Infants, Toddlers, Tykes, 2024

Serenity Swim Classes

• Group Classes

• Parent in the Water as Co-teacher

• We will register up to 12 in a class

• During class every child has one-on-one activities with their parent, group circle times with the teacher and classmates, and one-on-one time with the teacher in the Activity Circuit

Click on video below to watch Avalea at a year and half old swimming from Coach Rob to her mom.

Water Adjustment & Basic Skills (3 mos. – 5 yrs.)

Designed for non-swimmers: Our foundation class for actual movement under and through the water. Children will remain at this level until they can kick through the water for 5 seconds while comfortably holding their breath with their face submerged in the water. Following the swim the child should be relaxed, comfortable, secure and happy.

Students will enter this foundation class with a variety of previous water exposure…from happy bath, shower or pool play with water poured over the face or even a quick dunk… to minimal exposure or unsure of water or pool… to dislike of water poured on the face… to traumatized. This learning phase normally takes 16-48 lessons;  children who are anxious, shy, cautious, frightened or who have been traumatized by survival back float or “drown proof”  swim programs.  may take longer.

This course guides parents through Serenity Swim’s compassionate, gradual, learning progression, employing positive reinforcement and a fun social atmosphere as motivation. Not only are we teaching the skills of movement through water, but also fostering exploration, curiosity, trust, joy, wonder, confidence, grace and endurance.

Swimming 4 x week follows the natural learning progression of the child – offering a little bit of practice on a lot of days. Consistency is the key to safe and happy acquisition of skills at these young ages. Not only are the children learning, but the parents are gaining proficiency in working with their children in the water. Within this class, we wish to provide an enriching and healthy activity through which your child will benefit in many ways. And though we are setting the foundation for learning skills that will eventually make your child safer in the water, remember no child is ever “drown-proof.” Always watch them diligently around the water.

• The first step of this class is to adjust your child socially to the other children, parents and instructors in the group.
• Parents will learn how to properly hold their child, various foundation techniques used by Serenity Swim and the elements of the class.
• The children will learn pre-submersion, water adjustment skills including comfortably tolerating a stream of water poured over the face.
• Children will also learn and practice the above water skills of jumping, reaching, grabbing, blowing bubbles, kicking, climbing out of the pool, shimmying along the pool edge etc.
• Slowly, they will learn facial immersion, coupled with learning to hold their breath using a consistent cue.
• These classes will begin to guide the parent and child through any initial apprehension and provide basic skills that will give you the confidence to practice at home since these skills require your year-round attention.
• For many children, simply overcoming their fear of or aversion to the water will be the initial goal of this class.
• For others, the goal will be successfully propelling themselves several feet through the water.
• Within this class, we wish to provide an enriching and healthy activity through which your child will benefit in many ways. And though we are setting the foundation for learning skills that will eventually make your child safer in the water, remember no child is ever “drown-proof.” Always watch them diligently around the water.

Advanced Classes

Reading Learn to Swim and viewing our video Diaper Dolphins Volume II — Safety Techniques and Beyond, would be most beneficial for those enrolling in Safety Techniques I and II.
Safety Techniques I (10 months to 5 years old)  Prerequisite:Teacher recommendation required. Children must have completed “Water Adjustment and Basic Skills” and demonstrate the ability to propel themselves with a steady kick, face submerged, holding their breath for 5 seconds without taking in water and enjoy it. They must be comfortable.

• The main goal of this advanced parent/child class is to further increase your child’s confidence, endurance and awareness.
• Breath-holding, body position, kicking, reaching and grabbing skills will be greatly strengthened by swimming between teacher and parent, and to and from the wall.
• Parents will be taught the correct technique for cueing breath holding, guiding a swim, approaching a wall.
• We also introduce a 180 degree turn in the middle of the pool (at 14 months).
• Breath holding will gradually be increased to a 7 second swim. We are thus setting a strong foundation for Safety Techniques II where the children will tie all of these skills together.

Safety Techniques II (19 months to 5 years)  Prerequisite:Teacher recommendation required. Children must have successfully completed all skills in Safety Techniques I. They must demonstrate the ability to swim at least 7 seconds through the water using a good kick with ease and confidence. They must be able to swim to the wall comfortably and safely grab the wall and climb out. They must be able to demonstrate a safe jump off the wall out to the parent. They must be able to perform a 180 degree turn in the middle of the pool.

• In addition to building on the skills learned in Safety Techniques I, these advanced swimmers will learn the critical safety skills of falling in and turning around and swimming back to the wall or steps.

Advanced Safety Techniques (2  3/4 years to 5)  Prerequisites:Teacher recommendation required. Can swim 10 feet holding breath comfortably for at least 9 seconds. They must be able to jump in, turn around and swim back to the wall with ease and confidence with parent spotting from the deck.

• In addition to refining their previously acquired skills, these swimmers will begin to learn the skill of lifting their head out of the water for a breath (recovery for a breath) and return to a prone position to continue their swim.
• They will also learn to retrieve a ring off the bottom of the pool (with assistance if needed).
• Assisted (non-coerced) back float will be introduced.

Click on link below to watch Avalea now a year later, a bit over 2 1/2 years old swimming  across the pool and taking a breath.
 
https://www.youtube.com/embed/HGIpizM-EoA
 

Water Tykes (3½ years to5 years)  Prerequisites: Teacher recommendation required. Can swim a distance of 20 feet recovering up and down for a breath, can swim holding breath at least 12 seconds, and can jump in and swim back to the wall.

• In addition to refining their previously acquired skills, this group will begin to learn such skills as free floating on their backs, kicking on their backs, rolling from back to front and front to back.