When I say "pre-schoolers" I am generally talking about children between 2 1/2 and 5 years of age. There has been some debate among pediatricians, child development experts and swimming instructors as to the goals and effectiveness of swimming lessons for this age group. Some experts claim that children are not developmentally ready to "swim" until age 5, and so do not see the point of formal lessons for pre-schoolers.
I highly encourage parents to enroll their children in pre-school lessons. Even if your child is not physically ready to "swim", there are many advantages to introducing them to formal lessons as this age. As they grow and mature, their muscles will learn the "correct" way to move. This is especially true of flutter kicking, the basis for a good front crawl stroke. It is much easier to introduce the swimming motions and mold the muscles into proper form as they age. This doesn't mean that older kids with no formal lessons cannot learn to swim well, but in many cases they have to re-teach their muscles how to move properly, which can take more time and cause some frustrations. Early exposure to lessons and water in general will also help children feel relaxed and confident in the water. This is especially helpful with floating, treading water, and diving skills, which require relaxed muscles for maximum performance.
Red Cross has three levels of swimming lessons for pre-schoolers. If you've never heard of a pre-school option, it's because RC just added them in 2009. There was a lot of crowding in the lower levels of traditional Learn-to-Swim, with classes that lumped 3-year-olds in with 8-year-olds. Anyone who knows anything about kids knows that you can't use the same teaching strategies with those two age groups. The YMCA has been splitting kids up into pre-school and school-aged lessons for years. Having taught two years of YMCA lessons, I was excited to see the Red Cross add a pre-school option.
Generally, pre-school lessons are different from parent/child lessons in that the kids are in the water with the instructor: no parents. The goals of a pre-school class ranges from water adjustment to actual swimming skills. As a parent, you can tell if your child is ready for formal swimming lessons if they can follow verbal instructions, can focus on the instructor for half an hour, and are comfortable (or can become comfortable) with adults who are strangers. At this stage, it is not necessary that they are comfortable in the water, as the first level of pre-school aquatics is basic water adjustment. What makes or breaks a lesson is the child's reaction to the instructor. If your child still has strong stranger-danger, a formal pre-school lesson may not be the best option yet.
Teaching strategies for pre-school lessons rely heavily on play, pretending and imagination, and repetition. Some parents watch a class playing games the whole time and wonder "What is my child actually learning?" If you have a good instructor, your child is learning the foundations for future swimming skills, but in a way that is cognitively appropriate for their age group. Just because the children are not doing traditional drills does not mean they are not learning and improving. The driving force for creating pre-school lessons was to address the differences in learning between pre-school aged children and school-aged children. It places kids in classes appropriate not just to their skill level but also their level of cognitive and motor skill development.
As a swim instructor, I will be honest: most kids aren't going to be able to swim a real stroke until they are 4 or 5 years old. Anything that resembles front crawl, back crawl, or breaststroke is too complex for most small children, both physically and cognitively. There are teachers and programs that can teach your three-year-old to "swim", but it takes focused, one-on-one attention over a long period of time. And at that point, are you sure your child learned to swim because of the instruction, or just the fact that they are now a year older and more coordinated than when they started?
The three pre-school levels in the Red Cross program teach the same skills as Levels 1 and 2 in regular Learn-to-Swim program. The criteria for these levels are not actual strokes, but you will recognize the beginning of formal strokes in the lessons. The report card will read "combined arm and leg action on front alternating". Most teachers will interpret, and teach, a rudimentary front crawl. "Combined arm and leg action on back alternating" is the beginning of a back crawl. "Combined arm and leg action on back simultaneous" is the beginning of elementary backstroke, but your child may know it as "monkey, airplane, soldier". The point is to introduce children to the variety of arm and leg motions that will become actual swimming strokes in the upper levels.
Level 1: Water Adjustment
Skills at this level include entering and exiting the water, pool rules, blowing bubbles, floating with assistance on front and back, exploring leg and arm movements in the water, experimenting with locomotion, and submerging mouth, nose and eyes. This level is all about getting comfortable with the water, with the format of lessons, and foundations of skills for future swimming.
Level 2:
Builds on the skills in level 1. In addition, students will learn to completely submerge head, and start breath control with bobs. They will also be challenged to float independently. More specific kicking motions will be taught, and exploration with "front crawl" and "breaststroke" arm motions. Kids will be encouraged to try skills on their own, but do not need to do them independently to pass the level.
Level 3:
Builds on the skills in level 2. Students should be able to hold a front or back float for five seconds, and swim about 5 body lengths independently. A lot of time will be spent on building skill and endurance. If a child passes pre-school level 3 by the time they turn 5 or 6 years old, that child can move on to Level 3 in the regular Learn-to-Swim program.
I highly encourage parents to enroll their children in pre-school lessons. Even if your child is not physically ready to "swim", there are many advantages to introducing them to formal lessons as this age. As they grow and mature, their muscles will learn the "correct" way to move. This is especially true of flutter kicking, the basis for a good front crawl stroke. It is much easier to introduce the swimming motions and mold the muscles into proper form as they age. This doesn't mean that older kids with no formal lessons cannot learn to swim well, but in many cases they have to re-teach their muscles how to move properly, which can take more time and cause some frustrations. Early exposure to lessons and water in general will also help children feel relaxed and confident in the water. This is especially helpful with floating, treading water, and diving skills, which require relaxed muscles for maximum performance.
Red Cross has three levels of swimming lessons for pre-schoolers. If you've never heard of a pre-school option, it's because RC just added them in 2009. There was a lot of crowding in the lower levels of traditional Learn-to-Swim, with classes that lumped 3-year-olds in with 8-year-olds. Anyone who knows anything about kids knows that you can't use the same teaching strategies with those two age groups. The YMCA has been splitting kids up into pre-school and school-aged lessons for years. Having taught two years of YMCA lessons, I was excited to see the Red Cross add a pre-school option.
Generally, pre-school lessons are different from parent/child lessons in that the kids are in the water with the instructor: no parents. The goals of a pre-school class ranges from water adjustment to actual swimming skills. As a parent, you can tell if your child is ready for formal swimming lessons if they can follow verbal instructions, can focus on the instructor for half an hour, and are comfortable (or can become comfortable) with adults who are strangers. At this stage, it is not necessary that they are comfortable in the water, as the first level of pre-school aquatics is basic water adjustment. What makes or breaks a lesson is the child's reaction to the instructor. If your child still has strong stranger-danger, a formal pre-school lesson may not be the best option yet.
Teaching strategies for pre-school lessons rely heavily on play, pretending and imagination, and repetition. Some parents watch a class playing games the whole time and wonder "What is my child actually learning?" If you have a good instructor, your child is learning the foundations for future swimming skills, but in a way that is cognitively appropriate for their age group. Just because the children are not doing traditional drills does not mean they are not learning and improving. The driving force for creating pre-school lessons was to address the differences in learning between pre-school aged children and school-aged children. It places kids in classes appropriate not just to their skill level but also their level of cognitive and motor skill development.
As a swim instructor, I will be honest: most kids aren't going to be able to swim a real stroke until they are 4 or 5 years old. Anything that resembles front crawl, back crawl, or breaststroke is too complex for most small children, both physically and cognitively. There are teachers and programs that can teach your three-year-old to "swim", but it takes focused, one-on-one attention over a long period of time. And at that point, are you sure your child learned to swim because of the instruction, or just the fact that they are now a year older and more coordinated than when they started?
The three pre-school levels in the Red Cross program teach the same skills as Levels 1 and 2 in regular Learn-to-Swim program. The criteria for these levels are not actual strokes, but you will recognize the beginning of formal strokes in the lessons. The report card will read "combined arm and leg action on front alternating". Most teachers will interpret, and teach, a rudimentary front crawl. "Combined arm and leg action on back alternating" is the beginning of a back crawl. "Combined arm and leg action on back simultaneous" is the beginning of elementary backstroke, but your child may know it as "monkey, airplane, soldier". The point is to introduce children to the variety of arm and leg motions that will become actual swimming strokes in the upper levels.
Level 1: Water Adjustment
Skills at this level include entering and exiting the water, pool rules, blowing bubbles, floating with assistance on front and back, exploring leg and arm movements in the water, experimenting with locomotion, and submerging mouth, nose and eyes. This level is all about getting comfortable with the water, with the format of lessons, and foundations of skills for future swimming.
Level 2:
Builds on the skills in level 1. In addition, students will learn to completely submerge head, and start breath control with bobs. They will also be challenged to float independently. More specific kicking motions will be taught, and exploration with "front crawl" and "breaststroke" arm motions. Kids will be encouraged to try skills on their own, but do not need to do them independently to pass the level.
Level 3:
Builds on the skills in level 2. Students should be able to hold a front or back float for five seconds, and swim about 5 body lengths independently. A lot of time will be spent on building skill and endurance. If a child passes pre-school level 3 by the time they turn 5 or 6 years old, that child can move on to Level 3 in the regular Learn-to-Swim program.
