Water Safety Week: Building Skills That Last a Lifetime
- Bubble ‘n’ Kick Swim School
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
Water Safety Week | Monday 17 August – Sunday 23 August
Water is a huge part of life for Australian families. From swimming pools and beaches to rivers, dams and holidays, children are often around water — which is why learning how to be safer around water is such an important life skill.
Water Safety Week is a great reminder that swimming lessons are about more than learning to swim.
They’re about building confidence, awareness and skills that children can use around water throughout their lives.
Swimming skills are safety skills
Learning to swim doesn’t happen overnight. Children develop their skills gradually through regular practice and age-appropriate lessons.
Depending on their age and stage, children may be learning how to:
Enter and exit the water safely
Float and regain their breath
Roll onto their back
Swim independently
Change direction in the water
Tread water
Recognise potential dangers
Respond to instructions around water
Develop confidence in unfamiliar situations
These skills all play an important role in helping children become more capable and aware around water.
Why regular swimming lessons matter
Swimming is a skill that needs to be practised.
Just like learning to ride a bike or read, children build their swimming ability through repetition. Regular lessons help reinforce existing skills while introducing new challenges as they develop.
Even when your child becomes a confident swimmer, supervision around water is still essential.
Swimming lessons are one important layer of water safety — they don't replace active adult supervision, barriers or other safety measures.
Water safety starts early
It’s never too early to start introducing children to safe behaviours around water.
For babies and toddlers, lessons can help them become comfortable in the water while parents learn important skills and routines too.
As children grow, lessons can progress from water familiarisation and basic movement through to stronger swimming, survival and water safety skills.
The goal isn't simply to get children swimming quickly.
It's about giving them the skills to become safer, more confident and capable around water.
Make Water Safety Week count
This Water Safety Week, take a moment to think about your child's current swimming skills.
Ask yourself:
Can they confidently float?Can they get to safety?Can they follow instructions around water?Are they continuing to develop their skills?
If you're unsure, speak with your child's swimming teacher. They can help you understand where your child is currently at and what skills they should be working towards next.
Let's make water safety a year-round conversation.
Water Safety Week may only happen once a year, but developing safe water habits and swimming skills is something we can work on every week.
Keep swimming. Keep learning. Keep building those skills. 💦
Water Safety Week | 17–23 August
Remember: swimming lessons are an important part of water safety, but children should always be actively supervised around water.
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