YMCA Youth Swimming Lessons & Clubs │ 6 – 12 years
YMCA Preschool and Youth Lessons & Clubs are only offered to YMCA members (included in active YMCA Membership).
Swimming lessons & leadership clubs are limited to one per child; child must have pre-requisites by the first lesson/session; child must be of age within 2 weeks of programming.
YMCA Learn to Swim Lessons│6 – 12 years old
The YMCA Learn to Swim Program is a series of four lessons that focuses on technique, stroke development and endurance.
Your beginner-level swimmer will learn foundational swimming skills that will be applied throughout their future aquatic activities. They will improve their body awareness and motor skills as they submerge, kick, roll and jump in the water.
An introductory level for beginner swimmers ages 6-12 years old, Otter will teach your child the basics of pool safety, going underwater, and gliding on their front and back.
The first of four levels in our national YMCA Learn to Swim program, Otter teaches your child how to stay safe in the water and to develop their swimming skills. During these levels, an optional list of skills to learn will be provided during the session.
Prerequisite: 6-12 years old.
The second of four levels in our national YMCA Learn to Swim program, Seal teaches your child how to stay safe in the water and to develop their swimming skills. In this level, children will further develop the skills of gliding, kicking, and submerging. During these levels, an optional list of skills to learn will be provided during the session.
Prerequisite: 6-12 years old & Otter (or an equivalent skill level).
The third of four levels in our national YMCA Learn to Swim program, Dolphin teaches kids how to stay safe in the water and to develop their swimming skills. Your child will be introduced to swimming on their front, back, and underwater. During these levels, an optional list of skills to learn will be provided during the session.
Prerequisite: 6-12 years old & Seal or Jumpers (or an equivalent skill level).
The last level in our national YMCA Learn to Swim program, Swimmer teaches children how to stay safe in the water and to develop their swimming skills. In this level, kids will learn front and back crawl, and how to tread water. Children at this level will have achieved a solid foundation of swimming skills and be able to front swim for a distance of 25 metres.
Prerequisite: 6-12 years old & Dolphin (or an equivalent skill level).
YMCA Star Lessons│6 – 12 years old
The YMCA Star Program is a series of four lessons for those who have mastered basic swimming skills focuses on technique, stroke development and endurance.
During the Star Program, your child will have the opportunity to build new relationships and explore other facets of aquatics, like competitive swimming, water sports, and Aquafit classes.
In this level, kids will learn to use the whip kick on their back and the egg-beater motion for treading water. We will help your child continue to develop front and back crawl technique and endurance.
As the first level of our YMCA Star Program, in Star 1 we also introduce your child to other aspects of swimming. During these levels, an optional list of skills to learn will be provided including competitive swimming, lifesaving, synchronized swimming, aquatic fitness, and water polo.
Prerequisite: 6-12 years old & Swimmer (or an equivalent skill level).
At this level, we focus on the backstroke and continue to help kids refine their stroke technique and increase their endurance.
The second level of our YMCA Star Program, in Star 2 we continue to encourage your child to build on the optional skills learned in Star 1. Optional skills include competitive swimming, lifesaving, synchronized swimming, aquatic fitness, and water polo.
Prerequisite: 6-12 years old & Star 1 (or an equivalent skill level).
At this level, your child will focus on the breaststroke and egg-beater motion for treading water, while continuing to build endurance in the pool. We will also introduce young swimmers to introductory lifesaving concepts.
Building on the optional skills learned in Star 2, participants will continue with competitive swimming, lifesaving, synchronized swimming, aquatic fitness, and water polo.
Prerequisite: 6-12 years old & Star 2 (or an equivalent skill level).
At this level, we will help your child focus on the sidestroke and we will continue to introduce lifesaving skills.
Your child will also carry on with exploring other interests in the pool – competitive swimming, lifesaving, synchronized swimming, aquatic fitness, and water polo.
Prerequisite: 6-12 years old & Star 3 (or an equivalent skill level).
YMCA Star Leadership Clubs│10 – 12 years old
The YMCA Star Leadership Program helps swimmers become leaders! Children 10 – 12 who are competent swimmers can take the YMCA Star Leadership Program to continue to nurture their love of swimming and work towards more advanced aquatics certifications.
Combining leadership opportunities with the Lifesaving Society’s Canadian Swim Patrol program, the YMCA Star Leadership Program consists of three levels that develop first aid, lifesaving, and advanced swimming skills.
We will introduce the butterfly stroke along with lifesaving and first aid elements from the Rookie and Ranger levels of the Canadian Swim Patrol program.
Swimmers will also have the opportunity to continue to develop advanced aquatics skills by selecting from a range of options: advanced strokes, water polo, synchronized swimming, or aquatic fitness.
Prerequisite: 10 – 12 years old & Star 4 (or an equivalent skill level)
Swimmers will continue to develop lifesaving and first aid skills at the Ranger and Star level of the Canadian Swim Patrol program. They will also begin to learn how to teach others to swim.
Star 6 encourages your child to take responsibility for their own learning outcomes by selecting optional skills to learn, including advanced strokes, water polo, synchronized swimming, or aquatic fitness.
Prerequisite: 10 – 12 years old & Star 5 (or an equivalent skill level).