COOK COUNTY COMMUNITY YMCA - SWIM INSTRUCTORS
Program Overview
The YMCA Swim Lesson curriculum is broken down into various age categories (infant - adult) and ability levels also referred to as Stages (A, B, 1-6 and Pathways).
The general ages categories you will see referenced below are:
Infants & toddler have 2 unique stages that belong only to this age group. Preschool thru adult learners are covered in stages 1 - 6. Stages 1 - 6 contain the same key skill progression regardless of participant age, however, the activities and drills used to teach these skill varies based on which age group or groups are being taught. After successful completion of stage 6, participants are encouraged to continue on with their aquatics journey through specialized pathways; competition, leadership and/ or recreation.
The general ages categories you will see referenced below are:
- Infants & Toddlers; Ages 6 months - 3 years with a parent or adult guardian
- Preschool; Ages 3 - 5 years
- School-Age; Ages 5 - 12 years
- Teen & Adult; Ages 12 years and older
Infants & toddler have 2 unique stages that belong only to this age group. Preschool thru adult learners are covered in stages 1 - 6. Stages 1 - 6 contain the same key skill progression regardless of participant age, however, the activities and drills used to teach these skill varies based on which age group or groups are being taught. After successful completion of stage 6, participants are encouraged to continue on with their aquatics journey through specialized pathways; competition, leadership and/ or recreation.
Categories
The swim lessons curriculum allows for both standardization and flexibility. The curriculum organization ensures that swim lessons programs look and sound the same at every Y across the country. But the way students move through the curriculum can be adapted to meet the needs of all Ys in all communities.
At a high level, the curriculum is organized into three general categories:
Swim Starters
Infants and Toddlers; ages 6 months - 3 years with a parent or adult guardian
In the two stages, children learn to be comfortable in the water. Rather than teaching children how to survive in the water or become accomplished swimmers, Swim Starters focuses on developing swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences. Parents also learn essential skills in Swim Starters. Close supervision is the best way to prevent drowning. Parents learn how to supervise children in the water, how to prevent accidents, and how to plan for emergencies. Develops water enrichment and aquatic readiness in children.
Swim Basics
Preschool - Adult; ages 3 - 5 years (preschool), ages 5 - 12 years (school-age) and ages 12 years and up (teen & adult)
In these three stages, students develop a high level of comfort in the water by practicing safe water habits, engaging in underwater exploration, and learning how to swim to safety and exit if they fall into a body of water. Group activities that reinforce learning help students progress. By the end of this series of stages, students achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills; 'Swim, float, swim' and 'Jump, push, turn, grab'. Develops personal water safety and basic swimming skills in students of all ages.
Swim Strokes
School-Age - Adult; ages 5 - 12 years (school-age) and ages 12 years and up (teen & adult)
In these three stages, having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being, and foster a lifetime of physical activity. Introduces and refines stroke technique in older students.
At a high level, the curriculum is organized into three general categories:
Swim Starters
Infants and Toddlers; ages 6 months - 3 years with a parent or adult guardian
In the two stages, children learn to be comfortable in the water. Rather than teaching children how to survive in the water or become accomplished swimmers, Swim Starters focuses on developing swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences. Parents also learn essential skills in Swim Starters. Close supervision is the best way to prevent drowning. Parents learn how to supervise children in the water, how to prevent accidents, and how to plan for emergencies. Develops water enrichment and aquatic readiness in children.
Swim Basics
Preschool - Adult; ages 3 - 5 years (preschool), ages 5 - 12 years (school-age) and ages 12 years and up (teen & adult)
In these three stages, students develop a high level of comfort in the water by practicing safe water habits, engaging in underwater exploration, and learning how to swim to safety and exit if they fall into a body of water. Group activities that reinforce learning help students progress. By the end of this series of stages, students achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills; 'Swim, float, swim' and 'Jump, push, turn, grab'. Develops personal water safety and basic swimming skills in students of all ages.
Swim Strokes
School-Age - Adult; ages 5 - 12 years (school-age) and ages 12 years and up (teen & adult)
In these three stages, having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being, and foster a lifetime of physical activity. Introduces and refines stroke technique in older students.
Stages
Swim Starters
Stage A:
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Parents accompany children in this stage, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water. The goals of this stage include the following:
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Breath control
Blow bubbles |
Swim on front
Front tow Front float |
Swim on back
Back tow Back float |
Water Safety
Roll Wall Grab |
Benchmark
Water exit Water entry |
Stage B:
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In this stage, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills. The goals of this stage include the following:
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Breath control
Blow bubbles |
Swim on front
Front tow Front float |
Swim on back
Back tow Back float |
Water Safety
Roll Monkey crawl |
Benchmark
Water exit Water entry |
Swim Basics
Stage 1:
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Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water in stage 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming. Students in this stage focus on the following:
|
Breath control
Submerge |
Swim on front
Front glide Front float |
Swim on back
Back float Back glide |
Water Safety
Water exit Roll |
Benchmark
Jump, push, turn, grab Swim, float, swim |
Stage 2:
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In this stage, students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while also continuing to practice how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Students in this stage focus on the following:
|
Breath control
Submerge |
Swim on front
Front glide Front float |
Swim on back
Back float Back glide |
Water Safety
Water exit Roll Tread water |
Benchmark
Jump, push, turn, grab Swim, float, swim |
Stage 3:
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In this stage, students learn how to swim to safety from a longer distance than in previous stages in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage also introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action. Students in this stage focus on the following:
|
Breath control
Submerge |
Swim on front
Swim on front |
Swim on back
Swim on back |
Water Safety
Water exit Roll Tread water |
Benchmark
Jump, swim, turn, swim, grab Swim, float, swim |
Swim Strokes
Stage 4:
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Students in this stage develop stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke. Students in this stage focus on the following:
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Swim on front
Front crawl Breaststroke kick Butterfly kick |
Swim on back
Back crawl |
Water Safety
Dive Resting stroke; elementary backstroke Tread water |
Benchmark
Endurance |
Stage 5:
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Students in this stage work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke. Students in this stage focus on the following:
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Swim on front
Front crawl Breaststroke Butterfly |
Swim on back
Back crawl |
Water Safety
Dive Resting stroke; sidestroke Tread water |
Benchmark
Endurance |
Stage 6:
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In this stage, students refine stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle. Students in this stage focus on the following:
|
Swim on front
Front crawl Breaststroke Butterfly |
Swim on back
Back crawl |
Water Safety
Dive Resting stroke; elementary backstroke or sidestroke Tread water |
Benchmark
Endurance |