Petersburg Parks & Recreation
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Swim Lessons

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Parent/Child swim lessons (recommended ages  6 months to 3 years)
Parent and Child Aquatics Level 1 introduces you and your child to basic skills. As parents, you learn how to safely work with your child in the water, including how to appropriately support and hold your child in the water and how to prepare and encourage your child to participate fully and try the skills. In addition, you are introduced to several water safety topics. Your child receives an introduction to basic skills that lay a foundation for learning to swim
For both levels of Parent and Child Aquatics, our instructors follow a plan to introduce swimming and water safety skills that are developmentally appropriate for infants and toddlers. Routines that are familiar are extremely important to this age group. Each class uses toys, songs, fun and games to keep the children engaged and enjoying the water experience all-the-while teaching them basic aquatic skills.
Parent and Child Aquatics Level 2 builds upon the skills learned in Level 1. In the Parent and Child Aquatics Level 2 course, great experiences and fun activities will be provided to allow your child to:
  • Learn more ways to enter and exit the water safely.
  • Retrieve objects below the surface and submerged objects with eyes opened.
  • Glide on the front and back with assistance.
  • Perform combined arm and leg actions on front and back with assistance.
  • Change body position in the water.
  • Experience wearing a life jacket in the water.
Preschool swim lessons (recommended ages 4-5)
In Preschool Aquatics Level 1, your child is introduced to basic skills. These skills lay the foundation for developing water competency and the future skill development of swimming strokes. In addition, your child starts to develop positive attitudes and safe practices around the water. Certain milestones are necessary for successful completion of Preschool Aquatics Level 1, including:
  • Entering the water independently using ramp, steps or side and travel at least 5 yards.
  • Submerging mouth and blowing bubbles for at least 3 seconds.
  • Exiting the water safely. • Gliding on front for at least 2 body lengths with support.
  • Rolling to back and floating for 3 seconds with support. • Recovering to a vertical position with support
It is quite common for children to participate in several sessions of Preschool Aquatics Level 1 before they are able to successfully demonstrate all the skills. That’s okay! It is not important how quickly they move through a level, but that they achieve each skill.
In Preschool Aquatics Level 2, our instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills that are developmentally appropriate for young children. Preschool Aquatics puts the “fun” in fundamentals. Each class is loaded with enjoyable, engaging and challenging activities that motivate children to want to perform and learn to swim
This level continues laying the foundation for developing water competency and further skill development. Preschool Aquatics Level 2 marks the beginning of independent aquatic locomotion skills. Children continue to explore using simultaneous and alternating arm and leg actions on the front and back to gain greater proficiency in preparation for performing strokes. Some of the milestones achieved in Preschool Aquatics Level 2 include:
  • Gliding on front at least 2 body lengths.
  • Rolling to back, floating on back for 15 seconds, then recovering to a vertical position.
  • Gliding on back for at least 2 body lengths.
  • Rolling to front, then recovering to a vertical position.
  • Swimming using combined arm and leg actions on front for 3 body lengths.
  • Rolling to back, floating for 15 seconds, rolling to front then continuing to swim on front for 3 body lengths
In Preschool Aquatics Level 3, our instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills that are developmentally appropriate for young children and help further your child’s development of water competency.
Preschool Aquatics puts the fun in fundamentals. Each class is loaded with enjoyable, engaging and challenging activities that motivate children to want to perform and learn to swim. Some of the milestones in Level 3 include:
  • Stepping from the side into chest-deep water.
  • Pushing off the bottom and moving into a treading or floating position for 15 seconds, swimming on front and/ or back for 5 body lengths and then exiting the water.
  • Moving into a back float for 15 seconds, rolling to front then recovering to a vertical position.
  • Pushing off and swimming using combined arm and leg actions on front for 5 body lengths.
  • Rolling to back, floating for 15 seconds, rolling to front then continuing to swim for 5 body lengths. All Preschool Level 3 skills are performed independently
 
Child Learn to Swim (recommended minimum age is 6)
In Level 1—Introduction to Water Skills, your child is introduced to basic skills as the foundation for future skills and the development of water competency (the basic minimum skills needed for water safety). Certain milestones are necessary for successful completion of Level 1, including:
  • Entering the water independently using the ramp, steps or side.
  • Traveling at least 5 yards, bobbing 5 times and then safely exiting the water
  • Opening eyes underwater and retrieving submerged object.
  • Gliding on front with assistance at least 2 body lengths.
  • Rolling to a back float for 5 seconds with assistance.
  • Recovering to a vertical position with assistance.
  • Combined arm and leg actions on front and back with assistance.
  • Alternating and simultaneous arm and leg actions on front and back with assistance.
 It is common for children to participate in several sessions of Level 1 before they successfully demonstrate each skill. That is okay! It is not important how quickly they move through a level, but that they acquire each skill
Level 2—Fundamental Aquatic Skills builds on skills learned in Level 1. Your child begins to perform skills at a slightly more advanced level and begins gaining rudimentary propulsive skills on both the front and the back. This level marks the beginning of independent aquatic locomotion skills. Our instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills and build on previously learned skills, including the development of water competency (the basic minimum skills needed for water safety). Each class is loaded with fun, engaging and challenging activities that motivate children to want to perform and learn to swim. Some of the milestones that are necessary for successful completion of Level 2 include:
  • Stepping from the side into chest-deep water.
  • Fully submerging and holding breath.
  • Pushing off the bottom, moving into a treading or floating position for at least 15 seconds, swimming on front and/ or back for 5 body lengths and then exiting the water.
  • Moving into a back float for 15 seconds, rolling to front and then recovering to a vertical position.
  • Pushing off and swimming using combined arm and leg actions on front for 5 body lengths, rolling to back, floating for 15 seconds, rolling to the front and then continue swimming for 5 body lengths
In Learn-to-Swim Level 3, our instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills and to build on previously learned skills. Your child learns to swim the front crawl and elementary backstroke at rudimentary levels, is introduced to the dolphin kick, learns the survival float and increases the time duration for treading water. Your child also learns the rules for headfirst entries and begins to learn to enter the water headfirst from a seated position at poolside (if the water is 9 feet deep or deeper). Each class is loaded with fun, engaging and challenging activities that motivate children to want to perform and learn to swim and help your child develop water competency
Some of the milestones in Level 3—Stroke Development include:
  • Flutter, breaststroke and dolphin kicks.
  • Jumping into deep water from the side, recovering to the surface, maintaining position by treading or floating for 1 minute, rotating a full turn and then turning as necessary to orient to the exit point.
  • Swimming the front crawl and/or elementary backstroke for 25 yards and then exiting the water.
  • Pushing off in a streamlined position, swimming the front crawl for 15 yards, changing position and direction, swimming the elementary backstroke for 15 yards and then exiting the water
Adult LTS – learning the basics
Learning the basics is designed to help participants gain basic aquatic skills and swimming strokes, including freestyle, breaststroke, and elementary backstroke.  Participants also learn skills and concepts needed to stay safe around water, in addition to those needed to help themselves or others in an aquatic emergency
 
Contact info: Scott Burt at Petersburg Parks and Recreation.  772-5450 or sburt@petersburgak.gov

* Adjustments and discounts will be applied during checkout if applicable. *

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