Childrens Lessons

3 YEARS AND OVER

It's time to learn to swim

These private and semi private lessons are for a maximum of 3 swimmers.

All lessons are structured around the needs of the swimmers. We will always do our best to pair swimmers with others we feel are a similar ability to ensure maximum progress.

Swimmers will start their journey working on the foundation skills such as entering and exiting the water, understanding their body position, learning to go horizontal and becoming comfortable with the water around their face. They will be introduced to a variety of equipment including floats, discs, noodles and many many toys.

As the swimmers progress and master the ability to float they will learn to use a variety of leg kicks, generate propulsion with their arms and understand how to breathe to create efficient swimming strokes.

Swimmers are introduced early on in their journey to all four of the main strokes as well as sidestroke and old English backstroke, and will not only focus on the strokes but more importantly skills such as treading water, self rescues and sculling.

Swimmers can spend their entire swimming journey in private lessons if they would like, and we have guided many swimmers from non swimmers through to competitive swim squads - and some have even been to counties! Others will start off in private lessons to get a solid foundation and then move on to group lessons elsewhere.

What to Expect

A range of activities chosen to support your child's all round development

At Wild Dog we follow the Swim England badge framework. Our lessons are based around not only swimming and the aquatic development, but the activities we chose, equipment we use and songs we sing combine a range of different aspects of child development to help your little one grow and learn.

Core Aquatic Skills

Entries - Learning how to safely enter the swimming pool in a variety of different ways, from steps and ladders through to jumping and diving

Exits - Learning how to get out of the water, for example climbing out or using the steps

Rotation and Orientation - turning and rolling in the water. This build the foundation of being able to breath in the water, and later will progress to handstands, rolls and tumble turns.

Buoyancy and Balance - Learning to float and stay still in the water. Begins with star floats and includes exploration of different flotation aids as well as experience in lifejackets.

Streamlining - Being able to move smoothly through the water. Push and glides and efficient swims are built on a good streamline

Aquatic Breathing - Being comfortable with water in and around the face. Builds the foundation of horizontal body position and progresses to breath control

Travel and Coordination - Moving in all directions on, under and through the water using a variety of strokes and skills

Water Safety - Understanding how to stay safe in and around a variety of aquatic environments as well as how to get help for others and safe self rescues.

Health and Fitness - Understanding how swimming helps to keep you fit and healthy, how to prepare for exercise and stay injury free.

Fundamental Movement Skills

These are skills which support your child's all round physical development and capabilities, and underpin not only swimming but every sport! They can be split into four categories:
Agility, balance, coordination

Running, jumping throwing

Kinesthetics, gliding, buoyancy, striking with an object

Catching, passing, kicking, striking with the body

The better the foundation of fundamental movement skills an individual has the more likely they are to lead an active, healthy lifestyle throughout their entire life. Swimming is truly a sport which encourages lifelong participation, and being able to swim opens doors to a huge variety of sports and activities such as:

Canoeing and Kayaking, wakeboarding, windsurfing, water polo, diving, surfing, rafting, artistic swimming, scuba diving, snorkelling, kitesurfing, boating, bodyboarding, coasteering and paddleboarding.

Badges

There are seven stage badges available, along with distances up to 1 mile and Water Skills and Water Safety which reward to complementary skills achieved whilst swimming.

Please click on the tabs to learn more about each one.

Stage 1

Enter the water safely.
Move forward for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Move backwards for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Move sideways for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Scoop the water and wash the face.
Be comfortable with water showered from overhead.
Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing.
Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing.
Push and glide in a flat position on the front from a wall.
Push and glide in a flat position on the back from a wall.
Give examples of two pool rules.
Exit the water safely.

Additional Criteria:

5m front paddle in a streamlined position

5m kick on back with arms by the side

Additional Badges:

Puffin

Stage 4

Perform a sequence of changing shapes (minimum of three) whilst floating on the surface and demonstrate an understanding of floating.
Push and glide from the wall towards the pool floor.
Kick 10 metres backstroke (one item of equipment optional).
Kick 10 metres front crawl (one item of equipment optional).
Kick 10 metres butterfly on the front or on the back.
Kick 10 metres breaststroke on the front (one item of equipment optional).
Perform a head first sculling action for 5 metres in a flat position on the back.
Travel on back and log roll in one continuous movement onto front.
Travel on front and log roll in one continuous movement onto back.
Push and glide and swim 10 metres, choice of stroke is optional.

Additional Criteria:

10m all 4 strokes full stroke

60 seconds treading water

Able to climb out of the pool

Additional Badges:

25m Rainbow Distance

Water Skills 3

Stage 3

Jump in from poolside and submerge.
Sink, push away from wall and maintain a streamlined position.
Push and glide on the front with arms extended and log roll onto the back.
Push and glide on the back with arms extended and log roll onto the front.
Travel 5 metres on the front, perform a tuck to rotate onto the back and return on the back.
Fully submerge to pick up an object.
Correctly identify three of the four key water safety messages.*
Push and glide and travel 10 metres on the back.
Push and glide and travel 10 metres on the front.
Perform a tuck float and hold for three seconds.
Exit the water without using steps.

Additional Criteria:

10m good attempt at all 4 strokes

Minimum 30 seconds treading water

Comfortable jumping in to and swimming in deep water

Additional Badges:

10m Rainbow Distance

Water Skills 2

Water Safety 1

Stage 2

Jump in from poolside safely.
Blow bubbles a minimum of three times rhythmically, with nose and mouth submerged.
Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing without support.
Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing without support.
Push from a wall and glide on the back – arms can be by the side or above the head.
Push from a wall and glide on the front with arms extended.
Travel using a recognised leg action with feet off the pool floor on the back for 5 metres, without the use of floatation equipment.
Travel using a recognised leg action with feet off the pool floor on the front for 5 metres, without the use of floatation equipment.
Perform a tuck to rotate from a flat floating position on the front, to a back floating position, then return to standing.
Perform a tuck to rotate from a flat floating position on the back, to a front floating position, then return to standing.
Perform a log roll from the back to the front.
Perform a log roll from the front to the back.
Exit the water without support.

Additional Criteria:

Breaststroke feet turned out (with floats if needed)

5m all 4 strokes

Additional badges:

5m Rainbow Distance

Water Skills 1

Stage 7

Perform a sequence of changing shapes (minimum of three) whilst floating on the surface and demonstrate an understanding of floating.
Push and glide from the wall towards the pool floor.
Kick 10 metres backstroke (one item of equipment optional).
Kick 10 metres front crawl (one item of equipment optional).
Kick 10 metres butterfly on the front or on the back.
Kick 10 metres breaststroke on the front (one item of equipment optional).
Perform a head first sculling action for 5 metres in a flat position on the back.
Travel on back and log roll in one continuous movement onto front.
Travel on front and log roll in one continuous movement onto back.
Push and glide and swim 10 metres, choice of stroke is optional.

Additional Badges:

200m Rainbow Distance

Water Safety 3

Stage 6

Give two examples of how to prepare for exercise and understand why it is important.
Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into backstroke.
Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into front crawl.
Swim 10 metres wearing clothes.
Push and glide and swim front crawl to include at least six rhythmical breaths.
Push and glide and swim breaststroke to include at least six rhythmical breaths.
Push and glide and swim butterfly to include at least three rhythmical breaths.
Push and glide and swim backstroke to include at least six regular breaths.
Push and glide and swim 25 metres, choice of stroke is optional (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Perform a ‘shout and signal’ rescue.
Perform a surface dive.

Additional Badges:

100m Rainbow Distance

Water Skills 5

Stage 5

Perform a flat stationary scull on the back.
Perform a feet first sculling action for 5 metres in a flat position on the back.
Perform a sculling sequence with a partner for 30-45 seconds to include a rotation.
Tread water for 30 seconds.
Perform three different shaped jumps into deep water.
Push and glide and swim 10 metres backstroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 10 metres front crawl (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 10 metres breaststroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 10 metres butterfly (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Perform a handstand and hold for a minimum of three seconds.
Perform a forward somersault.
Demonstrate an action for getting help.

Additional Badges:

50m Rainbow Distance

Water Skills 4

Water Safety 2

Lesson Structure

Lessons are structured for maximum learning

Lessons will always start with a warm up activity. This could be a game or a swim depending on the age and ability of the swimmer and is designed to physically and mentally prepare the swimmer for learning.

Next we will have the main focus. This is usually an element of one of the four main strokes, although sometimes we will do a full lesson based around a different element such as water safety.

The second half of the lesson tends to be more skill development, so we could use sinkers, practice push and glides, jumps, turns or dives.

The lesson will finish with a short cool down activity, this is something relaxing and slower such as sculling, floating or breath control exercises to bring the body back to a resting state before send them back to you!

WHAT DO OUR CLIENTS THINK?

Shelley has a fantastic, nurturing approach with the kids and would highly recommend swimming lessons with her to anyone who wants a fun and motivating swim experience!

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