Toddler & Preschool Curriculum

Our approach:

MSA lessons are play-based, repetitive, and built around confidence, water safety, and age-appropriate skill development. We use songs, games, toys, imagination, and simple cues to help swimmers learn without feeling like they're being drilled.

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Manatee Level 1 — Water Comfort


Focus:

Getting comfortable in the water, learning basic safety behaviors, and introducing breath control and floating.

Swimmers work on:

  1. Entering and exiting the pool safely with help
  2. Learning to sit, turn, and enter the water
  3. Blowing bubbles
  4. Getting water on the face, head, and ears
  5. Assisted front and back floats
  6. Holding the wall
  7. Following simple instructor cues
  8. Building positive experiences in the water

MSA-style activities:

  1. 🫧 Blow the Bubbles — practice blowing air into the water
  2. ⭐ Starfish Float — practice a relaxed back-float position
  3. 🐢 Turtle Shell — curl up, then open into a starfish
  4. 🧸 Toy Rescue — reach for toys while practicing movement
  5. 🐒 Monkey Along the Wall — practice holding and moving along the wall
  6. 🏠 Sit, Turn & Go — practice a safe pool entry

Goal:

The swimmer begins to feel comfortable and confident around the water while learning the first building blocks of water safety.

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 Manatee Level 2 — Floating & Moving

Focus:

Building independence while introducing basic movement and safety sequences.

Swimmers work on:

  1. Longer back floats with less instructor support
  2. Front floats and short glides
  3. Beginning kicking
  4. Basic arm movement
  5. Rolling from back to front
  6. Turning toward the wall
  7. Reaching for and holding the wall
  8. Jumping into the water with assistance
  9. Beginning to understand what to do after entering the water

MSA-style activities:

  1. ⭐ Starfish Challenge — see how long we can hold our float
  2. 🚀 Rocket Glide — streamlined front glide
  3. 🐬 Dolphin Kicks — short kicking bursts
  4. 🐢 Turtle Roll — practice rolling from back to front
  5. 🏊 Just Keep Swimming — short movement bursts
  6. 🛟 Find the Wall — practice turning and reaching for safety

Goal:

The swimmer begins doing more independently and starts connecting individual skills into simple safety behaviors.

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Manatee Level 3 — Water Safety Sequence

Focus:

Putting skills together into a simple, age-appropriate safety sequence.

Swimmers work on:

  1. Jumping into the water
  2. Returning to a back float
  3. Rolling from back to front
  4. Turning toward the wall
  5. Reaching and holding the wall
  6. Short front swimming with kicks
  7. Basic directional awareness
  8. Breath control
  9. Responding to instructor cues

⭐ The Manatee Safety Sequence

Jump → Float → Roll → Find the Wall → Hold

The goal isn't perfection. We're teaching young swimmers what to do next if they unexpectedly enter the water.

Important: Skills are introduced according to the individual swimmer's readiness. Submersion and other challenging skills are never forced.