Use the best resources to teach effective and fun swimming lessons
Have you ever started working at a pool and been told to jump in and teach a swim lesson? Were you given any training or direction? Maybe the manager gave you their level sheet with a bunch of checkboxes on it. Did you even know what the levels were called? Polliwog? Level 1? When you started teaching did anyone talk about an effective way to teach going underwater? Did someone review with you a couple great songs to play and how to engage a whole class? Perhaps you were shown how to hold a child when doing front glides so you can gradually get them to go underwater while establishing an emotional fun connection. Maybe not.
We can make swimming lessons better together
I want you to have a great resource to use whenever you’re unsure how to do something in swimming lessons. When you are looking to train your new summer staff, or get your school year employees ready to teach, think of Swimming Ideas.
You can take advantage of all the swim games, lesson plans, and tactics we use to teach great swim lessons. If there is anything missing, or something you would like to add, please send me an email: jeff@swimmingideas.com or connect with me on Twitter: @swimmingideas.
Together, we can work on teaching better swim lessons!
This is the best list of tools we have that you can use to teach fun and effective swimming:
Swimming Ideas Levels:
Level Description Guides for Managers
Download and distribute these guides for your swim lesson managers. It includes key skills to train your staff with, items to look out for, and games specific to each level.
Level Complete Certificates
Download and print these end of session certificates or use them as a template to create your own.
Online Courses:
How to Create Fun and Effective Swimming Books:
Teaching Swimming Workbook:
Physical PRINT book
Lesson Coordinator Handbook PDF
Prepare your management staff and yourself for running swim lesson training classes. This book is designed for Aquatic Professionals and their middle-management staff.
Follow our block plans for an in-person swim instructor training course using the Teaching Swimming online course and workbook. This Lesson Coordinator handbook will give you everything you need to conduct your class and train new hires to teach fun and effective lessons.
View the book on your favorite tablet or phone, or printed out the old-fashioned way.
Need the book bound with professional printing?
Complete list of swimming games
This is the best list you’ll find of swimming lessons games online. Learn how to go underwater, find toys to play with games, and even learn what games to avoid. When I’m looking for a game to play, or just need some good ideas, I go here first. It is the resource page for all games and training in my own program, and a valuable constantly updated list for you too.
Swimming Lesson Toys: Which to get, and the Games to use them
This is a supplemental guide to the Swimming Games Page. Perhaps of more use because it details the actual toys and tools we buy from Amazon to run our swim program. Find all the best items like barbells, diving sticks, kickboards, and float toys. Check out each toy, and learn what the best games are for each one. There are some different games in this article than there are in the general list, so it is definitely a great place to check out.
Swimming Ideas Podcast
The podcast episode, SIP 024 talks about Purposeful Practice. It is an in-depth guide to how you should be conducting your swimming lessons. Do you pack each lesson with actionable content? Is every skill you’re playing or doing during your swim lesson pointing to a purpose? Or, are you just wasting time with filler nonsense activities? Stuff your practices and your swim lessons with purposeful practice.
Episode 045: The importance of routine.
Establish your routine. When you do things in the same way every time within a practiced easy to expect framework your swimmers will respond. If you’re constantly pulling the rug from under their feet they won’t trust you and they will hesitate when you ask them to swim a skill. Find your framework, create and follow your routine, and learn how to do it here with this podcast episode.
Go to Games for Swim lessons
Once you get a group of swimmers with you more regularly where they know you and are used to your system and routines, you can start playing more inventive and dynamic games.
For beginners, for summer temporary staff the best games are the staples, the basics, the go to games.
Swim Lesson Templates, Guides, Plans: what they are and how to create your own
Get the best information about swim lesson templates, guides, and plans. We take you through all the different options that you can find. Want to know how to use swim lesson plans to help your swim instructors teach a class? This is the place you want to go. Curious about how you can use lesson plans in and out of the pool or water? Read this article. We go in depth on how to create your own swim lesson plans using a variety of tools like tables, infographics, and lists.
What to do if a child is crying
You will have a crying child in your swim lessons. The water is cold, the air is frigid, or maybe its too hot. Mommy isn’t in sight and she threw the kid to the instructor and left. What do you do? Follow these great tips and tricks to calm a crying child and reestablish a normal volume in your lessons.
Teaching Adults and Teens guide
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.
Parent Tot Songs
Fill your beginning parents and baby classes with wonderful productive songs. These are designed to make your program successful and fun. Follow the lyrics along with general instruction on how to associate the lyrics to specific swimming skills. Learn how to sing “Motorboat” and change the rate of your kicking to teach forward motion to infants and toddlers. These rea the go to songs for your parent and child classes.
Swim Lesson Plans
Learning how to be a great swim instructor takes time and effort. You must put in the hard work of trial and error, self-evaluation, and braving failure to be excellent.
But you can be good quickly, and that’s why we’re here to help. We want you and your staff to be teaching swimming well, fast.
Having an easy to follow lesson plan based on the streamlined Swimming Ideas level system you’ll have classes that are productive and fun.
When you need to get that new hire teaching quickly give them a pre-made lesson plan that has been tried and tested. You’ll see immediate results where swimmers are engaged and laughing while they play games with a purpose.
From daily lesson plans, general plans, to skill sheets we’ve got you covered.
Quick visual swim skill sheets to make teaching swimming fun and effective.
- Underwater and Glides
- Crawls and Breathing (freestyle and backstroke)
- Breaststroke
- Butterfly
- Refining Freestyle
- Open Turns
- Flip turns
See the essential skills broken into logical progressions and use the images and pictures.
Learn the skills yourself.
Use these sheets as references for your swimmers.
Quick visual skill sheets for the basics. These dovetail nicely with the SwimSheets.
(*A part of Premium Lesson Plans – Digital)
- Streamline
- Position 11
- Supported and Unsupported Front Glides
- Supported and Unsupported Back Glides
- Breaststroke Arms
- Breaststroke Kick
- Breaststroke Progressions
- Breaststroke Drills
Each sheet has a picture, a script or guide, and key points on how you should teach each.
Learn the skills yourself.
Use these sheets as references for your swimmers.
One sheet per level designed to use as a reference and training tool for new and veteran instructors.
See everything you need to do in one place for each of Swimming Ideas’ four levels.
(*A part of Premium Lesson Plans – Digital)
- Level 1
- Level 2
- Level 3
- Level 4
Choose from a list of suggested activities appropriate for that level.
Choose from a list of suggested challenges or games appropriate for each level.
Follow the sample progressions on the reverse side to use as a template for future lessons.
Use these sheets as a guide, a reference bank, as a tool in your chest of options. The more you teach, the more you’ll start to personalize your program. These will help you start.
From Parent Tot through adults get a handle on swimming lessons by following our weekly progressions.
Your staff and swimmers will follow a tested formula for fun and effective learning.
Classes get more challenging throughout the weeks, and with an average 4 week time frame you can be teaching new rounds of swimmers every registration period.
- Parent and Tot
- Level 1
- Level 2
- Level 3
- Level 4
Swim in lesson plans. Give them to your staff, use them as training material, and reference them for fresh ideas!
We have a solution for every level and swimming skill.
When you’re a member to the All-Access subscription you get access to this list with working links to every one of our solutions.
What do you want to do today?
When you subscribe to All-Access each entry listed below will be a downloadable link.
Print everything at once in one easy print file, or download and use specific days, levels, or skills.
I want to…
Teach a level specific lesson:
Easy Print Everything in one PDF file
Download the ”Teaching Swimming: Fun and Effective Instruction Workbook” PDF
Download the ”Lesson Coordinator Handbook” PDF
- Level 1
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Level 2
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Level 3:
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Level 4
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Parent and Tot
- Reoccurring (repeatable)
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Day 5
- Day 6
Teach a specific skill:
- Underwater and Glides
- Streamline
- Position 11
- Front Glides
- Back Glides
- Crawls and Breathing
- Refined Freestyle
- Breaststroke Arms and Kick
- Breaststroke Drills and Progressions
- Breaststroke
- Butterfly
- Open Turns
- Flip Turns
General lesson plans for more advanced instructors:
- Level 1 General
- Level 2 General
- Level 3 General
- Level 4 General
Evaluate Swimmers by Level:
- Level 1 Evaluation
- Level 2 Evaluation
- Level 3 Evaluation
- Level 4 Evaluation
Lap Swimmer Tips
Guides and visuals for lap swimmers to improve their freestyle.
Animal pictures for groups
Need groups and location based signs for your camp or huge swim lessons? 80 kids at one time? Download these pictures and files to provide a cute animal picture that you can use to designate locations, groups, or assign to an instructor throughout their day.
Picture: JPEG
Zip File with ESP file (vector based file with resizable images without quality loss). Needs Illustrator or Affinity Designer etc
-
Training Module: ARC Lifeguard Videos
Lifeguarding Student Videos (redcrosslearningcenter.org) Better swimming. Download FREE tools. Download a free preview of our Premium Lesson Plans & unique SwimSheets. Stay on our newsletter to enjoy more benefits like further free downloads, guides, and tools to make your swimming program better, easier, and more FUN! Download the FREE premium lesson plans NOW!
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Teaching Swimming Workbook Preview: 2 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…
-
Lesson Coordinator Handbook Preview 1 of 3
The lesson coordinator handbook is an excellent tool to give to your middle management or on the frontline staff. If you are running a swim lesson program then this is the workbook and pdf that you need to use to make sure your program is getting results. Color coded sections for easy reference. The first…
-
Lesson Coordinator Handbook Preview 2 of 3
The lesson coordinator handbook is an excellent tool to give to your middle management or on the front-line staff. If you are running a swim lesson program then this is the workbook and PDF that you need to use to make sure your program is getting results. Color coded sections for easy reference. The second…
-
Rotation Method: Keeping lessons moving. (recording)
Better swimming. Download FREE tools. Download a free preview of our Premium Lesson Plans & unique SwimSheets. Stay on our newsletter to enjoy more benefits like further free downloads, guides, and tools to make your swimming program better, easier, and more FUN! Download the FREE premium lesson plans NOW!
-
Feedback: How to change behavior with words (Recording)
You can change swimmer’s physical behavior with your words. Are you a wizard? A sorceress? A magician? NO! You’re something much more powerful and impactful: a Swimming Instructor! Better swimming. Download FREE tools. Download a free preview of our Premium Lesson Plans & unique SwimSheets. Stay on our newsletter to enjoy more benefits like further…
-
Professional Development for Lesson Coordinators (Recording)
We review the green section for professional development found in the Lesson Coordinator Handbook. Get the full PDF when you subscribe to the All Access membership! Better swimming. Download FREE tools. Download a free preview of our Premium Lesson Plans & unique SwimSheets. Stay on our newsletter to enjoy more benefits like further free downloads, guides, and…
-
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…
-
Teach Fun and Effective Swimming; New workbook
It has been a crazy few months working behind the scenes. A quick update from May 2018 – November 2018. Updated the Online Swim Database. Created a complete attendance system for swim teams. Click a button, have all the records auto-update and use checkboxes to mark who was at practice. Track total practices and dates…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Effective Teaching – Series 2 of 3
How do you create “fun” in your lessons? This is the second in a series about how to teach swimming effectively. You can use these emails to run your swim lesson program, or to go about creating your staff training. Our first email last week was about two key points: Fill your practices/lessons with…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
Hi, I subscribed to your site, but still cannot get your free lesson pack, can you perhaps send it to me in an email. I am really interested. Thanks theresa
I would be happy to. Send me an email at jswim@swimminglessonsideas.com