Parent and Child Aquatics:

Purpose: To familiarize young children (from ages 6 months to about 3 years) to the water and prepare them to learn to swim in the American Red Cross Preschool Aquatics or Learn-to-Swim courses. It is not designed to teach children to become good swimmers or to survive in the water on their own.

Prerequisites: No skill prerequisites; child must be at least 6 months old to enroll; parent or other caregiver must accompany each child into the water and participate in each class

Objectives:

• Learn how to enter and exit the water in a safe manner.
• Feel comfortable in the water.
• Explore submerging.
• Explore buoyancy on the front and back position.
• Glide on the front and back.
• Change body position in the water.
• Learn basic water safety rules and how to avoid water hazards around the home.
• Learn how to call for help and the importance of knowing first aid and CPR.
• Learn about the importance of wearing a life jacket and experience wearing one.
• Learn how to stay safe in, on and around the water, including knowing how to stay safe in the sun and how to avoid recreational water illnesses.

Level 1
Introduction to Water Skills

Purpose: To begin developing positive attitudes, good swimming habits and safe practices in and around the water.

Prerequisites: None

Objectives:

• Enter and exit water using ladder, steps or side
• Blow bubbles through mouth and nose
• Bobbing
• Open eyes under water and retrieve submerged objects
• Front and back glides and floats
• Recover to vertical position
• Roll from front to back and back to front
• Tread water using arm and hand actions
• Alternating and simultaneous leg actions on front and back
• Alternating and simultaneous arm actions on front and back
• Combined arm and leg actions on front and back
• Learn how to stay safe, including recognizing an emergency and knowing how to call for help
• Learn how to stay safe in, on and around the water, including the use of a life jacket, recognizing lifeguards and sun safety
  

Level 2
Fundamental Aquatic Skills

Purpose: To give participants success with fundamental skills, including learning how to float without support and to recover to a vertical position

Prerequisites:

• Demonstrate competency in all required skills and activities, including in-water skills Successfully complete the following exit skills assessment:
  Step from side into chest-deep water, move into a front float for 5 seconds, roll to back, float for 5 seconds then return to a vertical position.
  
• Move into a back float for 5 seconds, roll to front then recover to a vertical position.
  
• Push off and swim using combined arm and leg actions on front for 5 body lengths, roll to back, float for 15 seconds, roll to the front then continue swimming for 5 body lengths. (You can assist the participant when taking a breath.)
  

Objectives:

• Enter and exit water by stepping or jumping from the side
• Fully submerge and hold breath
• Bobbing
• Open eyes under water and retrieve submerged objects
• Front, jellyfish and tuck floats
• Front and back glides and floats
• Roll from front to back and back to front
• Change direction of travel while swimming on front or back
• Tread water using arm and leg actions
• Combined arm and leg actions on front and back
• Learn how to stay safe, including recognizing an emergency, knowing how to call for help and perform simple non-swimming assists
• Learn how to stay safe in, on and around the water, including the use of a life jacket, recognizing lifeguards and sun safety
• Learn what to think about and do when exhausted or caught in a dangerous situation
  

Level 3
Stroke Development

Purpose: To build on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice in deeper water, to develop participants’ confidence in the strokes learned and to improve other aquatic skills

Prerequisites: Valid American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills certificate OR successful demonstration of all certification requirements from Level 2

Objectives:

• Learn to enter water safely
• Survival swimming
• Treading water
• Flutter, scissor, dolphin and breaststroke kicks
• Rotary breathing
• Front and back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke and butterfly
• Front flip turn and backstroke open and flip turns
• Sculling
• Learn what to think about and do when exhausted or caught in a dangerous situation
• Learn to perform simple non-swimming assists
• Learn about recreational water illnesses and how to prevent them
• Learn how to call for help and the importance of knowing first aid and CPR
  
  
  

Level 4
Fitness Improvement

Purpose: To refine strokes so participants swim them with more ease, efficiency, power and smoothness and over greater distances

Prerequisites: Completion of Level 3 course, or successful demonstration of Level 3 swimming skills

Objectives:

• Increase endurance while swimming the following strokes:
  • Front crawl
  • Elementary backstroke & Back crawl
  • Butterfly
  • Breaststroke
  • Sidestroke
• Demonstrate the following turns while swimming:
  • Front crawl open turn/flip turn
  • Backstroke open turn/flip turn
  • Breaststroke turn
  • Butterfly turn
• Learn etiquette in fitness swimming
  • Discuss and demonstrate how to use the following equipment while swimming:
    • Pull buoy
    • Fins
    • Pace clock
    • Paddles
• Discuss the principles of setting up a fitness program
• Apply the principles of water exercise