American Red Cross Youth Swim Lessons
Level 1-Introduction to Water Skills (age: 6-12): Focuses on being safe around the water and having the children become comfortable and confident while being in the water.
Skills Taught: Basic water safety rules. Exhaling underwater and bobbing. Submerging mouth, nose and eyes. Opening eyes underwater to retrieve an object. Floating on front and back. Swimming on front and back while using arm and leg motions. Jumping in and climbing out via the deck. Discuss and demonstrate how to use a lifejacket.
Safety Topics: To be safe in and around the water, how to recognize an emergency and call for help.
Level 2-Fundamental Aquatics Skills (age: 6-12): Works on building strength and endurance while swimming and introduces students to strokes. Students must be able to submerge fully comfortably.
Skills Taught: Strengthening the flutter kick on both back and front. Learning the elementary backstroke arms with the whip kick. Introduction to rotary breathing with front crawl arms. Treading water.
Safety Topics: To be safe in and around the water, recognizing lifeguards and practicing sun safety.
Level 3-Stroke Development (age: 6-12): Builds on the skills learned in level 2 while introducing new strokes.
Skills Taught: Elementary backstroke, front crawl, back crawl, introduction to the sidestroke with the scissor kick. Dolphin kick. Treading water.
Safety Topics: “Look before you leap”, perform a simple non-swimming assist and how to recognize, prevent, and respond in cold water emergencies.
Level 4-Stroke Improvement (age: 6-14): Develop confidence and endurance learned in level 3 while improving other aquatic skills.
Skills Taught: Swimming underwater, feet first surface dive, survival swimming, front crawl and backstroke open turns, and treading water using two different kicks. Front and back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke and introduction to butterfly. Flutter and dolphin kicks on back.
Safety Topics: What to do when exhausted or caught in a dangerous situation. Recreational water illness-what they are and how to prevent them.
Level 5- Stroke Refinement (age: 6-14): Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.
Skills Taught: Tuck and pike surface dives, submerge completely. Front flip turn and backstroke flip turn while swimming. Front and back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke and butterfly.
Safety Topics: Review above topics, how to call for help and the importance of knowing first aid and CPR.
Level 6-Fitness Swimming (age: 6-14): Refines the strokes so that students swim with ease, efficiency, and power.
Skills Taught: Endurance swimming in the following strokes: front crawl, back crawl, butterfly, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, and sidestroke. Refine open turns and flip turns for all strokes.