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World Drowning Prevention Day - Skills That Save Lives

July 15, 2025

Reading time: 2 minutes

Our Swim School Team have put together a few basic tips you and your child might find helpful as they progress their journey to becoming a competent swimmer.

Facilitate building trust

Children often do not know their instructor and trust is a huge part of teaching swimming. Before each lesson and in between lessons talk about the instructor using their name so the children are mentally prepared and make a big display of yourself meeting the instructor so that the children can see you trust them as well.

 

Not sure about wearing goggles

Some children really don’t like putting their googles on and using them, especially the little ones. A good tip is to let them play with them at home in the shower and bath.

Get that Streamline

The best position for moving through water is a straight line along the surface of the pool. For some kids this is a challenge but practice pretending to be an arrow or a rocket ship so that fingers part the water and keep head in line with body. 

Streamline position  - We do this with all levels starting with our toddlers by doing motor boats with them in the water. Arms stretched out in front or holding a board. Kicking legs with face in the water blowing bubbles to make motorboat noises. 

Pull - Breathe - Kick - Glide

Breaststroke can be tricky! Fix your breaststroke timing by getting the 'pull, breathe, kick, glide' sequence just right for a smooth and efficient swimming stroke.

  1. Pull with arms
  2. Breathe in
  3. Kick with legs 
  4. Glide for 3 seconds

Keep it positive 

Always talk about the positive things a child can do while swimming and only focus on that. It will build the child’s confidence, it feels good and distracts them from the things they do not like to do. 

25 July is World Drowning Prevention Day, an internationally recognised day to shine light on the leading causes of accidental death in children – drowning.  The good news? It’s preventable through education, awareness, and access to quality swim programs.

At Perth HPC, we’re committed to being part of the solution. Our swim school is endorsed by Royal Life Saving WA, and our programs are designed to help children meet key safety benchmarks that could one day save their life or someone else’s.

What Every Child Should Know

By age 6, children should be able to:

  • Enter and exit water safely
  • Float and recover to a standing position
  • Understand basic water safety rules

By age 12, they should be able to:

  • Swim continuously for 50 metres
  • Tread water for 2 minutes while signaling for help
  • Perform surface dives and respond in emergencies

These aren’t just milestones, they’re lifesaving skills.

How Our Swim School Supports Drowning Prevention

Our program is structured to build these skills progressively, with a strong focus on:

  • Water safety awareness
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Survival sequences and real-world readiness

While our deep water facility enhances skill development, our mission goes beyond technique. We’re here to help children become calm, capable, and confident in any aquatic environment.

This World Drowning Prevention Day, take a moment to reflect: Can your child stay safe in the water? If not, now is the time to start.

Explore our swim school and enrol today.

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