Welcome!
WHERE YOUR CHILD’S SWIMMING JOURNEY BEGINS
Give your child the skills to float, breathe and move through water with gentle yet effective, structured lessons for babies, toddlers and young swimmers. From Water Safety & Survival Swimming Courses to Little Swimmers Weekly and Stroke Development, we’ll help you find the right starting point. Our private lessons give your child individual attention to build swimming skills and confidence.
RETURNING AFTER A BREAK?
Our Refresher Courses help children who have completed a SwimStories course revisit their skills and prepare to return to regular lessons.
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 (20 min)
→ Stroke Development Programme (12.5m pool)
This pathway is for older children ready for longer distances, better body control, and a transition to 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
We will guide your child’s progress
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Readiness matters as much as age. We take time to understand your child’s experience, comfort and needs, then recommend a suitable starting point. Progress is individual, and some children need more practice before moving on.
Swimming lessons build skills, but no child is drown-proof. Children always need close, active adult supervision in and around water.
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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 a:
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SwimStories Water Safety & Survival Swimming 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.
Choose private 10- or 20-minute lessons, once or twice a week, with instructor guidance.
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.
Stroke Development Venue: Picardie Guest Farm, 8 Laborie Street, Courtrai, Paarl, 7646.
Pool: Enclosed 12.5-metre swimming pool.
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Stroke Development is for children aged 4+ who can already swim at least five metres without help and are ready to work on technique. Private 15- or 30-minute lessons run once or twice a week at Picardie Guest Farm. A previous SwimStories course is not required if your child meets the entry requirements.
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Stroke Development Venue:
Picardie Guest Farm, 8 Laborie Street, Courtrai, Paarl, 7646.
Pool: Our enclosed 12.5-metre pool, heated to approximately 32°C, gives young swimmers space to develop technique, coordination and endurance through focused one-on-one practice and repeated lengths.