Pool Safety Rules

It’s time to brush up on the family pool rules! Rehearsing and repeating the pool safety rules now, before it’s time to get in the water, will save you time and hassle later, not to mention guarantee the kids know how to play safely. Here are some easy way to reinforce the rules:

Make contests: the first child in your family to recite all the family pool rules gets first choice of toys, breakfast cereal, seats in the car, etc.

Engage them in conversation: Kids, like adults, bristle at arbitrary rules. Talk about why each rule exists as well as the potential practical and disciplinary consequences of breaking the rule. For example, running around the pool could make someone slip and get hurt AND result in a time out.

Illustration: have your children make colorful posters illustrating the pool rules. Display them outside near the pool.

Through repetition and familiarity, you can help your children remember to stay safe even in the excitement of their first swim of the year!