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Children learn these skills with Water Skills For Life
Click on each link to read about what's involved with each activity.
Water safety and awareness skills
- Recognise an emergency for yourself or others. Know who to call for help and how
- Know, understand and respect water safety rules, hazards and risks around the home, farm and around pools
- Know, understand and respect water safety rules, hazards and risk in natural environments such as at the beach, offshore, river or lake.
- Know, understand and respect water safety rules, hazards and risks for water activities such as swimming, water sports and boating
- Know how and why t make safe decisions for yourself and others
- Know how to recognise hypothermia and how to treat it
Getting in and out of the water
- Get in and out of the water safely in any environment.
- Perform this sequence with a buddy watching: check the depth of the water, check that the area is safe, jump into deep water, float on back for 1 minute to control breathing, return to edge and exit
Going under the water - Submersion
- Get under water, open eyes and control breathing
- Pick up an object from under the water
- Dive from a horizontal position in the water and move underwater for a slow count to five
Floating on the water - Personal Buoyancy
- Float, then regain feet
- Control breathing while floating on
back for at least 1 minute - Scull head-first and/or scull feet first for at least 3 minutes
- Tread water for at least 3 minutes in deep water
- Perform this sequence in deep water: correctly fit a lifejacket then tread water, scull, float or a mixture for 3 minutes while controlling breathing. Then return to edge and get out of the water
- Perform this sequence for five minutes: signal for help while treading water, sculling, floating, or a mixture, and while controlling breathing
Rolling and turning in the water - Orientation
- Horizontal rotation (front to back and back to front)
- Horizontal to vertical rotation and vice versa (front or back to upright and return)
- Vertical rotation (half rotation and full rotation) around the body’s vertical axis
What to do in an emergency - Safety of self and others
- Float and signal for help with and without a flotation aid
- Do a reach rescue and a throw rescue with a buddy
- Perform this sequence: correctly fit a lifejacket, do a step entry into deep water, float in the H.E.L.P. position, then with a couple of buddies or a group form a huddle, return to edge and get out
Moving through the water - Propulsion
- Move 15m non-stop, using any form of propulsion
- Move through the water environments of all kinds (currents, waves, depth – in situ or simulated)
- Move 50m and/or 3 minutes non-stop, confidently and competently – using any form of propulsion on their side, front, back, or a mixture
- Move 100m and/or 5 minutes non-stop, confidently and competently – using any form of propulsion on their side, front, back, or a mixture
