We’ve designed our FUNdamentals curriculum to be intuitive and simple to follow. The skills we teach and our methods of teaching have been purposefully chosen after years of studying how children learn and develop best, spending countless hours observing kids swimming in play settings and evolving our understanding through teaching over 500,000 swimming lessons.
We’ve outlined the curriculum below so you can take a closer look and better understand the path your child will take from complete beginner to a water-safer swimmer. We hope you see simplicity - Swimming lesson success comes when things are simple for children, parents and their coaches to understand.
FUNdamentals ONE: Introduction to Skills with Full-Floatation
FUNdamentals One is the first step in introducing beginner swimmers to the water and helping them develop coordination, stability and the movement patterns necessary to become safer swimmers. Throughout step 1, Students are fully supported by a progressive floatation vest, filled with 9 floatation inserts. This is also a very hands-on level for our coaches and should be for you as well if you decide to try coaching your own child.
FUNdamentals TWO: Building Confidence with Less Floatation
Once your child is able to successfully complete all “tests” of skill in FUNdamentals One, he or she will be ready to start weaning off floatation. You’ll notice that FUNdamentals Two is almost identical to FUNdamentals One accept:
- You’ll start slowly reducing the number of floatation inserts in your child’s vest, 1-2 at a time
- The breath control exercises are now built into other skills like front kicking and doggy paddle.
It’s extremely important to slowly wean your child off their vest. In FUNdamentals Two, your child will still be building their confidence and developing greater levels of coordination and muscle control. Each time you remove 1-2 floatation inserts, your child will initially be a little less stable and will need to build greater amounts of coordination and muscle control to perform the exercise with less floatation support.
Our coaches always work with your child where he or she is that day. Some days kids surge forward and we can remove more floatation, other days kids need extra assurance and support and we might add a float or two back in. It’s all okay and completely natural. Remember the roadmap to success: Having Fun + Building Confidence = Safer Swimmer.
FUNdamentals THREE: Safer Swimming Skills with No Floatation
Your child is now ready for fully independent swimming! This final mini-course in the series occurs after your child is able to swim all FUNdamentals TWO exercises without the progressive training vest. You’ll notice that these skills are much more about building endurance in the skills your child will need to swim safer for longer periods of time. We’ve also built in some skills your child will want to know to have more fun with their friends and family at the pool, like surface dives and toy-carry swims.
Getting your child ready to pass a basic swim test
Almost all of FUNdamentals THREE is focused on getting your child ready to pass a basic swim test. Many community and recreational pools that have deep ends or slides will also have lifeguards on standby to take your child through a basic swim test. Being able to pass that test opens your child up to taking advantage of the entire pool and whatever fun activities they have available. It’ll also give your child a big boost to his or confidence level!
Want to learn more about swimming lessons at The Swim Revolution?
Swimming lessons at the Swim Revolution in Atlanta are an ideal way to prepare your child for a lifetime of fun, recreation, and safety in the water. We have posted a lot of Frequently Asked Questions on our site about everything from free sample classes and schedules to pricing and facilities details. You can also give us a call at 404.354.1180. We would be happy to hear from you!
