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Child & Youth Swimming Lessons

Child/youth practice increasing levels of water skills as they progress through levels. Classes involve group exercises as well as one-on-one teaching where needed. Classes focus on foundational skills like breath control and a variety of swim strokes. As levels progress the focus shifts to strength for distance swimming, rolls and dives, underwater skills and survival techniques.

Choose the best swimming lesson level for you or your swimmer.
Answer a few questions and we'll recommend a level. Take the swimming skills quiz.

Come prepared:

  • Children and youth must wear swim wear and bring a towel. Swim goggles are optional. All other required equipment and lifejackets are provided. Lifeguard on duty on pool deck.

Note: If a child/youth requires a support staff/aide, they will also require this support in the water.

Learn To Swim 1, 2 & 3 - Youth


This flexible class is designed for youth 12 to 17 years of age. The instructor focusses on meeting individual needs and interests, whether you're just learning or are looking for stroke refinement. Water Safety can be integrated into any of the levels dependent on your interest.

Swim for Life® - Swimmer 1


This is the foundation for swimming skill development. Swimmers learn safe entries into various depths of water, treading water, breath control, opening eyes under the water, front and back floats, lateral rollovers, front, back and side glides, flutter kick on front and back, and front crawl.

Swim for Life® - Swimmer 2


Have fun with sideways entry into deep water wearing a lifejacket! Enjoy the challenge of interval training introduced at this level. Other swimming skills include flutter kick; back and side, whip kick in a vertical position and distance swims, front and back crawl. Prerequisite: Swim for Life® - Swimmer 1.

Swim for Life® - Swimmer 3


Swimmers will practice kneeling dives, forward rolls into deep water, handstands and front somersaults in water. They'll also work on front crawl, back crawl, whip kick on their back, and interval training. Swim for Life® - Swimmer 2 is a prerequisite.

Swim for Life® - Swimmer 4


New skills include standing dives into deep water, underwater swims of 5m include, whip kicks on front and breaststroke arm drills. Swim to Survive® standards include: roll entry into deep water, treading water for one minute, swimming 50m - skills to survive a fall into deep water. Swim for Life® - Swimmer 3 is a prerequisite.

Swim for Life® - Swimmer 5


Shallow dives and tuck jumps (cannonball) are the new entries introduced at this level. Swimmers will master back somersaults in the water, stationary eggbeater kick, head up front crawl and breaststroke. Interval training and sprints for front and back crawl are the fitness components. Swim for Life® - Swimmer 4 is a prerequisite.

Swim for Life® - Swimmer 5 & 6


In this combined program, swimmers will work through progressions for entries and exits they've learned so far. They will continue to practice surface support, underwater skills, the Swim to Survive® standard skills, movement/swimming skills and fitness. Each participant has the opportunity to focus on skills built for their swim level. Swim for Life® - Swimmer 4 is a prerequisite for this course.

Swim for Life® - Swimmer 6


Swimmers learn deep water stride entry and compact jumps. They'll tread water with legs only, use lifesaving eggbeater and scissor kicks, accomplish a 300m workout with front crawl, back crawl and/or breaststroke. Graduates are prepared for the Canadian Swim Patrol awards. Swim for Life® - Swimmer 5 is a prerequisite.