Teaching Kids About Ocean Safety

To teach kids about ocean safety, start with three short rules they can say back to you: swim only when a lifeguard is there and a grown-up is with you; look at the flag and ask the lifeguard; and if the water pulls you out, float and wave. Practice them a little before every beach trip, with games and role-play, and keep a grown-up close by the whole time.

Kids learn best when rules are short, positive and practiced. This guide gives you kid-friendly words for each idea, all based on advice from the National Weather Service (NWS), the Red Cross and CDC.

Start with three rules

Say these the same way every time. Short phrases that repeat are easier to remember than a long talk.

1. "Lifeguard on, grown-up with me." NYC Parks says to only swim when and where lifeguards are on duty (opens in a new tab) and to always swim with a buddy, friend or parent. The Red Cross says to always swim in a lifeguarded area (opens in a new tab).

2. "Look at the flag, ask the guard." Flags tell you what the water is doing today. The NWS says warning flags aren't used in all areas and their meaning can vary (opens in a new tab), so a lifeguard is the best person to ask.

3. "If the water pulls me out, I float and wave." The NWS Tallahassee office teaches: stay calm, wave, yell, and float (opens in a new tab).

For the grown-ups: these rules are a start, not a safety net. The AAP says a supervising adult who can swim should stay within arm's length (opens in a new tab) of an infant, toddler or weak swimmer. CDC says life jackets should be used by children for all activities while in and around natural water (opens in a new tab).

Flags and lifeguards in kid language

Flags. Use colors kids already know from traffic lights:

These match the meanings the NWS lists for the common beach warning flags (opens in a new tab). Add one more line: "No flag doesn't mean safe." For the full grown-up version, see what each beach flag means.

Lifeguards. Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue says to teach kids that lifeguards are "safe strangers" (opens in a new tab) who are there to help. In kid language:

• "Lifeguards are beach helpers. They watch the water and help people."
• "If you can't find me, go to the lifeguard and tell them your name and my name."
• "When the lifeguard calls or waves to us, we listen right away."

When you arrive, walk to the stand together and say hello. Show your child the stand's number. That's your meeting spot. More in what to do if your child gets lost at the beach.

Rip currents for kids

Children don't need the science. They need two facts and one plan.

• Fact 1: "Sometimes the water makes a fast river going out to sea. It's called a rip current."
• Fact 2: "A rip current can carry you out, but it won't pull you under." The NWS says rip currents pull you away from the shore, they don't pull you under the water (opens in a new tab).
• The plan: "Don't fight it. Lie back and float. Wave and shout. Then swim sideways, along the beach."

Older children can learn to spot one from the sand: a darker gap with fewer waves, or foam and seaweed moving out to sea. Look together from the top of a dune or boardwalk. The NWS says it is much easier to spot rip currents from an elevated position (opens in a new tab). The grown-up guide is rip currents: how to spot one and how to escape.

Practice "float and wave"

Floating is the skill that makes the plan work. Practice it where it's safe, before you need it.

1. In a pool, with an adult in the water, help your child lie back with ears in the water and tummy up. Hold under their back at first.
2. Add the wave: while floating, lift one arm and wave. Then shout "Help!"
3. Add "swim sideways": float, then roll and swim a few strokes along the side of the pool.
4. Make it a game: "Rip current!" means everyone floats and waves.

The Red Cross lists floating or treading water for at least 1 minute (opens in a new tab) as one of five basic water competency skills. Swim lessons build it properly. See water competency.

Two more beach rules for kids

• "Feet first, every time." The Red Cross says enter the water feet first for your safety (opens in a new tab), and never dive head first into surf.
• "Face the waves." The NWS says never turn your back on the ocean (opens in a new tab). Waves can knock small children over and pull them into deeper water. More in shore break and big waves.

Games and activities

Games make practice fun. Try these:

• Flag match. Our Beach Flag Match game on the Amin Foundation kids' site lets children match flag colors to what they mean. It collects nothing.
• Rip current escape. In Rip Current Escape, kids practice the float, wave and swim-sideways plan.
• Car quiz. "What does a red flag mean?" "Where do we meet?" "What do you do if the water pulls you out?"
• Draw the beach. Ask kids to draw your beach with the lifeguard stand, the flag and your meeting spot.
• Posters. Print the Beach Warning Flags and the Rip Current Safety for a bedroom or classroom wall.

For conversations about water safety in general, see talking to kids about water safety.

For teachers and group leaders

Our free lesson plans for younger grades are on the Amin Foundation resource library:

The NOAA and U.S. Lifesaving Association rip current safety toolkit (opens in a new tab) also offers a ready-to-use presentation, posters and videos, free to use if you don't change the content. Our lesson plan library has plans for older grades and community groups.

What you can do today

1. Teach the three rules at dinner tonight, and ask your kids to say them back.
2. Play Beach Flag Match together for five minutes.
3. Book pool time this week to practice floating on your back, with an adult in the water.
4. Plan your meeting spot for your next beach trip: the nearest lifeguard stand.
5. Teachers: download the Water Safety Lesson Plan for Grades K-2 or Water Safety Lesson Plan for Grades 3-5 lesson plan.