28 October 2026

Kids Alive Do the Five: five water safety steps for families with little ones

Laurie Lawrence's Kids Alive program teaches five steps against toddler drowning: fence the pool, shut the gate, teach your kids to swim, supervise, learn to resuscitate. Free songs, books, colouring sheets and an app.

Kids Alive says drowning is the greatest cause of accidental death in Australian children under five. Backyard pools are where most of the danger sits.

Olympic swim coach Laurie Lawrence started Kids Alive Do the Five in 1988 to bring that number down. It gives families five steps, set to a rhyme a toddler can sing back to you. Everything on the site for families is free.

Visit Kids Alive Do the Five

The five steps

1. Fence the pool. A compliant fence between the house and the water.
2. Shut the gate. Every time, never propped open.
3. Teach your kids to swim, it's great! Lessons build water skills early.
4. Supervise, watch your mate. An adult watching at all times near water. Distractions can wait.
5. Learn how to resuscitate. CPR for babies and children, before you ever need it.

Kids Alive names the reverse of each step as the reasons children drown in backyard pools: no fence or a poor one, an unsecured gate, weak water skills, poor supervision, and no one able to resuscitate. Each step covers a gap the others leave. A fence can fail; a gate can be left open; a watching adult can be called away. Five layers together are far stronger than any one.

Check your pool gate in two minutes

Kids Alive's own gate checklist, for any pool owner:

• Does the gate close by itself from every open position?
• Does the latch click firmly shut every time?
• Are the hinges sound, with no rust, sagging or stiffness?
• Is the fence secure, with nothing nearby a child could climb?
• Is the gate never propped open, even while cleaning or entertaining?

If any answer is no, fix it before the next swim.

What's free for your family

• Songs and videos that teach the five steps in a way little ones remember.
• Online books about pool safety, read together on screen.
• Printable activity sheets: colouring-in, dot-to-dot, counting and finger puppets, ready to download.
• The Kids Alive Do the Five app for iPhone and iPad, free on the App Store, with water safety activities to share with young children.

Teachers, early childhood educators, playgroups, libraries and swim schools can join the free Teachers Hub for training modules, lesson guides and activity templates.

Step five: learn CPR free from home

Kids Alive and Royal Life Saving WA run the Heart Beat Club together, a free one-hour online course in resuscitation and first aid for babies and toddlers. Our write-up: Free online first aid learning.

How to start this week

1. Walk to your pool gate and run the five checks above.
2. Open the Kids Alive site with your child and play a song or read a book together.
3. Print a colouring sheet and talk through the steps while they colour.
4. Book swimming lessons if your child isn't in them yet.
5. Do the Heart Beat Club course, and ask whoever else minds your child to do it too.

For the habits around water at home, see our post on pool fences and Keep Watch.

Visit Kids Alive Do the Five

Sources

• Kids Alive: About Kids Alive (1988 start, why children drown)
• Kids Alive: World Drowning Prevention Day (the five key messages)
• Kids Alive: Check Your Pool Gate (the gate checks)
• Kids Alive: Printable activities for kids
• Kids Alive: Online books
• Kids Alive: Teachers Hub
• Kids Alive: The Heart Beat Club
• App Store: Kids Alive Do The Five (free)