Beginner Swimming Progress Checklist
Eleven early skills to tick off and discuss with your coach: from getting in and holding the wall to first strokes and knowing your limits.
How to use this
Tick off what a learner can already do and bring the list to the next lesson. It helps you and the coach agree on the next step. It is not a certificate or a test, and it does not show that anyone is safe to swim alone.
The ticks on this page are not saved. Print it, screenshot it or copy it into your notes.
Using the list
- Tick only what the learner does calmly, in the pool where they learn, with a coach present.
- A skill can slip when the pool, coach or depth changes. That is normal. Go back a step.
- Different learners take the steps in different orders. Ask the coach what comes next for this learner.
- No step implies a number of lessons. See how many lessons you may need.
Not a safety clearance
Ticking every box does not mean a learner can swim without supervision. Children and non-swimmers need close adult supervision around water.
Guides for each step
- Water confidence and fear of water
- Breathing
- Floating
- Gliding
- Kicking
- Freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke
- Resting and treading water
Questions to ask the coach
- Which of these can the learner do now, and which comes next?
- What should we practise, and where is it safe to do so?
- Is the learner ready to try a deeper area or a different format?
Safety source
The American Red Cross water-competency framework combines water awareness, swimming skills and emergency-response knowledge. This checklist is therefore a lesson discussion aid, not a substitute for supervision or a complete water-competency assessment.
Common questions
Is this checklist a swimming test?
No. It is a discussion aid for lessons. It does not certify a swimmer or show that anyone can swim safely alone.
In what order should beginners learn these skills?
The list follows a common order, but a coach adjusts it to the learner. Ask your coach what comes next.
Written by Alvin, SSI Swimming Instructor Trainer, published with Swim2u Swim School. Last reviewed 26 October 2026. How we check our content.