While back to school means that summer is coming to an end, you can still have a great time at your local aquatics facility! A fun back to school event can bring your community together. Keeping in mind how to keep everyone safe, you can check on the latest information on water safety before you start your planning. We have 5 tips for you to have a fun and safer time at your aquatics facility. 

1. Plan themed activities

Having a theme can keep a cohesive theme throughout your event. You have a back to school theme already, and now it is time to add some activities. Pick activities for varying levels of engagement and abilities. Having this variety allows everyone to be able to participate. Back to school can even your theme!

Ideas like back to school bingo with pictures of items instead of numbers is great for most families. You can also do a scavenger hunt for various school supplies if space and the facility allows. 

Activities can include safety aspects too. You can plan activities that can teach adults and caregivers CPR. This is important for parents and caregivers to know. There are a lot of different songs that they can practice CPR to. Baby shark and Dancing Queen by ABBA are two popular options! Learning about emergency preparedness for a drowning event is good information for all to know. 

2. Incorporate Water Safety initiatives into your event

Water safety is always important even when there are Lifeguards. We have 5 layers of protection to help keep you and your guests safer. You can always bring those layers into your event. You can incorporate the supervision piece by ensuring you have at least one dedicated water watcher at all times during the event. Having a water watcher is important even if there are Lifeguards. 

Water safety also includes learning how to swim. Check if the facility offers swimming lessons year-around. It is always a good time of the year to practice your swimming skills – for children and adults!

3. Offer school supply/school related prizes

Back to school means a restalk of those school supplies. Offering prizes for some games can give a higher incentive to play! Potential prizes could include items like new binders, notepads, pens or pencils. They could also be bigger items such as a backpack, lunch box, or even a bike helmet. Whether small or large, you can count on participation for prizes! 

Not everyone will want to participate, so you can even host a silent auction during your event. This will help keep people entertained during your whole event. Some of these items can be for children or adults. This allows you to vary your options greatly. 

4. Promote Family Friendly activities

Family friendly activities can bring in the whole family to enjoy the fun! The facility may have a basketball hoop you can use. They may also have a net to play water volleyball. Both of these games can be played with people of all ages and you can use different size balls for both! Water volleyball can even be played with a giant beach ball for even more fun. 

Creating activities that everyone can participate in ensures that you are keeping varying abilities in mind. You can have activities that do not involve being in the water too. Activities like minute-to-win-it games. There are so many options to incorporate into your event.  

5. Partner with local businesses to offer promotions or be vendors at your event

Bringing in local businesses near you can help support your event in a multitude of ways. They can help sponsor some prizes, or even help sponsor food and drinks. This can help engage further within your community. 

Building relationships with different local businesses can make your event even more community friendly. This also can lead to those relationships being stronger. They may want to come back and support your event again next year too! 

Using these tips can help you have a fun and safer event! Looking for more tips? Check out our pool party safety tips for summer.