Ensuring children's safety during the summer

Every summer, in addition to the joy of resting and playing after a stressful school year, children also face many safety risks...

Every summer, in addition to the joy of rest and fun after a stressful school year, children also face many safety risks. In reality, the number of accidents involving children often increases during the summer months due to a lack of adult supervision, potentially hazardous play environments, and children's limited self-protection skills. Therefore, proactive prevention and equipping children with safety skills is becoming an urgent requirement, demanding the joint efforts of families, schools, and society as a whole.

Recently, a series of tragic drowning incidents have occurred in many localities across the country, further raising the alarm about the safety risks for children during the summer. With prolonged hot weather, children's need to swim in rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes increases, further exacerbating the risk of accidents. Just one moment of carelessness, lack of skill, or lack of adult supervision can lead to heartbreaking consequences.

Many families enroll their children in swimming lessons.

According to experts, the majority of drowning incidents occur among students in the final year of primary school and the beginning of secondary school. This is an age group that is active and adventurous , but still has limited ability to recognize danger and handle situations when encountering accidents in the water.

In Lao Cai , a locality with many rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, and dangerous deep water areas, the risk of drowning for children is ever-present. This is especially true in mountainous and rural areas, where many families live near ponds, lakes, and streams without adequate safety measures.

According to statistics from relevant authorities, in 2025, the province recorded 21 child deaths due to drowning; since the beginning of 2026, 3 cases have been recorded.

Accidents mainly occur in family ponds, dams, rivers, and streams. What is worrying is that many incidents happen to groups of children at the same time; when one child is in danger, others rush in to save them, leading to particularly serious consequences. Besides drowning, children during the summer also face many other risks of injury such as electric shock, burns, and traffic accidents…

Aware of these risks, many families have proactively enrolled their children in swimming lessons, life skills classes, or beneficial summer activities to provide them with a safe and healthy environment.

Every summer, because their children are busy working, Mr. and Mrs. Vu Van Thai in Yen Bai ward are the ones who directly take care of their three grandchildren. To ensure the children's safety, they take them to swimming lessons every afternoon.

Mr. Thai shared: "Children are very active, and in the summer, they love to go into the water. Therefore, families enroll their children in swimming lessons from an early age so they can learn self-protection skills."

According to many parents, instead of letting children stay at home using phones or playing games excessively, participating in skills classes, sports , or community activities will help them develop more comprehensively. This is also a way to limit the risk of children being exposed to social vices and inappropriate content online.

The reading space at the library is very friendly, fostering a passion for reading in children.

At the Provincial Library's first facility, to meet the reading needs of children, the unit has added more than 20,000 books in various fields. The reading rooms and experiential areas are arranged scientifically, making it convenient for children to use.

Since the beginning of summer, the library has served over 200 children daily who come to read and participate in experiential activities. Many children have shown great interest in science books, comic books, life skills books, and stories about exploring the world. The friendly reading space not only entertains children but also contributes to forming a reading habit, limiting their reliance on phones or unhealthy games.

Le Thu Thao, a student from Yen Bai ward, shared: “During summer vacation, I often go to the library to read books with my friends. There are many good books and interesting activities here, so I really enjoy it.”

Many parents bring their children to the library to read books.

According to Ms. Dong Thi Hong Hanh, Deputy Director of the Lao Cai Provincial Center for Culture, Arts, and Sports, the unit is implementing many summer activities for children with the theme "Library - A Summer Rendezvous," open every day of the week and providing free library cards to children.

Ms. Hanh stated: "Through these summer activities, we hope to ignite a passion for reading, cultivate reading habits in children, and contribute to building a learning society."

Besides cultural activities, many children also choose to participate in sports such as football, badminton, basketball, etc. These activities help them improve their health, enhance their physical fitness, and develop communication and teamwork skills.

Young people participate in sports to improve their health and physical fitness.

In reality, participating in beneficial summer activities not only equips children with essential life skills but also reduces their exposure to social vices and injuries. Community playgrounds, skills classes, and cultural and sports activities are becoming environments that help children develop comprehensively, both physically and mentally.

Currently, Lao Cai province has nearly 300,000 young people participating in activities at 596 youth union branches and 87 high school youth unions, which are then assigned to 99 commune and ward youth councils during the summer. To ensure a truly safe, beneficial, and meaningful summer for children, the summer activity steering committees at all levels have developed plans suitable for each age group and the actual conditions in each locality.

Youth organizations at all levels are coordinating to organize many summer activities for children, focusing on life skills education, digital skills, and prevention of drowning and injuries.

Ms. Duong Thi Vui, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union and Chairperson of the Provincial Children's Council of Lao Cai Province.

According to Ms. Vui, localities are also stepping up the organization of swimming classes, disseminating safety skills, and reviewing areas with safety risks to develop timely solutions. Recreational and play areas for children, especially in remote areas, continue to be maintained to help children have a fun and enriching summer.

Furthermore, localities need to continue reviewing and placing warning signs and barriers in dangerous areas such as ponds, lakes, and streams; and increase investment in playgrounds, swimming pools, and community cultural centers to create a safe living environment for children. Most importantly, the role of the family remains crucial. Each parent needs to dedicate more time to caring for and regularly reminding children not to swim in rivers or streams unsupervised, not to play in dangerous places, and to know how to seek help when necessary.

Children need plenty of safe and healthy play spaces during the summer.

Protecting children is not just the responsibility of families or schools, but requires the collective effort of the entire society. When every adult raises their sense of responsibility, and every community cares about creating a safe living environment for children, summer will truly become a joyful, enriching, and meaningful time for them.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/bao-dam-an-toan-cho-tre-em-dip-he-post900353.html