Learn to Swim Lessons

Lifesaving Society Swim For Life Program 

Parent and Tot Program

Spend quality time with your child while you both have fun and learn and socialize.

Through structured in-water interaction between parent and child, we stress the importance of play in developing water-positive attitudes and skills. We provide Lifesaving Society Water Smart^® tips on keeping your child safe in any aquatic setting. Certified instructors provide guidance and answers to your questions.

Because activities and progressions are based on child development, you register in the level appropriate for your child’s age: 4–12 months, 12–24 months, or 2–3 years. 

Parent and Tot 1

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 4- 12 months with parent

Designed for the 4 to 12-month-old to learn to enjoy the water with the parent.  They will have the opportunity to experience buoyancy and movement through repetitive songs, activities and play in the water

Parent and Tot 2

Duration: 30 minutes

Ages: 12 to 24 months with parent

Designed for the 12 to 24-month-old to learn to enjoy the water with the parent. The participant and their parent/caregiver will have the opportunity to practice getting their face wet, parent-assisted skills such as front and back floats, movement in the water, and shallow water entries and exits through repetitive songs, activities and play in the water.

Parent and Tot 3

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 2-3 years with parent

Designed for the 2 to 3-year-old to learn to enjoy the water with the parent. Toddlers and their parent/caregiver will have the opportunity to work on parent-assisted skills such as submersion, front and back floats, glides and kicks, jumping into the water through repetitive songs, activities and play in the water.

Lifesaving Society Swim For Life Program

Give your child a head start on learning to swim. Do you have a child that is ready to go in the water with out you, that is not yet old enough for the preschool levels?

In our basic aquatic progressions, we work to ensure 2 to 3-year-olds become comfortable in the water and have fun acquiring and developing a foundation of water skills. We incorporate Lifesaving Society Water Smart® education in all Preschool levels.

TOT 1

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 2-3 years with parent

In this transitional class we encourage the parent to participate until their child lets them know they can do it themselves (generally between lesson 3 and 5). These preschoolers will have fun learning to get in and out of the water. We’ll help them jump into chest deep water. They’ll float and glide on their front and back and learn to get their faces wet and blow bubbles underwater. 

TOT 2

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 2-3 years and completed TOT 1

These preschoolers learn to jump into chest-deep water by themselves, and get in and get out wearing a lifejacket. They’ll submerge and exhale underwater. Wearing a lifejacket they’ll glide on their front and back.

Lifesaving Society Swim For Life Program

Give your child a head start on learning to swim. The Lifesaving Society Preschool Program develops an appreciation and healthy respect for the water before these kids get in too deep.

 In our basic aquatic progressions we work to ensure 3 to 5-year olds become comfortable in the water and have fun acquiring and developing a foundation of water skills. We incorporate Lifesaving Society Water Smart® education in all Preschool levels.

Preschool 1

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 3 to 5 years with parent

In this transitional class we encourage the parent to participate until their child lets them know they can do it themselves (generally between lesson 3 and 5). These preschoolers will have fun learning to get in and out of the water. We’ll help them jump into chest deep water. They’ll float and glide on their front and back and learn to get their faces wet and blow bubbles underwater. 

Preschool 2

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 3 to 5 years and completed Preschool 1 or TOT 1.

These preschoolers learn to jump into chest-deep water by themselves, and get in and get out wearing a lifejacket. They’ll submerge and exhale underwater. Wearing a lifejacket they’ll glide on their front and back. 

Preschool 3

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 3 to 5 years and complete Preschool 2 or TOT 2

These youngsters will try both jumping and a sideways entry into deep water while wearing a lifejacket. They’ll recover objects from the bottom in waist-deep water. They’ll work on kicking and gliding through the water on their front and back. 

Preschool 4

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 3 to 5 years and completed Preschool 3

Advanced preschoolers will learn to do solo jumps into deeper water and get out by themselves. They’ll do sideways entries and open their eyes underwater. They’ll master a short swim on their front wearing a lifejacket and gliding and kicking on their side

Preschool 5

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 3 to 5 years and completed Preschool 4

These youngsters get more adventuresome with a forward roll entry wearing a lifejacket and treading water for 10 sec. They’ll work on front and back crawl swims for 5 m, interval training and get a giggle out of whip kick.

Lifesaving Society Swim for Life Program 

Note: Participants must be 5 years of age or the completion of Preschool levels to move into the Swim for Life program. To move up in levels the swimmer must successfully complete the requirements of the previous level.

Swimmer 1

Duration: 30 minutes

Age: 5 years and/or completion of Preschool Levels 1 to 4

These beginners will become comfortable jumping into water with and without a lifejacket. They’ll learn to open their eyes, exhale and hold their breath underwater. They’ll work on floats, glides and kicking through the water on their front and back. 

Swimmer 2

Duration: 30 minutes

Prerequisites: Completion of Swimmer 1 or Preschool 5

These advanced beginners will jump into deeper water with assistance. They’ll be able to support themselves at the surface without an aid 10 seconds, kick 7 m on their front and back, and side. Swim front and back crawl 5m. They will be introduced to flutter kick interval training (2 x 5 m)

Swimmer 3

Duration: 45 minutes

Prerequisites: Completion of Swimmer 2

These advanced beginners will jump into deeper water, and learn to be comfortable falling sideways into the water wearing a lifejacket. They’ll be able to support themselves at the surface without an aid, learn whip kick, swim 10 m on their front and back, and be introduced to flutter kick interval training (4 x 5 m). 

Swimmer 4

Duration: 45 minutes

Prerequisites: Completion of Swimmer 3

These junior swimmers will do in-water front somersaults and handstands. They’ll work on 13 m of front crawl, back crawl and 5 m of whip kick. Flutter kick interval training increases to 2 x 15 m. 

Swimmer 5

Duration: 45 minutes

Prerequisites: Completion of Swimmer 4

These junior swimmers will dive and do in-water front somersaults and handstands. They’ll work on 15 m of front crawl, back crawl and 10 m of whip kick. Flutter kick interval training increases to 4 x 15 m. 

Swimmer 6

Duration: 45 minutes

Prerequisites: Completion of Swimmer 5

These intermediate swimmers will swim 5 m underwater and lengths of front, back crawl, whip kick, and breaststroke arms with breathing. Their new bag of tricks includes the completion of the Canadian Swim to Survive^® Standard. They’ll cap it all off with front crawl sprints over 25 m and 4 x 25 m front or back crawl interval training. 

Swimmer 7

Duration: 45 minutes

Prerequisites: Completion of Swimmer 6

These swimmers will master shallow dives, cannonball entries, eggbeater kicks, and in-water backward somersaults. They’ll refine their front and back crawl over 50 m swims of each, and breaststroke over 25 m. Then they’ll pick up the pace in 25 m sprints and two interval training bouts: 4 x 50 m front or back crawl; and 4 x 15 m breaststroke.

Swimmer 8

Duration: 45 minutes

Prerequisites: Completion of Swimmer 7

These advanced swimmers will rise to the challenge of sophisticated aquatic skills including stride entries, compact jumps and lifesaving kicks like eggbeater and scissor kick. They’ll develop strength and power in head-up breaststroke sprints over 25 m. They’ll easily swim lengths of front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke, and they’ll complain about the 300m workout.

Rookie Patrol

Duration: 1 hour

Prerequisites: Completion of Swimmer 8

Swimmers continue stroke development with 50 m swims of front crawl, back crawl and breaststroke. Lifesaving sport skills include a 25 m obstacle swim and 15 m object carry. First aid focuses on assessment of conscious victims, contacting EMS, and treatment for bleeding. Fitness improves in 350 m workouts and 100 m timed swims.

Ranger Patrol

Duration: 1 hour

Prerequisites: Completion of Rookie Patrol

Swimmers develop better strokes over 75m swims of each stroke. They tackle lifesaving sport skills in a lifesaving medley, timed object support and rescue with a buoyant aid. First aid focuses on assessment of unconscious victims, treatment of victims in shock and obstructed airway procedures. Skill drills develop a strong lifesaving foundation. 

Star Patrol

Duration: 1 hour

Prerequisites: Completion of Ranger Patrol

Swimmers are challenged with 600 m workouts, 300m timed swims and a 25 m object carry. Strokes are refined over 100m swims. First aid focuses on treatment of bone or joint injuries and respiratory emergencies including asthma and allergic reactions. Lifesaving skills include defense methods, victim removals and rolling over and supporting a victim face up in shallow water.