WHAT MAKES SWIMSTORIES DIFFERENT
A Specialised Approach to Swimming and Safety
At SwimStories, we focus on the skills that matter most. Your child learns how to float, roll for air, breathe calmly and move safely through the water using a method designed specifically for young children.
Our lessons are gentle, predictable and one-on-one, so your little swimmer always feels safe, supported and ready to try their best.
Your Child's Journey
The SwimStories Progression Pathway
Every child follows a structured SwimStories journey that builds confidence, safety and skill step by step. The pathway your child follows depends on their age, readiness and emotional development.
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There are two ways to begin:​
Infants and Toddlers
(Typically 6 months to 3 years)
Start with: Floater Course
→ Little Swimmers Weekly (10 min)
→ Swim–Float–Swim Course
→ Little Swimmers Weekly (20 min)
This pathway focuses on floating, breath control, rolling for air and early movement patterns. Each stage prepares your little one for independent survival swimming.
Children 4+ Years
(Emotionally and developmentally ready)
Start with: Survival Swim Course (4+ Years)
→ Little Swimmers Weekly (30 min)
→ Stroke Development Programme (25m pool)
This pathway is designed for older children ready for longer distances, improved body control, and a transition into stroke-based swimming.
Every Journey is Tailored
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Some children progress quickly, while others need more time in earlier stages.
At SwimStories, we adjust each child's pathway based on their readiness, emotional needs, and developmental stage to ensure a safe, supportive, and successful swim experience.
WHY PROGRESSION MATTERS
The Science Behind How Children Learn to Swim
Swimming is a sensory and motor skill. Babies and young children learn best through repetition, rhythm and small, manageable challenges.
When skills are taught in a gradual progression, children develop:
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• Body awareness
• Calmness in the water
• Confidence
• Genuine independence
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If a step happens too quickly, little swimmers can feel overwhelmed. When it happens at the right time, they feel proud, capable and safe.
Courses Designed For Each Stage
Choose the course that matches where your child is right now. We will guide you from there.
​The essential starting point for all young swimmers.
Your child learns to float independently, breathe calmly, and orient their body safely in the water. This gentle three-week program builds trust, confidence, and the foundational skills every child needs before learning to swim.
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Advanced survival skills for confident, ready children.
Children aged four and older learn to swim, float, breathe, and swim over distance. This program strengthens body control, builds awareness in deeper water, and lays the foundation for formal stroke development.
Your next steps
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Gentle, consistent weekly lessons that strengthen survival skills, build confidence, and support your child's transition into early swimming.​
To join the Little Swimmers Weekly Program, your child must have completed:
• The Floater Course
or
• The Swim–Float–Swim Course
These weekly lessons reinforce and stabilise the essential survival skills your child has already learned, supporting long-term progress and emotional confidence in the water.
Where confident little swimmers become skilled swimmers.
In this program, children learn the foundations of freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and diving while building endurance, coordination, and proper technique. Lessons take place in the heated, covered 25m pool at the Paarl Aquatic Centre and progress through structured skill levels.