Swim Lesson Plan

Pre-School Swim (Tadpoles):

These lessons are designated to the little ones who can start their journey with learning a life-long skill. Not only does it encourage independence from a parent, but these lessons also strive to teach children water safety at a young age. Children at this lesson will learn how to get their face wet to encourage the feeling of water, how to practice their kicks, and blowing bubbles on their own while also singing to songs that encourage water safety.

 

Lesson Plan:

  • ABC kicks (ABC Song)
  • Paint your face with water activity
  • Pancake Floats (Pancake song)
  • Humpty Dumpty activity (Encourage jumping into water and finding the wall)
  • Motorboat activity (kicking with kickboard)

Level One Swimmers (Minnow):

Level one is where the true lessons start. In this level, children will be introduced to front stroke and back stroke as well as learning to float on their own on their back as well as floating with their face in the water. They will learn how to coordinate their arms and legs so that they can properly preform these strokes. It is normal for the child to take a little while to be sufficient at these strokes. Students will remain in level one until the instructor deems their skills as proficient enough to advance to the next level.

 

Lesson Plan:

  • Front Float:

    • Have them bring their arms out to the side.
    • Make sure they spread their legs about shoulder-width apart.
    • Hold their side as they lower into the water.
    • Once they are in the water, try and release your hold on them so they’re floating on their own.
       
  • Back Float:
    • Arms and legs up like a front float.
    • Have them tilt their chins up so they’re looking towards the ceiling.
    • Go behind them (by their head) and put your hands on the backs of their shoulders or on their side.
    • Release your grip (like on the front float) and release them so they float on their own. 
       
  • Front Stroke:
    • Tools:

      • Kickboard
      • Floating barbell
      • Pool edge
         
  • Technique:
    • Take them to the edge of the pool and teach them to kick/arm movements.
    • Advance to performing both arm and leg movements on the wall.
    • Once they are ready, use a kickboard and have them kick about halfway across the pool and back. Repeat until they are proficient.
    • Take either the floating barbell or the kickboard and have them perform both leg and arm movements halfway across the pool. Repeat.
    • Try the first few laps head up and then progress to being face down in the water.
    • Progress towards using no tools and having them swim a few laps all the way across the pool.
  • Back Stroke:

    • Tools:
    • Kickboard
    • Barbell
       
  • Technique:
    • Have them work on the arm movements on the wall.
    • ***Thumb Out → Pinky in
    • Use a kickboard and put it on their chest and have them hold the board with their arms across each other.
    • Lay them down on their backs into the water and have them work on their leg kicks.
    • Do this as many times as you want until you think they’re ready to move on.
    • When they are ready, take the barbell and have them lay on their backs in the water with the barbell across their hips.
    • Have them do both the arms and leg movements together with the barbell until you think they are ready to move on.
    • Have them perform the backstroke by themselves with no tools.

Level Two Swimmers (Sea Stars):

Level two is where children are to improve upon their front and back stroke as well as their floating. Students will also be taught how to use side breathing while also swimming their front stroke. They will also swim to the bottom of a four-foot-deep section in the pool to pick up an item and resurface to the wall.

Lesson Plan:

  • Side breathing:

    • *Have them practice on the wall while doing this at first.
    • After every number of strokes, have them turn their head on the arm that is stretched out.
    • When they are proficient at this on the wall, graduate to using the kickboard/barbell for a few laps.
    • After this, have them do it on their own about halfway across the pool.
    • Move a little further back every time so they reach more distance.

Level Three Swimmers (Jellyfish):

On top of swimming front stroke and back stroke, children will learn how to swim breaststroke. From here until the end of level five, children will regularly swim across the length of the pool. Swimming the length of the pool, they will learn how to control their breathing and build their stamina.

Lesson Plan:

  • Breaststroke Lesson Plan:

    • Tools:

      • 1.Kickboard
         
  • Technique:
    • Teach them the kick
    • Method one:
    • In, out, together
    • Monkey, tree, rocket,
    • Chicken, airplane, Rocket
    • Use the kickboard and have them kick until they are ready to move on.
       
  • Teach them the arms:
    • Method:
    • Make a heart and break it
    • All together should be:
    • Pull → breathe→ Kick → Glide
    • ***This is the only stroke where your kick is stronger than your arms***

Level Four Swimmers (Dolphins)

Almost there! Swimmers at this stage should be perfecting their front stroke and back stroke. While improving upon their breaststroke, they will also learn how to swim the butterfly stroke.

Lesson Plan:

  • Tools:

    • Kickboard
    • Swimming Fins
       
  • Technique:
    • For the kick, have them practice dolphin kicks
    • Knees should be together, and they should be moving their legs from the hip.
    • Take the kickboard and have them go on their back and practice the kick
    • Eventually have them turn over and do the kicks on their front.
    • Then incorporate the arm movements.
    • Arms should come up and out together from the water and in front of their face.
    • Make sure that they do one kick with the arm movements and then another kick before they resurface.

Level Five Swimmers (Sharks):

At this stage, swimmers should be well versed in all strokes and floating techniques. This stage is mostly for swimming consecutive laps with little breaks and for building their stamina. Small corrections will be made to the child’s form to perfect the swimming technique.

 

***Refer to the previous levels for information on all strokes. ***