Mermaid Swim School Levels of Swim Instruction

Infant and Toddler (ages 6 months-36 months)

Levels 1 and 2

The focus is for the child to be comfortable and safe in the water. The skills include: how and when to safely enter and exit the water, parent support positions, opening eyes and retrieving underwater objects, swimming on front and back with arm and leg action, blowing bubbles, face submersion, front and back floats, glides, getting back to side after jumping in, and a fully clothed safety test.

*Parents may be in or out of the pool.

Preschool (ages 3 and 4)

Levels 1-3

The focus is for the child to be comfortable and safe in the water. The skills include: jumping in and getting back to the side independently, full submersion and breath control, bobbing, multiple float variations, float and recovery independently, proper leg and arm movement, swim on front and back for the length of the pool independently, discuss the use of a lifejacket and other safety information, and a fully clothed safety test.

Students 5 and up

Level 1: Introduction to Water

The student will learn to be comfortable in and around the water. The following skills will be taught: techniques on how and when to safely exit and enter the pool, water safety skills, submersion, breath control, buoyancy, arm paddling, leg kicking, and water games.

Level 2: Fundamentals of Aquatics

Level 2 Basic to Intermediate swimming skills including: rhythmic breathing, freestyle, backstroke and elementary backstroke, beginning diving, helping others, life jacket, swimming on side, swimming on back, swimming on front, changing direction, buoyancy on front or back, underwater swimming, as well as, safety and water games.

Level 3: Stroke Development

Level 3 Intermediate swimming skills including: freestyle swimming with rotary breathing, backstroke and elementary backstroke, beginning breaststroke, treading, deep water bobbing, competitive starts and turns, beginning diving, as well as, safety and water games.

Level 4: Stroke Improvement

Intermediate to Advanced swimming skills including: freestyle with open turns, backstroke and elementary backstroke with open turns, breaststroke, beginning butterfly and sidestroke, diving safety, survival floating, treading water, scissor kicking, throwing assist, as well as, safety and water games.

Level 5: Stroke Refinement

Advanced swimming skills including: tuck surface dives, pike surface dives, flip turns, sidestroke, back crawl, elementary backstroke, breastroke, butterfly, front crawl, rescue breathing, survival swimming, shallow water dives, as well as, safety and water games.

Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency

Endurance swimming including: front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, elementary backstroke, sidestroke, butterfly, front crawl open turn, sidestroke open turn, backstroke open turn, front flip turn, breaststroke turn, butterfly turn, backstroke flip turn, safe boating skills, deep water retrieval, as well as safety and water games.