One of the most asked questions at Goldfish Swim Schools is “How do I know which level to enroll my swimmer in?” It’s a great question! Looking at your nearest location’s website and browsing through their social media channels may not dive as deep as your curiosities would like! We’re here to help! We’re answering some of your most asked questions about swim levels so your kiddo can be making a splash – in the right level – in no time!

How Do I Figure Out Which Swim Level My Child Should Be In?

The simplest way to determine which swim level is the best fit for you swimmer is take our online swim level assessment! By answering a few quick questions surrounding your kiddo’s age and swimming abilities, this assessment will tell you which level is the perfect fit for your little one! Our levels include…

  • Mini (Baby) – for kiddos ages 4 to 35 months who are just starting out in lessons or have a tiny bit of lesson experience

  • Junior – these levels are for our 3 and 4 year olds that are beginner-intermediate swimmers

  • Glider – designed for 5 to 12 year old beginner-intermediate swimmers

  • Pro – for 4 to 12 year old swimmers that are comfortable with a variety of swim skills are are more advanced swimmers

If you’re still on the fence, you can always reach out to your local Goldfish to chat with an experienced team member!

Why Are Goldfish’s Swim Lessons Structured by Levels?

Structuring our swim lessons into levels is fintastically beneficial for swimmers and our crew alike! For swimmers, it gives them the opportunity to learn from both their swim instructor and other kiddos their same age and swim ability – a true example of watching and learning!

For our crew, it means swim instructors can focus on teaching a certain set of skills, and give attention to their swimmers to help them get their 3-stars to swim off to the next level!

How Do I Know When My Child is Ready for the Next Swim Level?

Our swim instructors advance kiddos through to the next level as each swimmer is ready – aka they’ve mastered all of the skills in that level! There’s no pressure to move up at the same pace as other swimmers, because each swimmer moves up individually, not as a class.

Our 3-star rating system helps kiddos, parents and swim instructors have an idea of where their little Goldfish are in their swim abilities for each level. It’s broken down like this…

? – Your swimmer has been introduced to a new skill and can perform it with the help of their swim instructor

?? – Your swimmer can perform the skill with little help from their swim instructor

??? – Your swimmer can fully perform a skill independently and consistently – they’re seeing Extraordinary Results!

Once a kiddo has 3-stars in each of the skills that level focuses on, they’re ready to swim off to the next level! Using this star system allows kiddos to swim off to the next level when they are ready, allowing them to learn at their own pace.

How Can I Check In on My Swimmer’s Progress?

Keeping up with your swimmer’s progress is a great way to help celebrate them and encourage them! You can check in on where they are in their skills and what they have to work on within their Digital Progress Report, found in our Goldfish App! If you haven’t yet, download the app to stay up-to-date on swim progress and what’s happening in your Goldfish Swim School!

So My Swimmer Leveled Up…Now What?

First and foremost, Celebrate! Celebrating move ups and accomplishments is not only a whole lot of fun, but helps swimmers stay motivated as they keep working on their skills. When your kiddo is ready for the next swim level, it’s time to schedule your new class! In our Goldfish app, you can view the available class days and times for that next level and easily schedule your kiddo for their new class.

Once they’re in their new level, they’ll dive into learning the next portion of our curriculum, building on the skills they already know and learning new ones!

Swim lessons are all about learning and having fun, and having them organized by levels allows them to be just that! Kiddos learn from one another, make friends, and swim through the swim levels at their own pace. They learn to set goals and work hard to achieve them, celebrating themselves throughout the process and when they accomplish their goal and head off into the next level! Get your kiddo enrolled in lessons and give them the skills they need to be safer in and around the water!