Skip to content
PO Box 1472, Springdale, AR 72765Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. · Saturday and Sunday: Classes onlyMonday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Woman owned(479) 555-0104
Noodle Swim School
Book a placement visit
Book a placement visit
CallBook a placement visit

Six levels

Find your swimmer's cap color

Each level has a cap color, an age range and a short list of what swimmers practice. A placement visit tells us where to start, and the instructor decides when a swimmer moves up.

  1. 01

    Water comfort

    Yellow cap, ages 4 to 6
    Skills

    • Entering and leaving by the steps

    • Blowing bubbles

    • Getting the face wet, one step at a time

    • Moving through the water holding the instructor's hands

    Moving up

    When bubbles and a calm entry are steady, the instructor suggests Floating and kicking.

  2. 02

    Floating and kicking

    Orange cap, ages 5 to 7
    Skills

    • Floating on the front and back with support

    • Kicking with a kickboard

    • Putting the face in and blowing bubbles

    • Reaching for the wall

    Moving up

    When floating with support and kicking with a board are steady, the instructor suggests Gliding and breathing.

  3. 03

    Gliding and breathing

    Green cap, ages 6 to 8
    Skills

    • Gliding from the wall

    • Kicking on the front and the back

    • Turning the head to breathe

    • Arm pulls with a kickboard

    Moving up

    When gliding and breathing are steady, the instructor suggests Freestyle and back crawl.

  4. 04

    Freestyle and back crawl

    Blue cap, ages 7 to 10
    Skills

    • Freestyle arms with breathing to the side

    • Back crawl arms

    • Swimming across the width of the pool

    • Treading water with the instructor close

    Moving up

    When both strokes cross the width of the pool, the instructor suggests Four strokes.

  5. 05

    Four strokes

    Purple cap, ages 8 to 11
    Skills

    • Freestyle and back crawl linked together

    • Breaststroke kick

    • Butterfly kick

    • Swimming a length of the pool

    Moving up

    When a length is swum with each stroke, the instructor suggests Distance and technique.

  6. 06

    Distance and technique

    Navy cap, ages 9 to 12
    Skills

    • Longer swims at an even pace

    • Turns at the wall

    • Streamlines off the wall

    • Sculling and treading water

    Moving up

    There is no level after this one. The instructor sets new goals with each swimmer every session.

Where to startBook a placement time

Sample levels.

Every swimmer moves at their own pace.

Moving up

How a swimmer moves up

  • The instructor decides

    No test day and no calendar. When the skills in a level are steady, the instructor says so and suggests the next one.

  • The cap color changes

    A new level means a new cap color. The color tells the next instructor, and any pool, where a swimmer is.

  • The pool may change

    Some levels meet at a different pool. If a swimmer moves to one, we tell you which pool and which day before the class.

Not sure which level?

Book a placement visit and an instructor will get in the water with your swimmer.

Book a placement visitSee the schedule