Level 1A

Purpose:

To help children feel comfortable in the water and learn basic water safety and swim skills with support.

Skills Taught:

• Entering and exiting the water safely

• Blowing bubbles (mouth and/or nose)

• Submerging face/head

• Front and back floats with assistance

• Gliding on front and back with assistance

• Arm and leg movements on front and back

• Treading with support

• Water safety rules (e.g. asking for permission before entering water)

Level 1B

Purpose:

To help children begin to perform water skills with less support, promoting confidence and safety.

Skills Taught:

• Entering and exiting the water independently

• Submerging entire head comfortably

• Bobbing (rhythmic up and down movement in water)

• Front and back floats and glides without full assistance

• Beginning front crawl arm and leg movements

• Beginning back crawl movements

• Introduction to rollovers (front to back and vice versa)

• Kicking on front and back with kickboard or flotation aid

• Introduction to retrieving objects from shallow water

• Continued learning of water safety rules (e.g., recognizing lifeguards, safe play)

Level 2

Purpose:

To help participants develop basic swimming fundamentals and begin performing skills without support.

Skills Taught:

Water Entry & Exit:

• Enter water by stepping or jumping from the side

• Exit water safely using ladder or pool edge

Breath Control & Submerging:

• Fully submerge head and retrieve objects from chest-deep water

• Bobbing

Buoyancy & Floating:

• Front float and back float without support (5 seconds)

• Front glide and back glide with recovery to vertical position

Arm & Leg Movements:

• Combined arm and leg actions on front (beginning front crawl)

• Combined arm and leg actions on back (beginning back crawl)

• Roll from front to back and back to front

Level 3

Purpose:

To improve coordination of arm and leg movements, introduce new strokes, and build swimming skills in deeper water.

Water Entry & Safety:

• Jump into deep water from the side

• Headfirst entries (seated or kneeling dive, if water depth allows)

• Survival float and back float

• Tread water for 30 seconds using arm and leg actions

Stroke Development:

• Front crawl with rhythmic breathing

• Back crawl

• Elementary backstroke introduced

• Scissors kick introduced (used later for sidestroke)

• Introduction to breaststroke kick

• Flutter and dolphin kicks on front

Level 4

Level 4 is all about becoming a stronger, more efficient swimmer. Students refine front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, and elementary backstroke while learning the basics of butterfly. Skills include treading water with different kicks, swimming underwater, turns, and improving endurance with longer swim distances. By the end, swimmers will have the strength and technique needed to move confidently toward advanced swimming and fitness.