Membership Benefits: Adaptable Level Structure

All Access Membership gives you and your entire team tools that hook into Swimming Ideas’ level structure. Each daily lesson plan is custom made for a corresponding level and includes multiple activities and challenges aimed at that level’s testable skills. Follow our lesson plans and your swim instructors will teach all the core skills to …

Read more

Swim Lesson Super Powers

Do you want to electrify your swimming lessons? See the spark of pure joy blossom in your swimmer’s eyes?  We can capture lightning in a bottle. We can reproduce delightful laughter and thrilling accomplishment.  We have two “super powers” in our toolbox. And you can use them in your lessons right now!! There is nothing …

Read more

Teaching Swimming Workbook Preview: 1 of 3

The Teaching Swimming Workbook PDF is an excellent tool to give to you and your staff a wonderful introduction into teaching swimming lessons.  Broken into 3 different sections this book will serve as a resource for all 15 essential swim skills, guide instructors into effective teaching, and provide instruction on how to run a swim …

Read more

Choosing Levels

Why Swimming Ideas’ level structure makes instruction simple, effective, and robust.  From Parent-tot through swim team competition we cover all the essential swim skills, prepare children and adults for competition if they want it, and quickly get swimmers moving.  American Red Cross Level Requirements.pdf Swimming Ideas Levels Testable skills vs Good to know skills Not …

Read more

Get ready! Lesson Coordinator Handbook

The companion book for swim lesson managers is well underway! Are you ready to have a training guide for in-person staff on-boarding? Ready to have a resource that goes into detail for each of our Levels? We have the book for you: Lesson Coordinator Handbook: a companion guide for fun and effective instruction. This book …

Read more

Swimming Lesson Guide – Giving feedback

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Report cards, Certificates, Evaluations: The ins, outs, and positive sandwiches of giving praise and criticism Swimming Lessons Ideas was initially designed as a resource for my own program, and as an online repository for swim lesson games and ideas. I am so fortunate to interact with a diverse and resourceful community of people looking …

Read more

Effective Teaching – Series 3 of 3

Surrounded by indifference? I am so thankful for your attention. I know you have a busy life, especially during the summer when swimming seems to be much more in the forefront of our minds. Thank you for both opening this email, and for your interest in www.swimminglessonsideas.com. I want swim lessons in general to be …

Read more

New Swim Instructor Guide to teach adults and teens

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This guide will help you teach swimming lessons to teenage and adult beginners. It is intended to help new swim instructors teach well to a different type of student: adults.  Teenagers are included as they are generally mature enough in this type of learning to be similar to how adults learn. Veteran instructors will benefit …

Read more

Effective Teaching – Series 1 of 3

Be one of the best instructors Before I give you this juicy nugget of teaching effectiveness I want to thank you for being interested in teaching swimming. I’m creating swim lesson plans and training documents to improve our own program, but to also improve yours. Take these effective teaching tips from USA Swimming’s Sport Performance …

Read more

Swim Lesson Toys and Games to play

The toys to buy for your swimming lesson program:
These are the best swimming lesson toys that you can get for your swim lessons or swim lesson program. If you use American Red Cross, Starfish Aquatics, or Swim America, you’ll benefit from any or all of these swim lesson toys. Every game, song, or activity is possible, or made better by using these toys.

Swim Lesson Templates and Plans: Learn How and When to use them and Create your own

Think of a lesson plan for swimming as the roadmap for your instructors to follow. Lesson plans are the guideposts along the path to a successful swim lesson. They help with the class’s flow and skill transitions. With a well written lesson plan you’ll naturally flow from one swimming skill into the next. You’ll gracefully move from underwater activities to glides to arm strokes

Parent Tot Games and Songs

Swim Lesson Games and Songs for Parent Tot Class We recently did a comprehensive podcast on this topic: SIP 006: Songs and Games for Parent Tot classes Sing the Hokey Pokey: Hokey Pokey together as a group. Put all floaty toys in the middle of a circle. You put your hands in, you put your …

Read more

What to do if a child is crying

At swim lessons and a child starts crying. What do you do? As a parent there is a long list of things you should do to help your crying child and the swim program that you’re at. We are going to first go through what a parent should do to keep their child from crying …

Read more

Swim Lesson Plan – Infant Day 1 plan

THE FOLLOWING FULL DAY LESSON PLAN IS FOUND HERE: https://www.swimminglessonsideas.com/blog/parent-tot/ Round 1: -Sit child on the side. -Splash feet or play with toys. Use the floating smiley faces. -Press smile underwater with 1 foot, then the other. -Press smile under with both feet.– Sing Ring around the Rosey, and at the end say “…all jump …

Read more