, on and around the water. It can be taught without a pool and by a school teacher. The Red Cross's free outreach resources are available after registering as an Aquatic Leader and completing a simple orientation to the materials, and the same page lists an educator toolkit and a K–12 scope and sequence (American Red Cross).
• Pool Safely Kids' Corner from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has a pool safety song, an app and activities (poolsafely.gov).

Field days, water events and field trips

• Follow your district's field trip and aquatics policy, and get written family permission that asks about swim ability.
• Plan extra adults and name one water watcher at a time. Lifeguards do not replace your staff; the CDC advises supervising children closely even when lifeguards are present (CDC).
• Swimming only where lifeguards are on duty, with staff still supervising. The CDC advises choosing swimming sites that have lifeguards when possible (CDC).
• Life jackets for any boating or open-water activity.
• For sprinkler or water-slide field days, keep play away from any pool, keep an adult watching, and empty containers afterward.
• Know who calls 911 and who has CPR training.

For families

The kindergarten family note summarizes what kindergartners practiced and what grown-ups can do at home, with sources. It is written for kindergarten families; for grades 4 and 5, add that students practiced helping from land only, never by going in.

Teaching water safety this year?

Tell us what grade you teach and what you need. Contact us.