Assessments and Activities for Teaching Swimming

Swimming is a widely popular sport and activity with great health-related fitness benefits. Yet, a significant percentage of children are unable to swim with any degree of skill—meaning not only are they missing out on health benefits, but they also are at risk when in water.

Part of that risk comes from receiving either no instruction or no differentiated instruction. Children receiving swimming lessons are commonly grouped by age or grade, and many lack the basic skills required for their age levels.

Assessments and Activities for Teaching Swimming solves this problem by offering differentiated instruction for every participant in your class or program, based on each participant’s aquatic developmental level. Through this illustrated book, you will be able to

• use an assessment tool to evaluate the initial skill level of every participant,

• place each participant in the appropriate level, and

• teach skills through fun activities and monitor each participant’s skill acquisition along the way.

Assessments and Activities for Teaching Swimming will help you accommodate nearly all of your participants’ abilities. With the six-level tool you will be able to assess initial aquatic performance levels for children with and without disabilities and provide appropriate activities to help participants develop their skills.

The book is presented in two parts. Part I offers teaching strategies to help you maximize the aquatic experience for swimmers with and without disabilities. It also guides you in selecting the assessment and activity level so that you can provide a fun and successful experience for all swimmers. Part II lays out six distinct levels, from developing and building on initial skills to learning and refining specific strokes. Some skills are introduced early on and then repeated in a more difficult form at a later level. The final level focuses on longer-distance swimming, flip turns, competitive swimming, and prerequisite skills for lifeguard training.

These six levels, along with the assessment instruments, accommodate most participants’ abilities. You’ll find the assessment instruments and activities very easy to use. Even those who have not been trained as instructors or teachers can implement the activities regardless of the swimmers’ levels.

Assessments and Activities for Teaching Swimming can help all participants take part in safe, fun aquatic activities that will improve their health-related fitness and well-being.