The YMCA Swim Lesson Curriculum is a core group of aquatic skills every person needs to be safe around water. As the foundation of our program, these skills allow students to learn correct swim stroke techniques. Students begin with and build upon skills they are ready to learn, helping them to celebrate their successes, build self-confidence, and enjoy learning to swim and water safety.
Private Swim Lessons are offered for all ages! Students receive one-on-one instruction specific to their goals and needs.
Register for private lessons at our Member Services desk. Please be aware that lessons are scheduled based on instructor availability.
For questions about Private Swim lessons, please e-mail the Swim Lesson Coordinator at swimlessons@waynesboroymca.org
Accompanied by a parent, infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills through fun and confidence building experiences, while parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision.
A / Water Discovery
Parents accompany children in stage A, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water.
Qualifications: None
Ages: 6 month-3yrs
B / Water Exploration
In stage B, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
Qualifications: Water Discovery
Ages: 6 month-3yrs
Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills:
• Swim, float, swim—sequencing front glide,roll, back float, roll, front glide, and exit
• Jump, push, turn, grab
1 / Water Acclimation
In this beginning class, children develop comfort with being underwater and learn how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.
Qualifications: None
Ages: 3-12yrs
2 / Water Movement
In this class, children are taught skills that focus on buoyancy and movement in the water while also learning how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.
Qualifications: (1) able to go under water & comfortably open eyes without goggles, (2) able to float on front & back with minimal assistance, (3) able to jump in the pool, submerge & return to the wall with assistance.
Ages: 3-12yrs
3 / Water Stamina
In this class, children focus on swimming longer distances. In the event of falling into a body of water, children learn how to swim to safety.
Qualifications: (1) able to float on front & back unassisted, (2) able to push off the wall on stomach with face submerged for 10 feet unassisted, (3) able to Swim-Float-Swim 15 feet unassisted, (4) able to jump into deep water and return to the wall unassisted.
Ages: 3-12yrs
Having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being, and foster a lifetime of physical activity
4 / Stroke Introduction
Students in this class will develop stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke.
Qualifications: (1) able to submerge & retrieve an object in chest deep water, (2) able to swim front crawl 15 yards while taking a breath, (3) able to Swim-Float-Swim 15 yards, (4) able to jump in & tread water for 30 seconds (5) able to swim to wall & exit.
5 / Stroke Development
Students will work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke
Qualifications: (1) able to front crawl & back crawl 25 yards, (2) able to swim breaststroke kick and dolphin kick 15 yards (3) able to tread water using multiple kicks for 1 minute.
Ages: 5-12yrs
6 / Stroke Mechanics
In stage 6, students refine stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.
Qualifications: (1) able to swim front crawl with bent arm recovery & rotary breathing for 25 yards, (2) able to swim back crawl with stroke rotation for 25 yards, (3) able to swim butterfly with over arm recovery, (4) able to swim breaststroke for 25 yards achieving stroke rhythm, (5) able to dive from kneeling position.
Ages: 5-12yrs
