Our LTS swimmers’ ages range from 2 to 12 years. Children are grouped according to their ability, rather than age. However, we foster respect of our swimmers and understand that large age differences within a group can be detrimental and place older beginners accordingly.
Building confidence in new swimmers is so important, we encourage our parents to spend time preparing their young swimmer for lessons, visiting the pool, meeting the teacher and watching some lessons. Our parents do not accompany our preschool and primary swimmers in the water. If your swimmer is unhappy about getting in the water we accept that as being where your child is at in their swimming readiness and that’s OK. We believe it is important not to force a hesitant swimmer into the water at the first lesson, because she is not only required to gain her confidence in the water and a new environment, but also in an unfamiliar teacher. We will encourage participation from the ‘safety’ of the pool steps with a parent close by. The teacher will spend time throughout the lesson with you & your swimmer to build confidence and encourage them into the water and guide you towards the type of activities you can initiate with your swimmer. Allow confidence to grow at the child’s pace and you will have a much happier swimmer. Poolside support and encouragement from those watching is important to young swimmers. Encouragement at the right time will help mmensely in increasing confidence. Please watch your swimmer to see their progress and be able to discuss their achievements with them.
Term and Holiday Classes run throughout the year at Alpine Aqualand, and from October-April at the QPS Pool. We recommend registering well in advance of the dates you want to swim, to avoid disappointment and missing out.
Class Sizes are small and the secluded pool environment offers very few distractions and allows for maximum attention for the 30 minute lessons. Our class sizes vary based upon ability and age, ranging from 3 swimmers in a class of 2 yr olds, to 6 in a stroking class.
Skill Achievements are attained over five different levels for the children to work towards, each designed to promote specific skills at a particular level. The progression is from Confidence, to Floating, to Kicking, to Stroking, to Stamina
Certificates All swimmers are awarded a report card at the end of their block. If the swimmer has mastered all the achievements for that level, they will be issued with a laminated certificate, recording the skills your swimmer is now confident and competently achieving.
Our Programmes are all planned based on the individual needs of the swimmers in each group. We use lots of interesting and fun equipment in our beginner classes.
Our lessons are based around outrageous themes so we can become Dinosaur Hunters, Space Adventurers or even go on a Jungle Safari. Our novelty toys help us to create a different environment for beginners with every lesson, with the aim of promoting their interest and enjoyment in the lessons. Parents always find our lessons entertaining to watch and are encouraged to stay for the fun!! Floats and backpacks are not used in our Learn to Swim Lessons. Our huge range of swimming aids designed to promote confidence and swimming ability, help to teach our swimmers independence, often without them even realising. Noodles are our preferred alternative to Arm Floats and Backpacks. This is because the swimmer must learn to ‘stay on the noodle’ and is very aware of their limitations without the noodle. Also arm movement is not restricted during the paddling action. We hear many stories about children who have always swum with Arm Floaties and/or Backpacks jumping into a pool without these floatation aids because they have an unsupported level of confidence in their ability to swim and do not understand the consequences of swimming without these aids.
Water Safety is an integral part of our lessons, although many onlookers may not realise this as the activities are integrated into the class activities. As the swimmers progress through the levels, the watersafety activities become more focused and include discussions about swimming in different environments and experimenting with different ways of moving and floating in the water.
Swimming caps are to be worn br all swimmers with long hair. We have silicon caps at the poolside to purchase which are very easy to slip on, allowing the swimmer to focus on the task at hand without the frustration of hair in their eyes. It also protects our pool pump, which can become entangled with strands of long hair.
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