Bebes Amphibies - swimming lessons Birmingham and Solihull for children and babies

Les Bébés Amphibies International - Aquatic Safety & Swimming Skills

Jean Fouace Method from Switzerland, founded in 1967

Welcome to Les Bébés Amphibies Int. Aquatic Safety & Swimming Skills

Our main goal is your child’s safety in and around water! First we teach them Aquatic Safety Skills, which were developed in Switzerland and officially founded in 1967. These skills were designed and perfected to enable children to float for upto 20 minutes, giving them that extra time for help to arrive, should they find themselves in a difficult situation in the water.

We believe that every child should be able to swim without any buoyancy aid for a minimum of 25 metres by the age of 3 and most definitely be a confident swimmer before they start school.

The current national curriculum in the United Kingdom is 25 meters at 11 Years! We at Les Bébés Amphibies International believe this is too late. Once your child has mastered the Aquatic Safety Skills we move on to various swimming techniques.

Please note: Due to the fact that our children work very hard in their lessons maximum lesson time in the pool for children under 3 years of age is maximum 20 minutes there will always be some 1 to 1 time with an instructor.

Babies from 0 to 16 months with max 4 per teacher (Babies under 12 months are slowly built up to 20 minutes maximum. The instructor may stop your lesson at anytime if they think your baby is tired or cold as the health and safety of your child is our prime concern.

Children from 16 months to 3 years will always have a maximum of 3 per teacher

Children from 3 years old to 8 years old in beginner classes will always have MAX 2 children per teacher. Why? because if your child can’t swim at this age its very important they learn asap as they are the ones at high risk of falling into water, so need to learn asap so keeping a ratio of 2 children per teacher gives them more 1 to 1.

Our swim alone and classes from 2-3 years of age that can swim a width alone with no help at all will have max 3 children per teacher

Our more advanced classes will have max 6 children per group with 2 teachers.

We are very passionate about what we do; we don’t just teach a healthy sport, we teach your children vital safety skills that may save their lives or someone else’s..

Our method of teaching is fast and 2nd to none.

Our Aquatic Safety & Swimming Skills Programme

0 - 16 months with 4 children max per teacher

We teach your children aquatic safety skills! We introduce babies from birth to floating in a horizontal position. This is the safest position for a baby as they aren’t strong enough to be able to keep their head above the water on their front. There are maximum 4babies per teacher up to the age of 16 months, then maximum 3 per class from 16 to 36 months. Once they can do this we teach them other safety skills & to swim, jump and dive to retrieve rings etc…

16 months - 3 years with max 3 children per teacher

Give your child the knowledge & Skills to be as safe as possible in the water so that if ever they were to fall in to water they would know how to roll onto their back and float or swim we also teach them to do this fully clothed, we will teach them to swim backstroke and front crawl, we do not use any buoyancy aids and we do not teach doggy paddle with head out of water we teach correct strokes right from the start.

3 - 8 years beginners Only classes max 2 per teacher

Every child should be able to swim at least 25 meters in at least one stroke by the age of 3 years old, so those that start with us from 3 years old and can’t swim benefit from smaller semi private classes as it is urgent they learn quickly. Most of our 4 year olds can swim over 100 meters in at least one stroke. They also learn survival skills & swimming fully clothed with shoes and coat. Our Mission is to STOP Children from Drowning, and it is the children in this age group that can’t swim that are most at risk, so we have made this group our priority.

Swim alone classes max 3 children per teacher

Once they can swim the width of the pool alone on both their back and their front, they move to swim alone level 1 learning backstroke, front crawl, swimming under water, retrieving objects from the bottom of the pool. and continuously practice different life saving exercises so they know what to do if they find themselves in difficulty due to falling in the water or getting injured. Then they move on to lengths, moving through the swim alone levels 2 & 3 and then to pre advanced, preparing them for the Bronze and Silver Levels

Advanced classes from 5 to 12 years old max 6 per Class

These groups are reserved for our more advanced students, that can already swim breast stroke, Backstroke, Crawl, and will go onto learn and perfect the following: all the traditional strokes such as backstroke, front crawl, breast stroke, butterfly, side stroke, tumble turns, surface diving recovering objects from bottom of pool and distance swimming etc…. They will also learn lifesaving skills, stroke perfection, recovery position, How to help someone in distress without putting themselves at risk.

Advantages of regular swimming

Swimming with your baby is an exciting, enriching experience for both parent and child. While we are teaching your child life Aquatic Safety Skills, they will also be enhancing their communication and social skills among many others.

Helps to keep you fit and healthy

Swimming with your children is good for their health & development, and can allow them to become interested in competitive swimming as they grow older. Swimming provides a complete physical work-out, strengthening the baby’s heart and lungs and also helps to develop the functioning of the brain with swimming all 5 senses – taste, smell, touch, sight and sound are stimulated.

Is a vital life saving skill

Drowning is the second largest cause of accidental death amongst young children in Europe. Learning to float until help arrives, holding on, getting out or swimming could one day save the life of your child, Bébés Amphibies teaches these life saving skills from birth.

Aids physical development

Being in the water helps improve co-ordination and balance. Babies who can swim have better balance and can grasp objects more easily. Their coordination is also usually more developed than those who can’t swim. Learning to float and turn on to their back means that babies use more energy and strengthen their muscles faster in water than they do on land.

Improves psychological well being

Babies and young children learn to swim without being able to touch the bottom of the pool, so they are not afraid to swim in deep water. Whether the floor is 1 metre or 10 metres away, it’s all the same to them. Exercises that involve moving around the pool independently in the water and learning to hold on to the side are really good for your baby’s confidence.

Helps to develop social skills

Swimming strengthens the bond and trust between you and your child creates a special bond between parent and baby.

Babies tend to learn quicker

You can start from birth! Responding to repetitive voice commands can sharpen your baby’s mental skills and increase their levels of understanding. A German study found that swimming babies had advanced motor development, social skills and intelligence.

Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport

Our Instructors have over 25 years experience

Currently serving:

Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport

Would you like to train as a Bebes Amphibies licensed teacher?

No continuing franchise fees, just a 1 off training fee and a fixed annual license fee
the money you earn is yours

Bebes Amphibies Swimming Academy

Les Bébés Amphibies instructors are fully trained and qualified in both Aquatic Safety and Swimming Skills & various other swimming techniques with fast results

Proud to teach children from Birth through to Junior Competition level.

Special Thanks

A special thanks to the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport for 14 great years of partnership and exclusivity in teaching Aquatic safety and survival lessons to children from birth to 12 years old

Testimonials

Here is what our clients have to say:

I wouldn’t send my boys anywhere else, they are only 3 and 4 and they can swim 4 lengths on their own, on their back and do front crawl, with head in the water and turn to breath. Its amazing at this young age, my nephew that goes to another local school is 5 and just got his 5m badge needless to say he is joining them now too, his parents couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw my two on holiday jumping diving swimming with confidence its a Swiss school originally. I can’t thank them enough, but you need to see beyond the tears as they don’t use any woggles or floats or goggles.

J. Carter

My kids both hated water 3 and 5 years old, and it was a nightmare trying to bath them and wash their hair, when we first started they screamed and shouted that they didn’t want to go swimming, but Kim and Karen soon sorted them, they were really good they even got us in for a few extra free lessons when they had a few spaces available, they are now confident swimmers, and when we go on holiday they spend all their time swimming and jumping in the pool. thank you

Angela McKenzie

Brilliant method of teaching, fabulous results, keep up the good work Bebes Amphibies I think all schools should use this way of teaching

E. Walker

Kim and Karen are excellent teachers, my kids didn’t like it at first but I think it was because where we went before they played and had fun but here they do have to work hard but every lesson they were making progress and couldn’t wait to tell daddy that they could swim on their own and jump in, dive through the hoop! so the tears changed from “I don’t want to go swimming” to tears because they didn’t want to get out! they teach their dolls in the bath to swim just like Kim and Karen so funny, we wouldn’t go anywhere else.

Sue Mills

Bebes Amphibies are amazing, I’ve been to 4 local swim schools, but they all offer virtually the same standing in a circle splashing kicking, singing nursery rhymes, yes the kids like it, yes they had fun but can they swim? No! I can splash around in a pool with them myself and sing kids songs without paying for that, what I needed was someone to teach them to swim and be safe! my 3 year old was jumping in and swimming on his own with no woggles and no floats in the first 8 week term, their classes are very small and they prioritise beginners by having only 2 children per teacher that is just amazing and the progress is wicked compared to the other schools i’ve been to I’ve got all 3 kids with them. Kim and Karen are the best.

D. Rainer

D Rainer

My Baby is 6 months old and has never liked water on her face so she hated swimming when we first started, Kim and Karen convinced me that she would get used to this and not to abandon. After a few lessons they were right she stopped crying when she got splashed and now she is actually so relaxed when floating unaided she falls asleep ands a little moan when we disturb her at the end of the lesson.

I can’t recommend Bebes Amphibies enough they are so patient with the children and parents like me lol.

Thank you

Debbie Reynolds

I wouldn’t go anywhere else. Both boys are amazing in the water thanks to Kim and Karen and Team. Each child is treated individually and works at their own pace. The Team are all so patient. My youngest who had the biggest fear of any water on his face, can now swim 100meters unaided, for us that is more than we ever thought he would do. I just wish every swimming school would teach this method rather than be kitted out with goggles and floats and armbands.

Cant recommend Bebes Amphibies highly enough.

Tracy Lee

Les Bebes Amphibies are fantastic! My 4 year old nephew had lessons with other company’s for 2 years and didn’t even know how to float yet. We started with Bebes Amphibies a little over a month ago. I have watched as my nephew has learned how to swim and how he has grown in confidence. Kim is a fabulous teacher so kind and works well with my nephew even when she was screamed at for most of the lesson. Everything is explained so well and she has the patience of a saint. Thank you

Charlie Appleby

Fantastic results by professional teachers. Their skill and patience with the children is amazing. I have 2 children that attend these swimming lessons 3.5 years and 7 month old and would recommend them to anyone.

Claire Pedley

The posters say that their aim is for children to swim 25m unaided before they are 3 years old. I can’t say I was convinced! but anyway I gave it a go and my son turns 3 next week and can actually do it easily! He loves swimming and we always get lots of comments from people when we go swimming and they see him ump in and swim back to the side to do it again and again…. Thank you Kim and Karen, I’m delighted at the progress that Oliver has made xxx

Julie Brooks

After 12 months using different swimming clubs where our 5 year old son was pulled up and down the pool, wearing goggles and with a float, we wanted somewhere that would give him essential life saving skills and teach him to actually swim. Kim and Karen have a no-nonsense and firm approach which is invaluable for learning to swim, especially when working with stubborn and often unwilling little ones like ours! Amazed that after a couple of sessions Robert was swimming alone on his back up and down the pool without any flotation devices. We’re about 17 lessons in now and he can dive (his favourite thing in the world!) and swim with clothes and shoes on Another plus is that he will have his hair washed now without wearing goggles! Triumph. We just have to accomplish face in swimming now, but we know he will get there with the help from Kim and Karen. Thank you

Kirsty Tidman

Best decision I ever made bringing my son Harrison here. My little boy refused to do anything to help himself in the water for no other reason than stubbornness. Kim and Karen helped him in every single way they could. Using all their skills they have developed over the years and their pure passion for these methods. I’m so pleased they did! He loves the water now, he’s confident, and progressing wonderfully. I couldn’t be prouder of him and them. As much as my son is having fun here, he is also, and more importantly being taught how to be safe in the water. That alone as a parent is very reassuring. I have always and will always recommend these classes to everyone, Thank you for all you have done for Harrison.

Alicia Doyle