Mark your space
Mark it once. Every card in swimming starts from this space and adds what it needs.
The space
A pool the child can stand in (shallow end) with a lifeguard or an instructor present; a bath or paddling pool at home for the first confidence cards, always with an adult in the water or within arm's reach.
Where it fits: shallow end of a public pool, a school pool, a club pool.
Mark in this order
- The shallow end line
- A lane for kicking
- A floating target (a hoop or a ring)
Chalk or tape is enough. Tick each mark as you make it.
Practice kit first
A cap (goggles later, not in the first lessons), a kickboard, a pull buoy, a few floating toys and rings; a dry towel.
Safety
An adult watches every second; never swim alone; know the depths; learn to get help; swim between the flags in open water only with a lifeguard; a cap; no running on the deck.
Beginners stay in water no deeper than chest height; swim aids are not safety devices; nobody goes or jumps in without permission; buddy up; no dunking or pushing; no breath-holding or underwater games, and never over-breathe before swimming under water; head-first entries only once taught and checked by a qualified coach; rescue aids (a pole, a noodle, a rope with a float) at hand; to help someone, call for help, then reach or throw, and never go in yourself.
awiseathlete.com/sports/swimming/setup