In the scorching heat of summer, when the idea of swimming brings refreshment, taking the stress out of your daily grind, it is a wonderful time to remember that the month of May is National Water Safety Month. Every year, Learn to Swim Day is celebrated to rejoice this month of water safety and spread the awareness of the importance of swimming, and this year it’s this weekend-Saturday, May 17!

Drowning is still one of the leading causes of death in children and adolescents. This shows the importance of teaching children to swim. However, to have a more specific idea let’s go through some staggering facts:

According to the Orange County California Fire Authority, “A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under. “

According to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Children under five and adolescents between the ages of 15-24 have the highest drowning rates.”

The above facts brings out the importance of learning to swim and Learn to Swim Day is an effort to make the people aware of how vital it is to learn swimming for safety purposes.

Learn to swim and celebrate this summer!

Founded by SwimWays in 2012, this learn to swim day is an endeavour to spread awareness among parents and children about the significance and benefits of learning to swim. It is devoted to educate them about the importance of water safety. This swim day is encouraging families around to teach their children swimming, by signing up for swimming lessons or hosting an event on this National Learn to Swim Day.

With summers right around the corner and parents gearing up with their children for fun, this is a good time to spread the awareness about the importance of teaching swimming to your children.

How to celebrate this Learn to Swim Day ensuring fun and safety?

To avoid accidents and improve the scary statistics given above, here are some safety tips to enjoy this fantastic day:

• Enrol your kids in swim lessons to reduce the percentage of deaths caused by drowning.
• Plan a picnic and a visit to a community or sub-division pool.
• Host a swimming lesson at sites that have lifeguard system.
• Spread more and more awareness about swimming and its safety measures.
• Try to learn more about swimming and swimmers and talk about them to your children.
• Organise an event in your area for better swimming practise with rewards for the winners.
• Understand the importance of baby swimming and formal swimming lessons and their role in water safety.
• Always carry first aid facilities for safety and security.

Formal swimming lessons reduce the risk of drowning among children who have greater swimming ability than adults, according to a CDC study.

This National Learn to Swim Day has other events to support the awareness about learning to swim, along with availability of resources for parents to help their children learn this important skill. They also provide swim tips, accomplishment certificates and more to encourage the learning.

You need to work together to make water wonderful for everyone this summer!