Free Swimming Lesson Plans: instant downloads for teachers

Welcome to your ultimate resource for free swimming lesson plans! Whether you're a swimming instructor, a parent teaching your child, or an individual eager to learn, this guide offers structured, easy-to-follow lesson plans to make swimming education accessible and effective

Free Swimming Lesson Plans: structured and specific

Structured lesson plans are crucial for:

• Building Confidence: Gradual progression helps learners feel secure.
• Ensuring Safety: Systematic teaching reduces the risk of accidents.
• Tracking Progress: Clear milestones make it easier to assess improvement.

Swim Lesson Plans for Beginners

Goals:

• Water acclimation
• Basic breathing techniques
• Floating and gliding

Sample Activities:

• Bubble Blowing: Encourage learners to blow bubbles to get comfortable with water on their faces.
• Front and Back Floats: Use flotation devices to assist beginners in learning to float.

Adult Swim Lesson Plans

Focus:

• Overcoming fear
• Learning at one's own pace
• Stroke development

Activities:

• Breathing Exercises: Practice inhaling and exhaling in water.
• Stroke Introduction: Begin with basic arm and leg movements.

Stroke Specific Swimming Lesson Plans

For learners ready to refine their technique, stroke-specific lesson plans provide targeted instruction for each of the four main swimming strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. These plans break down each stroke into manageable components - such as body position, arm movement, kick, and breathing - making it easier to master proper technique. Whether you're teaching beginners or intermediate swimmers, stroke-focused drills help improve efficiency, speed, and confidence in the water. Each plan includes clear objectives, step-by-step guidance, and suggested drills tailored to adults and children, ensuring progress is both measurable and motivating.

Lesson plans packs are pdf files that can be downloaded and printed for each swimming stroke.  All of these plans are included in my 101 Swimming Lesson Plans book, but you may only want plans for a certain stroke.  

Each complete set contains 18 lesson plans covering all stroke parts (body position, leg kick, arm pull, breathing and timing) with separate plans for beginners, intermediate and advanced, so that progress is ensured. 

Each plan also has an assessment sheet, so that you can monitor and measure the progress of each of your swimmers.  

What should a typical swimming lesson include?  

Every swimming lesson should begin with a short warm up. The main parts of the lesson should focus in on the desired outcome, for example 'developing confidence in floating and gliding'. Each exercise and teaching point should remain relevant to the learning outcome. Click here to discover the essential parts that make up a typical 30 minute swim lesson plan in more detail.

Swim lesson plans for beginners that start from the very beginning with first entering the water, and move on to building confidence with floating, breathing and gliding, are essential for teaching beginners.  Click here for some sample swimming lesson plans written exclusively for beginners.

Adults learning to swim may need a different approach from the teacher.  For some exclusive sample swimming lesson plans for adults, click here. 

Example Lesson Plan

Download a FREE blank lesson template to save and use for your planning.

101 Lesson Plans All In One Book

Take your swim instruction to the next level with 101 Swimming Lesson Plans for Swimming Teachers - my comprehensive, all-in-one PDF designed for both new and experienced instructors. This curated collection offers ready-to-use, skill-progressive lesson plans that cover every level, from absolute beginners to advanced swimmers. Whether you're teaching kids, adults, or mixed-ability groups, you'll find structured guidance, creative drills, and easy-to-follow progressions that make planning effortless and lessons more effective. Download once and have 101 proven plans at your fingertips - no subscriptions, no guesswork, just high-quality instruction that works.

Get the Ultimate Resource: 101 Swimming Lesson Plans for Swimming Teachers

"Great lesson plans already written out. Well structured plans that I have adapted for my own lessons. So helpful!"

D Smith (Amazon verified purchase)

Go to Top