At what age are children allowed to go to the outdoor pool alone?

Es duftet nach Freibadpommes, auf der Haut klebt eine Mischung aus Sonnencreme und Schweiß. Mit Beginn der Ferien ist der Sommer in Hessen endlich angekommen. Viele Kinder und Jugendliche verbringen die heißen Tage im kühlen Nass der Freibäder. Die Schwimmstätten allein besuchen dürfen laut der Deutschen Gesellschaft für das Badewesen bereits Kinder, die das siebte Lebensjahr vollendet haben. Von diesem Alter an gilt man in Deutschland als beschränkt geschäftsfähig. Aber Siebenjährige allein im Schwimmbad – kann das gut gehen?

„Für uns funktioniert das“, sagt Boris Zielinski, Geschäftsführer der Bäderbetriebe Frankfurt. Auch in der Mainme­tropole richte man sich nach dieser Altersgrenze. „Natürlich müssen die Kinder schon schwimmen können“, sagt Zielinski. Entsprechende Abzeichen wie Seepferdchen oder Freischwimmer würden an den Schwimmbadkassen aber nicht kontrolliert.

Sich sicher über Wasser halten zu können ist längst nicht die Regel. Die Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (DLRG) schätzt, dass hessenweit rund 40.000 Grundschulkinder nicht schwim­men können. Und rund 60 Prozent aller Grundschüler seien keine sicheren Schwimmer. Das bestätigt auch René Rörig, Leiter der Verbandskommunikation der DLRG Hessen. Die DLRG führt dieses Defizit auf die Auswirkungen der Pandemiejahre zurück. Infolge von geschlossenen Bädern und ausgefallenem Schwimmunterricht in den Schulen habe sich ein „Ausbildungsstau“ gebildet, so Rörig. Die Kinder, die während der Lockdowns keinen Schwimm­kurs besuchen konnten, würden dies nun nachholen. Im Zuge dessen habe die DLRG ihr Kursangebot deutlich ausgeweitet. „Diese positive Entwicklung trifft jedoch auf eine sehr hohe Nachfrage, die noch immer nicht vollständig befriedigt werden kann.“

According to its own information, the DLRG recorded a record number of swimming badges awarded last year. More than 5,500 seahorses and around 4,000 bronze badges were awarded by the DLRG in Hessian swimming pools. It is still unclear whether this trend will continue in 2024, says Rörig. However, thanks to campaigns such as the nationwide swimming badge week, which the DLRG organized again in June of this year together with the German Swimming Association (DSV) and other swimming training associations, the trend is positive. In that campaign week alone, around 850 children and adults in Hesse acquired a new badge.

As part of the major initiative “Hessen learns to swim”, which is supported by the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and Culture, free swimming courses are offered for children between the ages of six and 14 in order to reduce the “non-swimmer rate” in the state. Website of the DLRG you can see where the nearest course is taking place. “However, a seahorse badge does not prove whether a child can swim safely,” says Rörig. This can only be said from the time the child is a free swimmer. It is also important to swim laps regularly in order to be able to move confidently in the water.

However, this regular training is not possible for all Hessians, as the “death of swimming pools” is still a problem. “It is extremely important to have more space for leisure activities, but also for learning vital swimming skills,” Rörig continues. The state government is promoting the maintenance of many swimming pools and is investing millions, but there are significant regional differences between urban areas and rural regions. The latter are often at a disadvantage in this regard.

Many parents are critical of the age limit of seven: “I would never let my girls go to the pool alone. There are far too many dangers, for example someone jumping on their heads,” says a mother of two daughters who is spending the day at Frankfurt’s Brentanobad. Her ten-year-old daughter also says she can’t swim confidently enough to dare to go into deep water. Another mother who came to the Brentanobad with her four children also thinks it’s a bad idea to let her little ones go to the pool alone.

After all, the lifeguards cannot ensure that nothing happens – especially not in such a busy holiday environment. In addition, her eight-year-old is not responsible enough. “He may have a seahorse badge, but when he is not being watched, he simply does not stick to agreements,” she says. A third mother reports that her eight-year-old son Vincent does triathlons in his free time. This means he has already achieved his gold swimming badge at a young age. Nevertheless, she would be reluctant to let him go to the outdoor pool alone. “It is simply very difficult to judge children of this age. Even when playing in the water, something can always happen.”

But even if children are accompanied to the pool by their parents, that doesn’t mean that they are really supervised, says Rörig, pointing to adults who are constantly busy with their smartphones. “Active observation is important,” he stresses. As a parent, you should always ask yourself the following question when you consider letting your child go out alone: ​​Can my child really swim safely? If the answer to this is not an unequivocal yes, supervision is essential. The same applies to insecure adult swimmers.