Babies and Pre-school

Programme Levels

Pre-school Skills and Progressions

At Kings Swim School, we believe that learning to swim is a journey that begins with the very youngest of learners.

Our Babies & Pre-School Programme is designed to introduce children to the water in a safe, supportive, and fun environment, laying the foundation for lifelong water confidence and essential swimming skills.

In this programme, we focus on age-appropriate techniques tailored to each developmental stage. From building trust and familiarity with the water to learning fundamental swimming movements, our expert instructors work closely with children and their parents to ensure every lesson is a positive and enriching experience.

Explore the detailed breakdown of our Babies & Pre-School Programme below to see how we nurture water safety, skill progression, and a love for swimming from the very start.

Not sure what level class your child should join?
Answer these few questions and find out.

Swim Level Questions

A blue starfish with a yellow crown on its head.

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Cuddlefish - Level 1

Age: Babies from 3 months – 1 years. Parent required in the water.

Skills we are working towards in the Cuddlefish Level:

Safe entries and exits
Intro to bubbles and spurting (breath control)
Kicking, reaching and holding onto pool edge
Water safety
Introduction to back floating
Introduction to rolling from front to back and back to front
Encouraging kicking on front
Controlled submerges and passing under water from parent to teacher

A pink jellyfish with a yellow crown on its head.

Wigglefish - Level 2

Age: Babies from 1 – 2 years.
Parent required in the water.

Skills we are working towards in the Wigglefish Level:

Safe entries and exits from the pool
Encouraging bubbles and spurting (breath control)
Water safety (falling from the side, turning and learning to hold onto stable and unstable items in the water)
Kicking, reaching and holding onto pool edge
Introduction to back floating
Introduction to rolling from front to back and back to front
Encouraging kicking on front into back float
Confidence in submerging
Monkey walking (moving along pool edge/bar)

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Pufferfish - Level 3

Age: Toddlers from 2 – 3 years.
Parent required in the water.

Skills we are working towards in the Pufferfish Level:
Safe entries and exits from the pool
Introduction to diving for underwater objects
Kicking, reaching and holding on
Water safety (falling from the side and learning to hold onto stable and unstable items in the water)
Bubbles and breath control
Kicking on front
Confidence in submerging
Introduction to back floating with support
Introduction to treading water and turning
Introduction to propulsion with arms
Introduction to rolling from front to back and back to front with support
Monkey walking (moving along pool edge/bar)

A cartoon goldfish with a crown on its head

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Bubblefish - Level 4

Age: 2 years 10 months/3 years - 4 years 10 months/5 years. Parent required in the water.

Skills we are working towards in the Bubblefish Level:

Safe entries and exits from the pool
Confidence
Bubbles and breath Control
Water over the head
Kicking on the front with aid (parent or noodle)
Submersion
Back floating, working on ears back in water with parent support
Introduction to treading water and turning
Kicking, reaching and holding on to pool edge
Starting circle arms (breaststroke style)
Introduction to rolling from front to back and back to front with support
Monkey walking (moving along pool edge/bar)
Water safety (falling from the side and learning to hold onto stable and unstable items in the water)

Clownfish - Level 5

Age: 3 years - 4 years 10 months/5 years. Parent required in the water.

Skills we are working towards in the Clownfish Level:

Safe entry
Developing circle arms with kicks
Kicking with kickboard
Starfish on back (with minimal support)
Starfish on front
Retrieving dive sticks from the bottom of the pool
Rolling from front to back (with support as required)
Developing independence
Wiggly worm
Sculling hands on back

A pink seahorse with a yellow tail and a crown on its head.

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Seahorse - Level 6

Age: 4 - 5 years. No parent in the water.

Skills we are working towards in the Seahorse Level:

Safe entries and exits from the pool
Confidence
Bubbles and Breath control
Water over the head
Kicking on the front with aid (teacher or noodle)
Kicking, reaching and holding on to pool edge
Submersion
Back floating, working on ears back in water with parent support
Introduction to treading water and turning
Starting circle arms (breaststroke style)
Water safety (falling, turning and holding on with support)
Monkey walking (moving along pool edge/bar)
Introduction to rolling from front to back and back to front with support

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Nemo - Level 7

Age: 4 - 5 years.

No parent in the water.

Skills we are working towards in the Nemo Level:

Safe entry
Developing circle arms with kicks
Kicking with kickboard
Starfish on back (with minimal support)
Starfish on front
Retrieving dive sticks from the bottom of the pool
Rolling from front to back (with support as required)
Developing independence
Wiggly worm
Sculling hands on back
any skills achieved in the previous level will be extended upon

Tiddlers - Level 9

Age: 3.5 – 4 years 10 months/5 years.
No parent in the water.

Skills we are working towards in the Tiddlers Level:

Safe entry
Independent kick on back (5m)
Rolling front to back by self
Push-off and glide on back and front 2-3m
Sculling hands with kicking, front and back
Sitting dive
Push-off and streamline underwater on front
Single arm freestyle: 4 arm strokes and kicking with aid
Fly kick or wiggly worm
Forward roll

Tiddlers are our advanced preschool swimmers therefore we extend children in this level to the next stage/s as required.

A dolphin and a turtle with crowns on their heads

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Certificates

We love celebrating our swimmers' hard work and progress!

Certificates and stickers are awarded at every level to recognise the effort and dedication it takes to move up a level. It’s our way of encouraging and celebrating each swimmer's achievements as they grow in confidence and skill.