Babies Swimming Lessons for 0-3 Years Old | St Peter's Swim School
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Water Babies Lessons

Swimming is best for developing babies

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Introducing babies to swimming early comes with significant developmental benefits. Allowing your baby to learn to swim early sets them up for a positive foundation of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development.
Aside from the obvious water safety skills learnt through early swimming, starting swimming lessons as a baby provides a positive connection with other developmental progressions.

Studies show that early swimming helps babies develop gross and fine motor skills, early development of individual self-awareness, and helps young minds foster a sense of self-esteem, confidence, and independence, as well as important face-to-face bonding time with parents and caregivers. All of these and many other benefits are essential for the next steps in a child's mental and emotional wellbeing. 

Our Water Babies swimming classes are designed to encourage these developmental milestones to thrive in each child. Classes are age-specific regardless of experience and are conducted with a caregiver in the water alongside the child.

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Guppies

(3-6 Months)

Guppies
Instructors will guide grownups and babies through skills and activities that build skills and confidence.

These skills will reinforce that essential bond with each other in the water and form the building blocks that develop instinctual behaviours for life.

Goals for Guppies kids:

  • Maintain natural affinity with the water 
  • Develop a love and respect for the water 
  • Formulate close bonds between the parent and the child 
  • Enhance baby's development by stimulating the 5 senses 
  • Give the baby an opportunity to exercise freely in the pool 
  • Prepare baby for their first underwater experience 

Jellyfish

(7-17 Months)

Jellyfish
Jellyfish is a group class that follows in progression from Guppies where caregivers and babies practise everything they learnt in Guppies, but with verbal reinforcements.
It is important that babies respond to instructions from the grownup and respond accordingly, as well as feeling confident to explore the water through safe independent practice. 

Goals for Jellyfish kids:

  • Develop a love of the water 
  • Practise for signs of “response to conditioning” by reacting to verbal conditioning triggers 
  • Execute a trauma-free submersion without ingesting any water 
  • Develop independence in shallow water with the adult strictly supervising at arm's length
  • Stimulate babies by regularly exposing them to a watery environment - either the bath or pool
  • Free float to the parent for three seconds 
  • Baby responds to verbal commands associated with swimming e.g. Parent says "kick" and baby responds by kicking

It is important to keep in mind that all children are different and progress at different rates.

Starfish

(18-28 Months)

Starfish
Starfish group classes continue to combine caregivers and babies in the pool reinforcing preparation and readiness for independent swimming.
By now your child is accurately responding to verbal triggers and is able to continue practising their skills for early swimming. From here babies continue to improve on independent propulsion, and floating, and encourage independent swimming to the ledge to turn.

Goals for Starfish kids:

  • Continue building skills for early swimming 
  • Improve independent propulsion – kicking, paddling 
  • Encourage back floating 
  • Master turns and swims to the ledge 
  • Master swim around 
  • Introduce drop and turn back to the ledge 
  • Introduce turning to the high wall 
  • Master independent monkeys 
  • Teach children respect for the water
It is important to keep in mind that all children are different and progress at different rates. 

Little Dolphins

(29-36 Months)

Little Dolphins
The ultimate goal for children in this age group is to ensure they are building on the skills they have already learnt, and are able to execute them with greater confidence and proficiency.
Staying alongside your child in the water, Little Dolphins classes aim to progress baby’s skills in preparation for independent swimming required in our Pre-School Classes. 

Goals for Little Dolphins kids:

  • Master kicking with a board and noodle 
  • Master kicking and breathing with a board 
  • Master climbing out of the pool and safe entry 
  • Retrieve rings from the bottom of the platform 
  • Master crawling on their tummy along the high platform lifting the head to breathe 
  • Continue unaided swimming to the wall and turns 
It is important to keep in mind that all children are different and progress at different rates.