TJ’s Swim Roadmap: From Bubs to Beyond

Confidence grows one splash at a time.

At TJ’s Swim, we believe swimming is a life journey — not just a skill.

Every stage builds the foundation for the next, helping your child develop confidence, safety, and a lifelong love of the water.

1️⃣ Water Babies — Bubs & Play

Age: 4 months – 2 years

Focus: Familiarisation & fun

This is where the journey begins — in the bath or backyard pool.

At this stage, you can introduce your little one to the joy of water through gentle play, songs, and connection with their parent/caregiver.

Goals:

• Comfort and confidence in the water

• Gentle submersions and floating support

• Learning water cues and breath control

• Parent-child bonding through play

Tip: The more fun and relaxed these moments are, the more your baby learns to love the water.

2️⃣ Explorers — Water Safety & Return to the Edge

(Previously Tots )

Age: 2 – 4 years

Focus: Safety, independence, and self-rescue

Here, we build the most important skill of all — water safety. Children learn to confidently move in water, float, and return safely to the edge. It’s about empowerment, not fear — showing little swimmers they can help themselves while still having fun.

Goals:

• Getting back to the edge safely

• Floating and breath control

• Confidence in and under the water

• Introduction to basic kicking and arm movements

3️⃣ Learn to Swim — Safe & Strong

Age: 4 – 7 years

Focus: Swimming short distances confidently

Now it’s time to bring those safety skills together. Swimmers learn to move from A to B safely and independently, combining kicks, bubbles, and arms.

This stage is all about building confidence and coordination.

Goals:

• Swim 5–10m unaided

• Floating and gliding

• Basic freestyle and backstroke

• Safety awareness and water independence

Our swim teaches focus on encouragement, not pressure — every swimmer grows at their own pace.

4️⃣ Stroke Development — Technique & Endurance

Age: 6 years +

Focus: Refining strokes and building endurance

At this stage, swimmers learn to master technique — freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Classes become more structured and goal-oriented, but always supportive and confidence-focused.

Goals:

• Mastering the four strokes

• Correct breathing technique

• Turns, dives, and streamlines

• Endurance and strength

This is where we see swimmers begin to love the challenge and feel proud of how far they’ve come.

5️⃣ Pathways — Fitness or Competition

Age: 8 years +

Focus: Choosing your swimming journey

Once swimmers are confident and strong, they can choose their next path — whether it’s pursuing the sport of swimming through competitive squads or continuing swimming for health, wellbeing, and fun.

Pathways:

• Competitive Stream: Technique, times, teamwork, and racing

• Wellbeing Stream: Fitness, endurance, and lifelong love of the water

Both are success stories — because swimming is a life skill that brings strength, joy, and freedom at any age.

💙 The TJ’s Swim Promise

We’re with your family every step of the way — from the first splash to the finishing lap. Because every swimmer, no matter their age or ability, deserves to feel confident, safe, and free in the water.