Ooh, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this topic. This is an extremely relevant topic, as all parents worry about the dangers of kids swimming. We will aim to answer 2 extremely important questions here:

  1. What defines a child “being able to swim”?
  2. At what age should kids be allowed to swim unsupervised (if at all)?

Let’s start with question 1, by examining the opposite ends of the swimming spectrum . First, let’s use floating on your own as an example. Now being able to do anything on your own in the pool is a sign of independence, but does it mean a kid can “swim by themselves”? Probably not.

Now the other end of the spectrum: let’s take a competitive swimmer, who competes in 10km open-water races (which can take hours). Obviously this individual can swim. But this is an extreme threshold, and unrealistic use as our definition of “being able to swim”.

So it is in the middle ground that we must seek, somewhere between floating and elite swimming. Our 2 swim clubs, the Montreal Institute of Swimming and the Canada Swim School, uniquely define begin able to swim as being able to accomplish the following skills:

  • swim unassisted for 100m
  • tread water – keep your head up in one place- for 60 seconds
  • be able to fall into deep water and get back to the side
  • combining and successfully completing all 3 of the above

These are all quantitative skills that can easily be measured and evaluated. Typical drowning scenarios involve a child falling into water (pool), and not being able to get out or get rescued in time. If children possess the above capabilities, they will be able to save themselves, or at the very least stay afloat long enough until help arrives.

Onto question number 2: at what age should kids be allowed to swim unsupervised. The safest answer is, well, NEVER. Even adults should never swim alone, because accidents can happen to anyone. That being said, I will play devils advocate here and draw a line somewhere. The answer is: if the child possesses all of the above skills, the minimum age for unsupervised swimming in a pool should be no less than 12 years old.

I cannot stress enough that no one should ever swim alone. All it takes is one slip and hit of the head, and even the most capable swimmer can drown. Always practice swimming in groups, and encourage kids to be responsible for each and watch our for each other. If the weakest swimmer of the group meets the above 3 criteria for being able to swim, and all swimmers are at least 12 years old, only then could mom & dad maybe relax and let the leash out.

Please note this is article is meant to be a general guideline for establishing safe swimming standards. Though we define these thresholds through years of experience and hundreds of thousands of lessons taught, it is ultimately up to the parent to properly assess the situation, know your kids and their abilities and make your safety judgements.

Safe swimming everyone!