It is the festive season and several fun activities are lined up as part of the celebrations, including swimming.

Now swimming is part of fun and it can be very rewarding if done with care. However if certain things are taking for granted, swimming may become disaster. So parents, in order to prevent your kids from drowning and ruining the whole family fun forever, here are some of the things you should not do as prescribed by Sue Mackie, executive director of the (United States Swim School Association) USSSA.

1. Don’t be nonchalant about entering the water

Create a process the child must go through before entering a pool, such as putting on a swim diaper, changing into a swimsuit, and taking a light shower. Having a pool routine will teach your child that the pool cannot simply be jumped into at anytime, and it can help reduce the chances that your child might be tempted to try to go swimming without you being aware.

2. Don’t allow your child to be the one to decide when to enter the pool

“Create a verbal cue for your child that must be given by you before he or she can enter the pool,” Mackie says. “This creates an additional barrier of entry for your child if used consistently. He or she will learn that jumping into the pool requires permission first.”

3. Never use flotation devices or water wings

While life jackets are designed to save a child from drowning and should always be worn near open bodies of water like lakes or the ocean, flotation devices and wings can slip out of a child’s grasp or fall off. “This can create a false sense of security around water,” Mackie says. “Instead, teach children how to locate, swim to, and then climb hand-over-hand along the pool wall to a step or ladder where a safe exit can be made from the pool.”

4. Don’t always use goggles with your kids in the pool

“Teach them to open their eyes under the water so if they fall in they can open their eyes and find the side or a step and leave the pool safely,” Mackie says.

5. Don’t let your fears hold them back from learning to swim

Do not panic if your child’s face dips below the surface of the pool or transfer feelings of fear to your child if that happens. “For very young children, practice having them put their entire face under water in the bathtub and blow bubbles to build their comfort with water,” Mackie says.

Of course, always keep children under constant supervision around water, install fences and barriers around pools, and know CPR. And enroll your kids in swim lessons when they—and you!—are ready to take the plunge.