Child holds railing as necessary Child walks down stairs

On island, all together Rhythmic breathing - exhale slowly underwater, breath at surface

Child should blow LONG bubbles underwater - these are BOBS, not DIPS. For those struggling with blowing long, count for them slowly to 3, 4, or 5 - it helps to have a target number. Advanced: focus on taking one quick breath in.

Child with noodle around back, under arms Child kicks propulsively with face in water, looking down All at a time / together

Watch for bubbles and proper head position while kicking. Physically manipulate legs to practice proper kicking motion.

Hands on top of legs/thighs Kick on front Island to teacher and back, Island to island/stairs

Watch for correct hand placement (hands on top of legs/thighs) to encourage proper body position, arms straight. If using a small dive ring, be sure child is holding it properly - palms to body and arms straight.

Use flippers to strengthen kick.

Child holding triangle board on top of legs Kick on back Teacher support only as necessary

Be sure child is holding triangle board properly - thumbs on bottom and other fingers on top, hands apart / close to outside corners of triangle board (simulating placement of hands on legs), arms straight.

Use flippers to strengthen kick. For more advanced swimmers, hold a small ring instead of a triangle board.

Child's hands on top of legs/thighs Kick on back for target distance No support

Watch for correct hand placement (hands on top of legs/thighs) to encourage proper body position, arms straight. If using a small dive ring, be sure child is holding it properly - palms to body and arms straight.

Use flippers to strengthen kick.

Child stands in middle of mat, balance while teacher spins mat around One at a time

Teacher assists child to dive down underwater Child kicks underwater to target distance One at a time, Island to island/stairs/pool edge

Pick up object from bottom Push-off & swim up One at a time

Emphasize that blowing bubbles (exhaling) will allow body to sink down, holding breath will make child float. Get down far enough to the bottom to push-off bottom with knees bent so that child can use their legs to push, not feet or toes.

Jump in from edge One at a time

Child holds railing as necessary Child walks up stairs