Preschool Swimming Lessons
Preschool swimming lessons
Preschoolers learn to enter and exit shallow water safely and gain comfort with floats and back glides while wearing lifejackets.
Benefits of preschool lessons
- Learn water safety.
- Learn how to hold breath under water.
- Learn how to float, to rest in the water.
- Reduce the risk of drowning.
- Significant heart and lung development benefits.
- Reduce fear of water.
- Increase motor skills.
- Builds Confidence.
- Valuable social engagement.
2024 spring & summer registration dates
Registration for spring & summer swimming lessons, lifesaving and first-aid certification courses:
- March 14 - Swimming lesson schedule preview
- Certification registration is open
- Swimming lesson registration dates by facility:
- April 2 - Shouldice and Thornhill Aquatic Centres
- April 3 - Village Square Leisure Centre
- April 4 - Renfrew and Inglewood Aquatic Centres
- April 9 - Killarney and Glenmore Aquatic Centres
- April 10 - Southland Leisure Centre and Canyon Meadows and Acadia Aquatic Centres
- April 11 - Churchill and Foothills Aquatic Centres
Ensure your Live and Play account is ready on registration day by logging in and verifying your information is up to date. Get ready to register.
Registration will open:
- 6 a.m. — Online (virtual waiting room opens at 5:30 a.m.).
- 8:30 a.m. — By calling the Customer Service Centre at 403-268-3800 (option 1).
- During business hours — At any City-operated Aquatic & Recreation or Arts facility.
Upcoming facility closures
Programs, classes and swimming lessons will not be offered at the following facilities while they undergo repairs:
- Bob Bahan Aquatic & Fitness Centre: closed this spring and summer.
- Canyon Meadows Aquatic & Fitness Centre: closed this summer.
- Sir Winston Churchill Aquatic & Recreation Centre: closed this summer.
Types of preschool lessons
You can register online, in person at our Recreation facilities, or by calling 403-268-3800 (option 1).
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Preschoolers will learn to enter and exit shallow water safely, put their faces in the water and blow bubbles. Becoming comfortable with floats and back glides, they'lll move safely in shallow water and wear lifejackets.
Age: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: None
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Preschoolers will practice and improve on level 1 skills including, putting their faces in the water, blowing bubbles, floats and back glides. They'll also be introduced to level 2 skills like jumping into the water, exhaling under water and flutter kicks.
Age: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: None
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Preschoolers will jump into chest deep water, learn to submerge and exhale underwater. They will be introduced to lateral rollovers and practice front and back glides as well as flutter kicks wearing a lifejacket or other buoyant aid.
Ages: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: Swim for Life® - Preschool 1
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Preschoolers will practice and improve on level 2 skills, including lateral rollovers, front and back glides as well as flutter kicks. They'll also be introduced to level 3 skills, like the sideways entry into deep water wearing a lifejacket.
Age: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: Swim for Life® - Preschool 1
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Preschoolers will perform a sideways entry into deep water wearing a lifejacket. They will retrieve objects from the bottom in waist deep water and master independent front and back floats, lateral rollovers, front and back glides and front and back flutter kicks.
Ages: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: Swim for Life® - Preschool 2
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Preschoolers will practice and improve on level 3 skills, including retrieving objects in waist deep water and back flutter kicks. They'll also be introduced to level 4 skills like opening their eyes under water and treading water.
Ages: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: Swim for Life® - Preschool 2
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Independent preschoolers will master short front crawls of 5m and be introduced to side glides and the side flutter kick. They'll face new challenges like opening their eyes underwater, pendulum rollovers onto the back and treading water using the sculling action.
Ages: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: Swim for Life® - Preschool 3
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Preschoolers will practice and improve on level 4 skills, including opening their eyes underwater, pendulum rollovers onto the back and treading water using the sculling action. They'll also be introduced to level 5 skills like a forward roll entry into deep water, whip kicks and interval training.
Ages: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: Swim for Life® - Preschool 3
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Preschoolers will support themselves in deep water for 10 seconds using the sculling action. Wearing a lifejacket, they'll practice forward roll entries into deep water, whip kicks, back crawl and interval training.
Ages: 3 - 5 years
Prerequisite: Swim for Life® - Preschool 4
About our swim instructors
Our instructors have Bronze Cross or higher certification. They are qualified to teach and evaluate Swim for Life® programs, Canadian Swim Patrol, Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross.
What are lessons like?
Children learn to enter and exit safely through a variety of fun activities. Classes are designed to help kids get comfortable in the water and include activities like float and kick, get face wet, blow bubbles, move safely in shallow water and wear lifejackets.
Preschool lessons have up to 5 swimmers per class. Our swimming lessons typically contain five to eight classes, depending on scheduling. The length of each class varies depending on scheduling requirements and the typical age of the swimmers participating in each lesson level.
Come prepared
Children 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 requires a support staff/aide, they will also require this support in the water.
Non-Traditional Bathing Wear Policy
The City of Calgary Recreation is committed to providing an aquatic environment where individuals from all ethnic and religious backgrounds are comfortable participating in activities in and around the water. We want all customers to feel safe and welcome at our facilities, and have therefore adopted a non-traditional bathing wear policy as outlined below.
In addition to conventional swim wear, participants may wear:
- Long-sleeved pants and shirts, tee-shirts and shorts with undergarments or a swim suit worn underneath.
- Traditional ethnic clothing (e.g. saris and hijabs) with a swim suit or undergarments worn underneath. For safety reasons, patrons wearing traditional garments such as saris are asked to remain in the shallow end of the pool and to refrain from using the dive tank.
In order to ensure that our aquatic environments are safe and free from any external contaminants, all participants are required to:
- Wear clothing that is different from the clothing worn to the facility
- Take a complete and cleansing shower (while clothed in the swim attire that will be worn in the water) before entering the pool
Through this policy, Recreation affirms its commitment to recognizing and valuing the diversity of our customers.
More swimming lessons
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Parent & Tot programs that focus on structured in-water interactions stressing the importance of play in developing water-positive attitudes and skills.
Ages: over 6 months + adult
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Swim programs designed to challenge endurance and help develop swimming strokes and skills for those that can already swim independently.
Ages: 6 - 17 years
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Swim programs for beginners who want to gain confidence in the water or improve their technique and endurance while learning to swim.
Ages: 13 + years
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A customized, one-on-one swim program designed to focus on specific goals and for individuals who require additional support.
Ages: 3+ years.
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Become a lifeguard or swim instructor by taking Bronze Medallion, Bronze Cross, National Lifeguard, Lifesaving/Swim for Life® Instructor and Standard First Aid courses.
Ages: 8+ years