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You are here: Home / Beaches / Teach Your Kids to Swim Before a Family Beach Vacation
Swimming beach safety tips - go into the water as a family.
Swimming beach safety tips - go into the water as a family. Photo credit: Stock Unlimited

Teach Your Kids to Swim Before a Family Beach Vacation

June 1, 2019 //  by Guest Author//  2 Comments

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Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Swimming Safety Tips for a Beach Vacation
  • Right Age for Swim Lessons?
  • Alternatives to Being in the Water
  • After the Swim Lessons
  • When the Kids Are Older
  • Set Up Near the Lifeguard
  • About the Author

Swimming in the ocean is not the same as swimming in a pool. Swimming safety at the beach means understanding the dangers of the ocean, staying on the beach or playing in the shallows when kids are young and gradually getting them used to the motion of the ocean until they are old enough and strong enough to brave the deeper waters.

Swimming Safety Tips for a Beach Vacation

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We take a family vacation to the beach each summer. The kids love to spend time in the water, and it’s fun to get away from the daily routine to spend some bonding time as a family. But I have also been concerned about the safety of my children around the water, so I did a lot of study about how to best prepare my kids, and how soon they could be allowed in the ocean.

Swimming beach safety tip - bring a float.
Swimming beach safety tip: bring a float. Photo credit: Stock unlimited

Right Age for Swim Lessons?

It is recommended that kids not take formal swimming lessons until they are around 4 years old. However, before that age, I could spend time working with them in our family pool to get them comfortable being in the water. When my kids were younger, I had to hold them while we were in the water. At the beach, that meant we could play in the shallow water, and I could let them get used to the feel of the waves. I wish we had shot a video of my youngest son laughing as the waves rocked and he felt the motion. He was thrilled.

Read More: The Complete Guide to Planning the Best Family Beach Vacation Ever!

Swimming safety tips: Little ones should stay on the beach and play in the sand.
You don’t always have to go into the water. Photo credit: Stock Unlimited

Alternatives to Being in the Water

When my kids were young, they had as much fun with a small shovel, a pail and beach sand, as they had being in the water. I would take my son out into the surf, and after a few minutes of rocking and letting the water splash up on him, he was perfectly content to go ashore for a while. After they had built a couple of mysterious sand structures, they were ready for a nap. So my 3-year-old clamoring to go in the water didn’t really become an issue.

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    After the Swim Lessons

    Each of my kids took swimming lessons when they turned 5, and they wanted to be free to play in the water after that. “Come on, Mom – we can swim, just let us go.”

    We signed them up for lessons because I felt a professional instructor could do a better job to fully prepare them for being in the water. But that was the relatively tame environment of the pool, not the ocean. So I had rules while they were still new to the water. We went in the water as a family, and I determined how far we went. At that age, I didn’t feel comfortable letting them play in the ocean unattended. I kept them within reach at all times.

    When the Kids Are Older

    By the time my oldest son was around 10, he was an accomplished swimmer. He had taken lessons each year until the instructors gave him a big “thumbs up.” He could comfortably swim using all the strokes and loved being in the pool. He had really listened when we told him about the need for caution in the ocean. It was time to let him venture out further into the water.

    On that trip, he brought along a friend, and they promised to use the buddy system and stay close to each other. My husband went out with them, and they stayed close to him. They loved being in the waves up to their chest, getting the full surf effect.

    Swimming too far out wasn’t really an issue–except for me. I was a nervous wreck the first time we cut them loose. The boys did fine, and after a while I relaxed, and trusted in their ability to know the limits and not overextend.

    Read More: Never Forget Anything Again with This Ultimate Packing List for a Family Beach Vacation

    Swimming safety tips: stay together as a family.
    Swimming safety tips: stay together as a family. Photo credit: Stock Unlimited

    Set Up Near the Lifeguard

    I am responsible for the safety of my kids – I have no problem with that concept. But if I can help the situation, I’ll do it. That means we set up our beach spot near the lifeguard tower. Then I go talk to the lifeguard and find out if there are any spots that aren’t safe, either for me holding a small child in my arms, or for my older children playing on their own.

    Our beach trips have evolved as the kids get older – as their level of expertise around the water has grown. The fundamental concept stays – keep the kids safe. The ocean is very different from a pool, so we never let our kids go out unattended. Establishing that focus on safety has allowed our beach trips to be a fun time for the family.

    Swim safety is top priority on a beach vacation with kids. These are the things you should do pre-trip as well as on the sand to keep kids safe near the water. #TMOM #Swimming #Beach | Beach Travel | Travel with Kids | Family Travel

    About the Author

    Becky Flanigan has a great time on annual beach vacations with her husband, 3 kids, and 2 golden retrievers. At home, she spends many happy hours at the family swimming pool, watching the kids and dogs splash and play.  

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    Category: Beaches, Travel TipsTag: beach vacation, outdoors, summer

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    2 Comments on “Teach Your Kids to Swim Before a Family Beach Vacation”

    1. Anonymous says:
      February 28, 2014 at 4:40 pm

      Status changed from Complete to Abandoned

      Reply
    2. Anonymous says:
      February 7, 2014 at 4:42 pm

      Status changed from Complete to Abandoned

      Reply

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