What to Expect From Our FUNdamentals Swim Program

February 12, 2026

Learning to swim is so much more than learning to move safely through the water. It’s also about building confidence, fostering developmental growth, listening to learn, and growing emotionally, socially, and cognitively.

At Nashville Swim Academy, our beginner classes focus on putting the FUN in fundamentals, teaching our little swimmers skills such as buoyancy, breath control, and movement, while they also grow in other ways.

The FUNdamentals swimming program at NSA is the ideal entry point for first-time swimmers. With four thoughtfully designed class options—Parent & Me, Terrific 2s, Beginner 3s, and Beginner 4–6s—we place children based on age and skill level so they can learn alongside peers in a similar stage. These classes focus on building balance, buoyancy, breath control, and safe movement, helping swimmers develop comfort and confidence in the water, setting the stage for a lifelong love of the water.

Serving families across the Greater Nashville area at our brand-new, state-of-the-art facility in The Nations, we are a top learn-to-swim program that’s seen thousands of kids pass through our doors.

We feel it’s important to note that we don’t practice the Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) methodology here at NSA, as we believe it can create distress and lead to a negative association with the water. Instead, we practice positivity in skills-building and celebrate all the little successes that occur at this early, impressionable stage.

The FUNdamentals Swim Program at Nashville Swim Academy

Chances are, when you were researching “swim classes near me,” you were looking for a program with a holistic philosophy where kids learn the important fundamentals of water safety and swim skills, and where they’ll also feel seen and supported by instructors who love what they do. This is what NSA is all about.

Our FUNdamentals swimming program for kids is the starting point for every swimmer’s journey.

Parent & Me Classes

The FUNdamentals level at NSA begins with Parent & Me swimming classes for our youngest swimmers (ages 4–23 months), designed to empower parents to take an active role in their child’s aquatic journey. At this stage, our emphasis is on safety, sensory exploration, and age-appropriate skill building.

We’ve created a learning environment that builds comfort and trust in the water through playful activities that infants and toddlers can enjoy with their parent or caregiver. We introduce balance and buoyancy in a safe, calm manner that children at this age routinely take to with easygoing curiosity. We also teach simple propulsion skills that promote coordination and gross motor development, as well as a positive association with water.

Babies and toddlers in swim lessons learn through consistent application of rules and boundaries at the pool, nurturing a healthy respect for water. They know it’s a fun place to splash and float, but that it also requires caution. By taking in instruction and modeled cues about when it’s safe to enter the pool, younger children quickly internalize foundational water safety habits that can serve them later in life.

In addition to promoting water safety, the pool offers a rich learning environment that stimulates cognitive development, even at this young age. Studies suggest that children who begin swimming lessons at an early age may experience benefits that support cognitive development compared to peers who do not participate in swimming lessons.

And on a more personal parenting level, by devoting 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to your little one, you provide valued, focused interaction. This builds profound levels of trust and security, and for youngsters with siblings, a deep understanding of a parent’s commitment to their well-being.

Terrific 2s

When kids turn two, families have the option to transition into our Terrific 2s level or remain in a Parent & Me setting, depending on what feels like the best fit. Some parents choose to step poolside and encourage growing independence, while others prefer to stay in the water alongside their child a little longer. Both paths are supported and valued, as we work with each family to choose the environment that helps their swimmer feel confident and ready for the next step.

In Terrific Twos, our little swimmers continue the safety, sensory exploration, and foundational skills-building that began in the Parent & Me classes, helping kids build more confidence in the water so they can tackle balance, buoyancy, calm, safe floating, and submersion.

To reinforce the importance of rules around water, we practice safe water entry that doesn’t begin until an instructor signals it’s time to get in the pool. We also introduce little ones to the proper way to exit the pool area, and practice walking feet on the deck.

We limit class size at this level to 2 to ensure our learners receive the attention, instant feedback, and repetition they need. Learning alongside a new friend also fosters social-emotional growth through peer interaction in a fun, supportive, secure environment.

Beginner 3s

Our Beginner 3s classes are further determined by swim level. These considerations include:

Children who are brand new to swim lessons and have no swimming experience.
Those who haven’t taken lessons but still think they can swim.
Those who often choke or sputter after going underwater.
Kids who are extra tense and fearful in the water.

Within each of these kids’ swimming classes, grouped by skill set, we deliver lessons specifically tailored to what participants need to advance. For those who are brand-new to swimming, we focus on building trust, comfort, and confidence in a supportive environment. We include activities that help kids take their initial kicks toward independent water exploration and practice safe water entry and exit techniques. By the end of this class level, our novice little learners will be more comfortable with balance, buoyancy, and calm floating, not to mention making forward progress when swimming.

Beginner 4-6s

These classes, just like the Beginner 3s, offer lots of support for our less experienced and first-time swimmers, so you can be sure your child is supported and placed with kids their own age. This way, kids feel more confident about advancing their skills while cheering on their peers as they accomplish new ones. Friendships are formed, social skills are practiced, and cognitive skills are developed as kids hear their instructions and translate those into action. Their physical skills progress too, all benefits that naturally transfer from the pool environment to school, other sports, and life.

If your child is brand new to swim lessons or thinks they can swim but has little experience or knowledge, the Beginner 4-6 program is the right fit. During classes, the instructors at NSA look for unspoken cues from students who may be unsure of instruction or their ability to tackle the task, and they encourage their little swimmers to ask questions and express hesitations. This way, our instructors can meet each student where they’re at. They work individually with swimmers to help them overcome their fears and celebrate every achievement to reinforce confidence. This helps kids understand that, instead of quitting if they think something is too hard, with practice and determination, they can achieve their goals.

Enroll in Nashville’s Premier Swimming Program

What begins as a first splash in one of our FUNdamental classes transforms into a lifelong love of the water at NSA. Our FUNdamentals program is designed to support the start of an amazing swimming journey, building confidence and safety in and around the water.

Find the right swim class for your child and register today!

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From Fear to Fun: How NSA Helps Anxious Swimmers Thrive

February 17, 2026

For many children, learning to swim is more about overcoming a fear of the water than it is about learning to float or mastering safety skills. And situations like these can put parents in a very difficult position. On the one hand, we know drowning is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for children ages 1–14. You might also know that learning to swim reduces the risk of drowning by nearly 90% . But seeing the look of fear in your child’s eyes or having them dissolve into tears at the mention of swim lessons and being apart from you can make you feel unbelievably torn and guilty. However, a fear of water is the strongest predictor of low or absent swimming ability, so we need to frame the issue in a way that balances compassion and understanding with the very real, practical benefits of learning to swim. With this, the challenge comes down to finding the right swimming program for your child—one that will work with them patiently and gently, eventually replacing their fear of the water with a lifelong love of it. At Nashville Swim Academy , we’ve welcomed many children through our doors, some of whom couldn’t wait to jump in the water, some who were a bit more ambivalent, some who were anxious, and some who were absolutely afraid at first. In every instance, we acknowledged these feelings upfront. Enthusiastic kids are commended for their positive energy, but also learn that they can’t jump straight into the water without an adult’s presence and permission. For more fearful kids, we acknowledge those feelings too, empowering them with a thank-you for showing up, a welcome to our swim academy , and space to make room for whatever emotions emerge. In doing this, we quickly establish a sense of trust, where our more fearful swimmers feel safe. We also provide you, the parent, with tailored suggestions for at-home activities that can help assuage your child’s fears through games and fun bath-time routines. You can learn more about many of those activities here . As the premier learn-to-swim program in Middle Tennessee, our instructors are trained to recognize and understand each child's individual needs and to meet them where they are. We focus on providing supportive encouragement at just the right pace in our newly designed, state-of-the-art pool, which is clean, well-organized, geared toward families, and equipped with amenities that foster comfort and a sense of belonging. If you’ve been Googling “ swimming classes near me ” to find the right program for your child, welcome to NSA. Your research has brought you to our flagship location in The Nations and to a program conceptualized and designed by founding owner Krysten Call, MSA, a former collegiate swimmer, lifeguard, and coach at Vanderbilt. How an Adaptive Learning Environment Builds Confidence in Young Swimmers While fear of the water often begins after a negative experience, such as a fall into deep water or a stressful, poorly handled swimming lesson, research also shows that fear of water can have no single triggering event. In some kids, it’s simply an innate uneasiness around an environment that feels unpredictable, unfamiliar, and bigger than they. The uneasiness associated with water can grow stronger if left unaddressed. Recognizing this, researchers emphasize the importance of identifying fear early and responding with thoughtful, supportive teaching strategies. We align with this approach, acknowledging that confidence in the water develops differently for every child. Our program begins at our FUNdamentals level, where swimmers are grouped into classes by age, experience, and comfort level. For children aged 2, parents can swim with their child or choose Terrific Twos, designed for two 2-year-olds with one instructor with parents watching instead of in class with their little one. In Beginner 3s, we break skills down to best support true beginner swimmers — ranging from “My child is brand new to swim lessons” to “My child is very tense or hesitant in the water.” Swimmers who can already move through the water independently and confidently are placed in a higher level. We do the same for our swimmers aged 4-6, and those aged 7-11, so that from toddlers to older kids who feel anxious or hesitant, parents can find a lessons group that supports steady, confidence-building progress at a manageable, relaxed pace. How NSA Turns Fear Into Fun As a well-recognized swimming academy , we’ve never taken a cookie-cutter approach to our lesson program. From the moment families enroll, we practice intentional class placement, keeping the instructor-to-student ratio purposely low. We build comfort and trust in the water for our younger swimmers through playful, sensory-rich activities and support the development of balance and buoyancy at an appropriate pace for calm, safe floating. We promote coordination and gross motor skills through simple, fun propulsion activities and set the stage for a lifetime of joy and success in the water. For older children who haven’t had a positive experience with swimming and need to ease into the process slowly, we focus on foundational goals first, helping them: Develop breath control. Build confidence and comfort. Advance toward effortless floating and submerging under water. Transition between front and back horizontal body positions. Practice swim-breathe-swim patterns to build rhythm and safety skills. And while our approach is not a one-size-fits-all, the outcomes are always the same. Fearful kids become confident young swimmers who love the water and love having fun in it. They make new friends, take to other sports activities more easily, and bring their skills, confidence, and the joy of staying healthy and fit with them through their teen years and into adulthood. Find the Right Swim Class for Your Child at NSA When we create conditions that foster confidence, young swimmers’ fears become a thing of the past. And their swimming lessons turn into a source of pride, excitement, and a deep understanding that they can achieve their goals by showing up, trying, and practicing. If your child is anxious around water, you are not alone, and neither are they. With the right environment and guidance, fears dwindle, confidence grows, and learning to swim becomes a genuinely positive experience. Many parents researching “ swimming academy near me ” came to our program for our methodology and stayed for the love of the pool, the team, and the instructors who make up Nashville Swim Academy. Register today and put your child on course to developing a lifelong love of the water!