The Best Swimming Lessons in Calgary that EVERY child needs

Feb 13, 2019

5 min read

I previously wrote about why I thought we didn’t need toddler swimming lessons. The crux of my argument was that the toddler swimming lesson experience mostly revolves around getting them familiar with the water. They blow bubbles, maybe go down a slide, and you as the parent hold them while you go around in a circle singing songs. Over the course of a nine week lesson, Clara cried for seven of the weeks and by the end all she could do was open her eyes under water.

They weren’t BAD, in the sense that I got out of it exactly what I thought I would. But in the end, Clara was no better in the water than she had been when she started. She couldn’t float. Couldn’t flip over. And I HAD to be holding her at all times or she cried.

As part of that post I listed all of the available swim lesson options for kids that I knew of. Unbeknownst to me at the time I had missed one.

And it was the most important.

Swim Kids Calgary

Swim Kids Calgary is designed to teach kids how to safely enjoy the water by giving them the skills they need to independently respond in any situation, be it planned or accidental.

What that means is that Swim Kids Calgary gives your child – whether they’re 6 months old (yes, really) or 5 years old – the ability to act appropriately in an accident situation. They will learn how to find air, and swim to safety. Your child will learn the skills needed in both a bathing suit and street clothes so that no matter where they are, or what they are wearing, they will know they can still find air and swim to safety.

This type of training helps prevent accidents from turning into more tragic situations. Unfortunately the sad reality is that too often days at the beach or the lake house turn tragic, and the skills your child will pick up at Swim Kids Calgary will help to prevent that from happening.

Ashley and Holly from Swim Kids Calgary

Our Experience

Swim Kids Calgary was started by Holly, who reached out to me to let me know I had missed her program in my initial list.

We continued to chat and eventually agreed that she would provide Clara with lessons in exchange for a review from me. I was happy to oblige, but admit that I didn’t really know what I was getting into. Holly did a great job of preparing me and sending all the necessary information, but by the time the lessons came around I felt overwhelmed.

I also felt skeptical.

The lesson schedule is spread out over five weeks and consists of 10 minute lessons, 4 days a week. I won’t lie, the schedule alone put me off at first. It seemed like a lot of work for a little amount of time, but here’s what I learned over our five weeks.

First of all, ten minutes is the PERFECT amount of time for kids to learn in. Holly and her trainee Ashley used every minute of the ten minutes to teach Clara. There was no songs, no bubble blowing, no filler.

Secondly, Clara learned FAST. Here she is at her second lesson swimming to the edge.

An Atmosphere That Fosters Success

Holly and Ashely were both EXTREMELY patient and genuinely excited with each of the kids. With each minor success there comes a round of applause and lots of cheering. Their attitudes are so infectious that within a few minutes all of the parents and other kids in the pool are cheering your child on no matter how much they may be crying (because there were tears).

That atmosphere TRULY helps. Each night we would go home and look at the videos I had shot of Clara and even if she had been upset while doing the drills, when she looked back at the videos she would cheer and clap along. You could tell she was genuinely starting to enjoy it and that attitude transfered to the pool before too long.

The biggest test for the kids comes in their final week. During these lessons they swim in their pyjamas and street clothes for a lesson to simulate falling into the water when they’re not expecting it. They even go so far as to put a jacket over your child’s face so that they learn how to get out of it. It’s a bit nerve wracking to watch as a parent, but then the most amazing thing happens.

They do it.

Just like that, your child can float, find air, swim to an edge all in street clothes after having been disoriented.

It’s amazing. Awe-inspiring and fills you with more pride than you knew you had.

Perhaps most importantly, you now know that if your child accidentally falls into a body of water they will be able to find air and swim to an edge whether you’re there with them or not. You can’t put a price tag on that or the peace of mind it gives you.

Final Thoughts

I may have started out as a skeptic and bemoaned the schedule, but after five weeks I am a true believer in Holly, Ashely and the whole Swim Kids Calgary program. I don’t hesitate to recommend this to everybody. In fact, I HIGHLY recommend that all kids take this. Not only is swimming a life skill, but this could truly save their lives one day.

For more information on Swim Kids Calgary check out their website, or contact them here.

Have questions? Leave me a comment or contact me here and I’ll be glad to answer them!