It’s that time of year when we all start thinking of warmer weather. Maybe it’s getting away to someplace nice for spring break, or you already planning a summer vacation. Regardless, there is generally a pool, lake, or ocean involved. Before you dive in, you might want to make sure everyone in your family is water ready.
We spoke to Mark Biebuyck, one of the experts at Goldfish Swim School, to learn what you can do to be safer around water.
His first piece of advice is to enroll anyone who doesn’t know how to swim in swim lessons. This is the best way to keep your children safe around water. He says swim lessons have been proven to reduce the risk of drowning by 88% in kids ages 1 to 4.
Biebuyck also shared some basic swimming safety skills all kids should know.
- If someone were to fall in, they need to be trained to turn and face the wall and get back to it. Oftentimes, when kids fall in they panic, and they will try and get to whatever thing they see first, and that is not always the quickest way out.
- Kids should also learn to crabwalk along the wall. This requires them to build up the strength to do it, but this will allow them to maneuver around safely, once they reach the wall.
- If a wall is not nearby, kids should also learn how to roll onto their backs and start floating, as well as learn how to tread water.
All these skills will help your child in case of an accident, but they need a safe place to practice and learn how to do them.
Goldfish Swim School recently opened up a new location at the Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield. There, the main focus is safety, with air and water kept at 90 F to make sure kids can focus on the lesson at hand, and not how cold it is.
On March 25, from 1 to 3 p.m., the school will be having a grand opening event for their new location. There will be dancing, games, a scavenger hunt, plus a chance to win a free month’s worth of lessons. Click or tap here to sign up.
Goldfish Swim School offers lessons year-round, with flexible class times bookable through a mobile app. For more information, and to find the right swim-level lessons for your child, click or tap here.