If you are one of the lucky ones to have your very own backyard pool, this is your season! Warm days ahead, summer break just beginning, and a few months of pure Wisconsin heat. We may suffer 6 (or 8?) months of the year, through freezing winters and rainy springs, but summer in Madison is truly hard to beat…especially if you have your own pool you can use to cool off and lounge around.
For those of you who have a pool, you may be familiar with a lot of our safety tips already. But today we’re sharing a few things to teach your child about having a pool! If you’ve recently added a pool to your yard, or moved into a new home that came with its own watering hole, these tips are a great way to make sure your child is ready to have friends or guests over to splash, play and enjoy every moment of swim-weather.
Here are 5 Things to Teach Your Kids When you Have a Backyard Pool
- When you have friends over to swim, remember not everyone has the same level of swim skills. Some kids may want to stay along the edge, wear a puddle-jumper or stay in the shallow end. Some kids may be ready to jump off the diving board, but some may not be. Be kind, and make sure you don’t push friends to do anything they aren’t ready for.
- Do not roughhouse in or around the pool. Pools have hard bottoms, sides and enclosures, and being too rough or wild in the pool could cause someone to hit their head if they fall or lose their balance. It can be incredibly slippery around the pool, too, so being silly outside the pool can cause someone to slip and fall in, or get hurt.
- Be a good role model. Help your friends know your family’s pool rules – and make sure you’re following them, too!
- No one swims alone. Don’t swim in the pool without supervision, and always tell an adult if you want to get in the water.
- Share the joy! Teach your friends your favorite water games, encourage them to (safely) have fun, and share your love of water and swimming with a buddy that may not get the chance to swim very often.
We hope these tips help you talk with your child about your own pool and how to make it both fun and safe for them and their friends. Enjoy your season, pool-lovers!