Free Water Safety Lesson Plans for Schools (K-12)

We offer four free, printable water safety lesson plans for schools: one each for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Each fits a single class period, includes a warm-up, activities, a short assessment and a take-home piece, and lists the National Health Education Standards (opens in a new tab) it supports. Download the PDF from each lesson's page on our resource library and teach it as written, or adapt it for your class.

Why teach water safety in school

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children in the United States. The CDC says more children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than from any other cause, and for ages 5 to 14 drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death (opens in a new tab), after motor vehicle crashes.

School reaches every child, including those whose families don't swim. The USA Swimming Foundation says that if a parent doesn't know how to swim, there is only a 19% chance that a child in the household will learn (opens in a new tab). A classroom lesson can't teach swimming, but it can teach the rules and habits that keep children alive, and send the message home.

The American Red Cross describes water competency as three parts: water smarts, swimming skills and helping others (opens in a new tab). Our lessons focus on water smarts and helping others, and point families to swim lessons for the rest.

Grades K-2: ask first, a grown-up watches

Young children need a few simple rules they can say out loud. The K-2 lesson teaches four: ask a grown-up first, swim only when a grown-up is watching, wear a life jacket, and shout for a grown-up instead of going in. Children practice asking before going near any water, including bathtubs and buckets, and learn the difference between a life jacket and a water toy.

Grades 3-5: water smart, swim skills, helping safely

Students in grades 3 to 5 can learn the Red Cross's five water competency skills, why drowning is often quiet, how to check that a life jacket fits, and how to help someone without going in. They also practice what to say on a 911 call. Pair it with our reach or throw, don't go guide and game.

Grades 6-8: lakes, rip currents and choices

Middle schoolers start going to lakes, rivers and beaches with more independence. The CDC says that for children 5 to 14, over 40% of drownings happen in natural water (opens in a new tab). This lesson covers why lakes and oceans aren't pools, how to spot and escape a rip current, cold water shock, and making safe decisions with friends.

Grades 9-12: risk, data and speaking up

Many teens feel confident in the water, and that can be part of the risk. The AAP says teens may overestimate their swimming skills, misjudge hazards or take impulsive risks (opens in a new tab). The high school lesson uses real CDC and Coast Guard data on alcohol, life jackets and cold water, asks students to judge whether a source is reliable, and ends with each student creating an accurate safety message for their peers. It also explains why CPR with rescue breaths matters and where to learn it; see where to learn CPR.

Other free classroom resources

• American Red Cross Longfellow's WHALE Tales. Nine free water safety lessons (opens in a new tab) for kindergarten through grade 5, for a classroom or other dry-land setting, with lesson plans, videos, posters and activity sheets in English and Spanish. The Red Cross licenses the materials for educational use.
• Red Cross free online courses. The Red Cross offers short free online courses (opens in a new tab), including Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers and Becoming an Ambassador for Water Safety, which teachers can share with families or take themselves.

Games for classroom play

Our kids' games live on a separate site that collects nothing: no accounts, no forms, no ads and no tracking. Progress stays on the device. They work well on a classroom screen or tablets at the end of a lesson.

Bringing families in

Children are great messengers, but parents make the rules at home. To extend the lesson:

• Send home our home water safety checklist and ask families to complete it together.
• Invite families to sign a water safety pledge with their child.
• Host a short parent session at a PTA meeting, open house or family night, using our parent workshop plan.
• Share our guide to talking to kids about water safety without scaring them.

When to teach it

Any time works, but two dates give you a reason to make it an event:

• May is National Water Safety Month, just before summer break.
• July 25 is World Drowning Prevention Day, a good fit for summer school and camps.

Our guide to World Drowning Prevention Day and Water Safety Month has ideas for schools.

Teaching tips

• Keep it calm and practical. Focus on what students can do, not on frightening stories.
• Be sensitive to loss. A student in your class may have lost someone to drowning. Let students know they can step out or talk to the school counselor, and give a heads-up to families if you can.
• Watch for students who can't swim. Many won't say so. Share free lesson options with every family, not only those you think need them. See free swim lessons in NYC or how to find swim lessons near you.

What you can do today

• Download the lesson plan for your grade and put it in your plans for May or the last weeks of school.
• Share this page with your school's health or PE teacher.
• Ask your PTA or parent coordinator about hosting a parent workshop.
• Try one of the games with your class.
• Send the home checklist to every family.