Your Land O’ Lakes Summer Water Safety Game Plan for Preschoolers

Land O’ Lakes lives up to its name, and that’s exactly why water safety deserves a real plan here, not just good intentions. Between backyard pools, neighborhood lakes, and the summer heat that keeps everyone looking for a way to cool off, your preschooler is probably going to be near water more this month than almost any other. A few habits make that safer without making it less fun.

Constant, Uninterrupted Supervision

This is the one rule that matters more than any other. Florida health officials are consistent on this point: an adult should be within arm’s reach of a young child in or near any water, phone down, attention fully on the child, no exceptions for “just a minute.” Drowning is fast and silent, not the splashing, calling-for-help scene most people picture.

Treat Lakes Differently Than Pools

A backyard pool and a neighborhood lake are not the same kind of water. Lakes have uneven footing, murky visibility, and no walls to hold onto, which means even a confident pool swimmer can struggle in a way they wouldn’t expect. If you’re near one of Land O’ Lakes’ namesake lakes this summer, keep young children in the shallow, marked areas and skip letting them wade in unsupervised, no matter how calm the water looks.

Layer Your Safety Measures

No single precaution is enough on its own. A fenced pool, a properly fitted life jacket for open water, and formal swim lessons all reduce risk, but they work best stacked together rather than relied on individually. The Florida Department of Children and Families specifically recommends combining barriers, supervision, and swim skills rather than treating any one of them as sufficient.

Practice Getting Out, Not Just Swimming

Preschool swim lessons often focus on how to float, roll onto your back, and reach the pool’s edge, skills that matter more in an actual emergency than how far a child can swim. If your child is enrolled in lessons this summer, ask the instructor whether self-rescue skills like these are part of the curriculum. They’re a better safety net than swim stroke practice alone.

At Creative World School, sun and water safety are part of how we plan outdoor play all summer, with shaded activity times and reminders that go home with your child. If you’d like to see what a typical summer day looks like in our classrooms, find a school near you and come take a tour.