SafeSplash Swim School - Bend - North Side

S.A.F.E.R. Swimmer Promise Step 7: Backstroke or Safety Backstroke 🏊‍♂️💧

Backstroke and Safety Backstroke teach individuals how to move through the water while keeping their face out for easier breathing. These skills focus on steady movement, body control, and staying relaxed while navigating the pool.

Learning how to travel on the back builds confidence and provides a reliable way to reach safety while staying calm and in control.

Our partners at the National Drowning Prevention Alliance define water competency as having the skills needed to survive in the water.

That includes being able to:
• Enter the water safely
• Surface and control breathing
• Float or tread water
• Turn around and move toward safety
• Exit the water independently

Water competency does not replace supervision, but it adds a powerful layer of protection for every child. This is why we teach with purpose. Every skill builds toward real readiness.

Talk with your instructor about how your swimmer is progressing toward water competency. 🏊‍♀️

Confidence in the water can start early.

Swim lessons help babies and toddlers build comfort, foundational skills, and safer habits that grow with them.

Early exposure creates familiarity. Familiarity builds confidence.

Ready to introduce your little one to the water? Connect with our team to learn more. 💦

Summer plans are coming together. Let's all make sure swim skills are part of them.

Warmer weather means more time around pools, lakes, and beaches. If your child is not enrolled yet, this is your sign.

Spots fill quickly as summer gets closer. Let’s get your swimmer ready. 💙

S.A.F.E.R. Swimmer Promise Step 6: Turn-Around 🔄

The turn-around teaches how to change direction and move back toward safety.

If someone in the water realizes the wall, stairs, or a trusted adult is behind them, they need to know how to pivot and get there confidently. This skill builds awareness and control in the water. It reinforces that they are not stuck. They can adjust, redirect, and make their way back to a safer location.

We teach the turn-around to help recognize safety and move toward it with confidence!

Moments like these remind us why a supportive, safety-focused learning environment matters to families every day. ✨

Explore swim lessons that build confidence and water safety. 🏊‍♀️

Water can be the center of fun and connection, but it also requires close, constant, and capable supervision. Curious children are naturally drawn to water, which is why active supervision is one of the most important layers of protection.

- Close, Constant, and Capable Supervision
- Active Supervision During Water Activities
- Rotating Adult Water Watchers every 15 minutes
- Certified Lifeguards

This guidance comes from the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), one of our trusted water safety partners. Together, we share a commitment to education and layered protection to help keep families safer around water.

S.A.F.E.R. Swimmer Promise Step 5: Back Float 🌟

The back float teaches swimmers how to relax in the water while keeping their face above the surface.

This skill allows swimmers to pause, take rescue breaths, and recover if they begin to feel tired. By floating on their back, swimmers can conserve energy, stay calm, and maintain control until they are ready to move again.

We teach the back float to help swimmers rest, breathe, and feel supported in the water when they need it most.

Learning to swim is a journey, and just like learning to walk, it starts one step at a time 🐢➡️🏃‍♂️

In the water, that means building skills slowly and intentionally before moving ahead. Our Beginner 1–4 children’s lessons follow a crawl before you run approach, focusing on safety, confidence, and strong fundamentals that set swimmers up for long term success 🌊

Here are our four Beginner levels available:

💦 Beginner 1 focuses on water safety and swimming foundations. Swimmers practice essential safety skills, self rescue, and becoming comfortable moving independently in the water.

💦 Beginner 2 builds on those foundations by strengthening water safety and self rescue skills as confidence and control continue to grow.

💦 Beginner 3 introduces basic stroke development with an emphasis on body position, buoyancy, kicking, and arm movement while reinforcing safety skills.

💦 Beginner 4 advances stroke development with independent freestyle and side breathing, improved backstroke technique, and increased endurance while safety skills become more challenging.

Connect with our team to find the right class for your swimmer 🤍

Travel and water often go hand in hand. Before the fun begins, taking a few extra steps can help families feel more prepared around pools, beaches, and open water.

These tips come from the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), one of our valued water safety partners. Together, we’re committed to sharing education and tools that help families create safer experiences around water at home and while traveling.

A little planning goes a long way toward a safer, more confident vacation.

Did you know? 🤔

If you’re not sure which level your child belongs in, there’s an easy way to find out.

Our Level Finder asks a few quick questions about age and current skills to help guide families to the right class. It takes the guesswork out of registration and helps swimmers start at a level where they can feel confident and supported from day one. 🏊‍♀️

Check out our Level Finder here: https://www.safesplash.com/level-finder