Ages 4 to 15 · 88 Fulton Street
Children's swim lessons
Private and small-group lessons from age 4, with the instructor standing in the pool beside the child.
Why a child should learn without floats
A child in a flotation device is being held up by the device. The lesson that matters at 88 Fulton Street is the one where the child holds themselves up. The objectives are written plainly: water safety awareness, swimming and floating without flotation devices, and the confidence and motor skills that come with both.
Lessons start at age 4. The pool is 15 feet wide and 60 feet long, and the water stays at about 88°F all year, so an hour in it is a lesson and not a chill.
Two instructors in wetsuits holding a small child in the water, with foam dumbbells
In the water with up to four children
Groups run 4 to 6, 5 to 8 and 8 to 15 years. A child can come private, semi-private with one other child, or in a group of up to 4, with one instructor for up to 3 or 4 students. The instructor goes into the pool with the children and demonstrates each skill, so a child sees it done in the water and not described from the deck.
Teaching is guided discovery and water games. The instructor sets the game and the child finds the skill inside it. Half-hour classes are offered for age 4, and their prices are emailed on request: info@aquaskills.com.
A 6 to 12 week course, parents welcome
A children's course runs 6 to 8 weeks, and up to 12 depending on ability and how often the child comes. Sessions are one hour. Weekend classes finish before noon, and weekday classes run in the morning, until 12 or 1 PM depending on the season.
Parents can take classes alongside their children from age 4. Mommy or Daddy & Me runs on weekend mornings and on weekdays until 4 PM. The mini-group program is paused for now, so a shared lesson currently means semi-private.
To book the $98 intro class, a real one-hour lesson, text Lori Pailet at (646) 724-7024 with your name and cell number.
Every AquaSkills instructor is an American Red Cross certified lifeguard, with CPR, AED and First Aid. Text (646) 724-7024 or call (212) 206-6976.
Ages 4 to 15 · 1 instructor per 3 to 4
The age-group ledger
Six lines from the children's page, in the order a parent asks about them.
- 4 to 6
- years
- One of three age groups. Lessons start at age 4.
- 5 to 8
- years
- The middle group, taught the same way: in the water, by demonstration.
- 8 to 15
- years
- Children and teens, year-round beginner classes.
- 30
- minutes
- Half-hour classes are offered for age 4. Prices are emailed.
- 3 to 4
- per instructor
- At most. Private, semi-private (2) or up to 4 children.
- 6 to 8
- weeks
- A typical course, and up to 12 depending on ability and how often the child comes.
A parent who never learned can start with adult swim lessons, and a parent afraid of the water will find the first steps on the page about overcoming fear of water. Older swimmers working on form can read about stroke and triathlon coaching.