Platypus

Platypus 1

3 years, 4 months - 4 years

"Sit back and watch our confidence build; with time and support, you will see a love of the water develop!"

We may be brand new to swimming, have had a scare before or have just started independent classes. Being in the water might feel a little overwhelming at first, we may need to sit and watch or hold onto our teacher for a few weeks, this is part of our learning. Allow us a little time to find our swimming bodies. We are going to need lots of emotional and physical support until we develop trust in our teacher and understand how the water works. Consistent attendance is super important to our developing skills and confidence, our teacher will set our next goal to develop our basic skills.

We work on, but are not limited to:

• Building “comfortableness”. No child will learn to swim effectively until they are “at one” with being in and under the water

• Safety skills, always! 

• Being happy in the water & developing confidence

• Understanding how our body works in the water

• Shallow water exploration and independent movement

• Having water on our face and over our head

• Teacher-cued & self-initiated submersions 

• Developing our fundamental skills – independent kicking, bubbles & breath control, floating, head and body position 
   

Platypus 2

4 years - 5 years

"Watch as we work things out and congratulate us as we do, we will be getting it in no time!"

We could be brand new to the water or may have had a scare previously. Swimming lessons may be overwhelming at first. We need to build trust in our teacher and belief in ourselves. Be patient with us, this will take time. Once we have developed trust, watch us begin to open up. With confidence, skills will develop quicker. Allow us to explore, make mistakes and learn to recover – it’s part of learning. Consistent attendance is super important to our developing skills and confidence. The more we can practice, the bigger steps forward we will take. Once we have our confidence our teacher will set our next goal to build our basic skills. 

We work on, but are not limited to:

• Building “comfortableness”. No child will learn to swim effectively until they are “at one” with being in and under the water

• Safety skills, always! 

• Being happy in the water & developing confidence

• Understanding how our body works in the water

• Having water on our face and over our head

• Teacher-cued & self-initiated submersions 

• Independent movement

• Developing our fundamental skills – independent kicking, bubbles & breath control, floating, head and body position 
   

Platypus 3

5 years - 6 years

"Be our biggest cheer squad, even the small things are big for us!"

Our ability to grasp a new skill should be well developed, but this doesn’t mean we are going to get it right on the first try. Sometimes what we think could go wrong overwhelms us and  outweighs our desire to try. Building trust in our teacher is likely to be a smoother transition. Having limited knowledge of how the water works and doubt in ourselves may hold us back. Support us and encourage us to find out what we can do, make us feel successful and we will want to try again. Skills may look messy, the more we practice, the bigger steps forward we will take. Consistent attendance is super important to our developing skills and confidence. Once we have our confidence our teacher will set our next goal to further develop our skills.

We work on, but are not limited to:

• Building “comfortableness”. No child will learn to swim effectively until they are “at one” with being in and under the water

• Safety skills, always! 

• Being happy in the water & developing confidence

• Understanding how our body works in the water

• Having water on our face and over our head

• Teacher-cued & self-initiated submersions 

• Independent movement

• Developing our fundamental skills – independent kicking, bubbles & breath control, floating, head and body position 
   

Platypus 4

6 years - 9 years

"With the right support we will have the skills down pat in no time!"

We are still wary of the water, especially if it’s our first time at swimming lessons. Although, once we get going our excitement will be huge. As we have been at school, trusting a teacher should come easier, but it might take a little time to find out where we stand with them. Most of us want independence, so allow us to explore cause and effect as this helps us to learn that actions have consequences. Safety always comes first. Our skills are developing, however there is still room for fine tuning. Consistent attendance is super important to our developing skills and confidence. Once we have our confidence our teacher will set our next goal to further develop our skills 

We work on, but are not limited to:

• Building “comfortableness” No child will learn to swim effectively until they are “at one” with being in and under the water

• Safety skills, always! 

• Being happy in the water & developing confidence

• Understanding how our body works in the water

• Having water on our face and over our heads

• Teacher-cued & self-initiated submersions 

• Independent movement

• Developing our fundamental skills – independent kicking, bubbles & breath control, floating, head and body position 
   

Platypus 5

9 years - 12 years

"Let us try everything by ourselves. We need this opportunity to learn what we are capable of, but we love your encouragement."

If we are new to the program we are going to show excitement, but there may be some insecurities regarding the water too. Our bodies are strong and show more coordination. We are capable of more but this doesn’t mean our minds are willing to try. Our more mature brain allows us to understand the mechanics of the strokes when they are explained to us. We can pick up new skills quickly.  Allow us time to take things slowly and support us where needed. You should be able to start recognising some formal strokes. Consistent attendance is super important to our developing skills and confidence. Once we have our confidence our teacher will set our next goal to further develop our skills .

We work on, but are not limited to:

• Building “comfortableness” No child will learn to swim effectively until they are “at one” with being in and under the water

• Safety skills, always!

• Being happy in the water & developing confidence

• Understanding how our body works in the water

• Having water on our face and over our heads

• Teacher-cued & self-initiated submersions

• Independent movement

• Developing our fundamental skills—independent kicking, bubbles & breath control, floating, head and body position