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Babyswim Outcomes

Outline of Duckling Levels
Amateur Swimming Association (United Kingdom)

Duckling Awards
The Duckling Awards are designed to help babies and toddlers enjoy learning to swim with help from parents or guardians.

Your child can work towards five grades of colourful awards, each with its own certificate and badge. Each badge contains pictures of yellow ducklings depending on grade of award. The Duckling 1 badge has one duckling, while the Duckling 5 badge has five ducklings.

Buoyancy aids, such as armbands, can be used for the first four grades as the child learns to float and gets used to the water. The fifth and final grade has young swimmers jumping into the water, submerging, and floating and swimming five metres without aids.

Awards are pre-stage 1 of the ASA Learn to Swim Framework.

Duckling Grade 1
By the end of this stage your child will be able to:
 

  1. Make a supervised safe entry with adult support

  2. Kick 2 metres on the back with adult support

  3. Float on the back with adult support behind the head

  4. Blow bubbles at the water surface

  5. Wet the head without submersion

  6. Travel without assistance 2 metres to a floating object.

Duckling Grade 3
By the end of this stage your child will be able to:
 

  1. Make a supervised jump to an adult with or without support

  2. Kick 5 metres on the front holding a float

  3. Blow bubbles with the mouth underwater

  4. Float on front OR back without adult support

  5. Travel 5 metres on the front to the side of the pool

  6. Show a torpedo shape on front or back when pushed to a partner

Duckling Grade 5
By the end of this stage your child will be able to:
 

  1. Show the sequence to jump in the water, turn around, swim back to the point of entry and hold the rail or side

  2. Submerge completely and blow bubbles under the water

  3. Push and glide achieving a distance of 2 metres on the front or back

  4. Float on the front or back and regain standing/vertical position

  5. Swim 5 metres on the front or back using an over water arm recovery

  6. Exit safely showing correct use of the ladder (or steps if no ladder is available).

Duckling Grade 2
By the end of this stage your child will be able to:
 

  1. Make a sitting entry with adult support

  2. Blow an object for a distance of 2 metres

  3. Use a baby seat or other buoyancy aid and rotate through 180degrees without assistance

  4. Move 5 metres along the rail or wall without assistance

  5. Travel 3 metres using arms and/or legs without assistance

  6. Submerge the face with confidence

Duckling Grade 4
By the end of this stage your child will be able to:
 

  1. Jump unaided, but supervised, into the water

  2. Submerge completely

  3. Rotate through 360° either horizontally or vertically

  4. Show a mushroom or a star float

  5. Travel without assistance 10 metres on the front or back

  6. Climb out of the water with assistance if required

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