Youth Swim Lessons
SWIM LESSONS
Our swim lesson curriculum is designed to help children of all ages become comfortable and confident in the water. Lessons progress through a series of stages based on age and skill level.
Swim Starters: Parent & Child Lessons
Ages: 6 months – 3 years (with parent/guardian)
Stage A: Water Discovery
Overview: Introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment with parent participation.
Skills Learned:
- Comfort in the water
- Blowing bubbles (assisted)
- Assisted front and back floats
- Assisted water entry and exit
Before This Level: No water experience needed.
Stage B: Water Exploration
Overview: Builds on foundational skills, focusing on body position, breath control, and water safety—all with parent assistance.
Skills Learned:
- Blowing bubbles with mouth and nose submerged
- Front and back floats with bubbles
- Assisted monkey crawl along the wall
- Increased comfort with movement in water
Before This Level: Comfortable being in water with a parent, can tolerate basic water skills like assisted floating.
Outcome of Swim Starters Levels: Accompanied by a parent, infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills through fun and confidence- building experiences while parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention and the importance of supervision.
Swim Basics: Recommended Skills for All
Ages: 3 – 5 (Preschool) and 6 – 12 (School Age)
Stage 1: Water Acclimation
Overview: Helps young children become comfortable in the water and introduces basic safety skills with assistance.
Skills Learned:
- Independent submersion and bobbing
- Assisted front/back floats and glides
- Jump, push, turn, grab (with assistance)
Before This Level: No independent swim skills required.
Stage 2: Water Movement
Overview: Encourages independent movement and reinforces safety.
Skills Learned:
- Front/back glides and floats (5 ft Preschool | 10 ft School Age)
- Treading near the wall (10 sec Preschool | 20 sec School Age)
- Jump, push, turn, grab (independent)
- Swim-float-swim sequence (5 yds)
Before This Level: Comfortable submerging, floating, and gliding with assistance.
Stage 3: Water Stamina
Overview: Builds endurance and intermediate safety skills over longer distances.
Skills Learned:
- Retrieve object underwater
- Swim on front/back (10 yds Preschool | 15 yds School Age)
- Tread water (30 sec Preschool | 1 min School Age)
- Swim-float-swim sequence (15 yds Preschool | 25 yds School Age)
- Jump, swim, turn, swim, grab (10 yds)
Before This Level: Can float, glide, and swim short distances independently.
Outcome of Swim Basics Levels: Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills:
Swim Strokes: Technique and Endurance
Age: 6 – 12 (School Age)
Stage 4: Stroke Introduction
Overview: Introduces front and back crawl and reinforces safety with treading and elementary backstroke.
Skills Learned:
- Front crawl with rotary breathing (15 yds)
- Back crawl (15 yds)
- Elementary backstroke
- Tread water (1 min, scissor/whip kick)
- Sitting dive
Before This Level: Can swim-float-swim 25 yds and tread water for 1 minute.
Stage 5: Stroke Development
Overview: Builds on stroke technique, adding breaststroke and butterfly.
Skills Learned:
- Front crawl with bent-arm recovery (25 yds)
- Breaststroke (25 yds)
- Butterfly with simultaneous arms (15 yds)
- Sidestroke and kneeling dive
- Tread water (2 mins)
Before This Level: Proficient in front/back crawl and comfortable with endurance swimming.rtable submerging, floating, and gliding with assistance.
Stage 6: Stroke Mechanics
Overview: Refines all major strokes and encourages fitness through swimming.
Skills Learned:
- Flip turns (front and back crawl)
- Breaststroke with open turn (50 yds)
- Butterfly (25 yds)
- Tread water and retrieve object
- Standing dive
- Endurance (150 yds)
Before This Level: Can swim all major strokes with basic technique.
Outcome of Swim Strokes Levels: Having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and improve stroke techniques, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being and foster a lifetime of physical activity.
YMCA PRIVATE SWIM LESSONS
Looking for personalized instruction at your own pace? Our private swim lessons offer one-on-one coaching tailored to your individual goals—whether you’re learning to swim for the first time, refining your technique, or building confidence in the water. Available for all ages and skill levels, private lessons provide focused attention and flexible scheduling to help you make the most of your time in the pool.
| MEMBER | COMMUNITY MEMBER | |
|---|---|---|
| (1) 30 MINUTE SESSION | $32 | $64 |
| (4) 30 MINUTE SESSIONS | $110 | $220 |
| (8) 30 MINUTE SESSIONS | $185 | $370 |
Questions?
