Age Group

3-5 years

Swimmers will learn a strong kick and correct body position before any arm use is added to the training.

On the first day of Basic Swim Stroke lessons, please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled time.
Make sure your child is dressed in their swimsuit and ready to swim.
Bring a towel and something to change into after lessons.
Be engaged with the lessons—make eye contact, do not wear sunglasses, avoid being on your phone, clap and cheer for little successes. Being quietly engaged with the lesson is the only reassurance you will need to do.

Note: Pool toys and goggles are not used. The pool will be heated to 90 degrees.

No matter the age of your child, he will likely cry. Crying is completely normal. Do not engage the crying with reassurance. Respond with a smile and confidence as your feelings will often transfer to your child.
Lessons on the first day are very short, even for this age group. I assess ability and start to build trust.
All swimmers will go under the water and learn to "hold the wall". If your swimmer is 5 and has never had formal lessons, I start them off like every beginning swimmer. Whatever their age and ability, day one is for me to assess and make a "swim plan" for each swimmer.
Cheer them on when they are finished and be ready with a towel.

These two days are really spent on body position and kick. All swimmers must be in the correct body position and kicking correctly in order to progress to using arms in a basic breaststroke and a basic freestyle stroke.
Some swimmers will be ready for arms very quickly while others will not be ready until Day nine.

For beginners in this age group, days four through seven are spent on developing a good strong kick while holding a breath over longer and longer swim distances.
For more experienced swimmers, once a swimmer has reached a good swim distance while kicking and holding their breath, then we will start with a basic arms breast stroke.
It is important to understand that all swimmers are very different. They all progress in their own way and I will customize lessons for each swimmer as lessons progress.

The last two days of lessons are for reinforcing skills and transferring power and trust back to the parent. Plan on getting in the pool with your child on one of these two days.
It is absolutely necessary for you to 'feel' the way your child swims. You've been watching everyday and your swimmer's progress, but being in the pool with them helps you 'feel' their ability.
It is at this point where I will transfer the trust they have built with me in the water, to you. I will show you how to keep working on the skills we have started so that your swimmer can continue to progress and build confidence.