Swimming Lessons

The City of Oshawa offers swimming lessons through the Lifesaving Society for children, teens, and adults across our recreation facilities. We also offer specialty swimming, leadership and swim instruction programs.

Try a free swimming lesson this March

We are offering free swimming lessons this March for community members three years of age and older at the Civic Recreation Complex. These free lessons are perfect for those looking to learn what swim level they fit into, for those new to the City or for those new to the water.

Space for the free swimming lessons is limited and participants must register to participate. You can complete your registration by visiting activeOshawa Online.

Swimming lessons

We offer swimming lessons for a variety of ages and stages. Below are our available swimming lessons, including program descriptions and ages. Visit the activeOshawa Guide for our current swim program offerings.

Swim level	Description	Ages
Parent and Tot - 1	Designed for four to 12-month-old to learn to enjoy the water with their parent.	Four months to 12 months
Parent and Tot - 2	Designed for four to 12-month-old to learn to enjoy the water with their parent.	12 months to two years
Parent and Tot - 3	Designed for the two to 3-year-old to learn to enjoy the water with the parent.	Two to three years
Transition Level	The program is designed for toddlers/preschoolers who are comfortable in the water and are capable of doing skills independent from a caregiver. Caregivers are to participate (and should come prepared to be in the class) until their instructor lets them know their child can do it themselves.	Two to five years
Preschool - 1	These preschoolers will have fun learning to get in and out of the water. We will help them jump into chest-deep water. They will float and glide assisted on their front, and back, and learn to get their faces wet and blow bubbles underwater.	Three to five years
Preschool - 2	These preschoolers learn to jump into chest-deep water by themselves, and get in and get out wearing a lifejacket. They will submerge and exhale underwater. Wearing a lifejacket, they will glide on their front and back.	Three to five years
Preschool - 3	These preschoolers will try both jumping and a sideways entry into deep water while wearing a lifejacket. They will recover objects from the bottom in waist-deep water. They will work on kicking and gliding through the water on their front and back.	Three to five years
Preschool - 4	Advanced preschoolers will learn to do solo jumps into deeper water and get out by themselves. They will do sideways entries and open their eyes underwater. They will master a short swim on their front wearing a lifejacket, gliding, and kicking on their side.	Three to five years
Preschool - 5	These advanced preschoolers are challenged with a forward roll entry wearing a lifejacket and treading water for 10 seconds. They will work on front and back crawl swims for 5 m, interval training, and get an introduction to whip kick.	Three to five years
Swimmer - 1	These swimmers will become comfortable jumping into the water with and without a lifejacket. They will learn to open their eyes, exhale, and hold their breath underwater. They will work on floats, glides, and kicking through the water on their front and back with assistance.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 2	These swimmers will jump into deeper water, and learn to be comfortable falling sideways into the water wearing a lifejacket. They will be able to support themselves at the surface without an aid, learn whip kick, swim on their front and back, and be introduced to flutter kick interval training.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 3	These swimmers will do different entries; do in-water front somersaults and handstands. They will work on front crawl, back crawl and whip kick. Flutter kick interval training increases.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 4	These swimmers will swim underwater and lengths of front, back crawl, whip kick, and breaststroke arms with breathing. Their new challenges include the completion of the Canadian Swim to Survive® Standard. They will cap it all off with front crawl sprints and front or back crawl interval training.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 5	These swimmers will master entries, eggbeater kicks, and in-water backward somersaults. They will refine their front and back crawl and breaststroke. Then they will pick up the pace in sprints and two interval trainings.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 6	These swimmers will rise to the challenge of aquatic skills including stride entries, compact jumps and lifesaving kicks like eggbeater and scissor kick. They will develop strength and power in head-up breaststroke sprints. They will easily swim lengths of front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke and improve fitness with swimming workouts.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 7	These swimmers will rise to the challenge of aquatic skills including stride entries, and lifesaving kicks like eggbeater and scissor kick. They will develop strength and endurance through stroke developments and workouts.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 8	Swimmers continue stroke development with 50 m swims of front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke. Lifesaving sports skills include a 25 m obstacle swim, and a 15 m object carry. First aid focuses on the assessing conscious victims, contacting EMS and treatment for bleeding. Fitness improves in 350 m workouts and 100 m timed swims.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 9	Swimmers develop better strokes over 75 m 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 assessing unconscious victims and treating victims in shock and obstructed airway procedures. Skill drills develop a strong lifesaving foundation.	Six to 15 years
Swimmer - 10	Swimmers are challenged with 600 m workouts, 300 m timed swims and a 25 m object carry. Strokes are refined over 100 m swims. First aid focuses on the treatment of bone, joint injuries, and respiratory emergencies, including asthma allergic reactions. Lifesaving skills include defence methods, victim removals, and rolling over and supporting victims face up in shallow water.	Six to 15 years
Adult Swimmer	The Adult Swimmer program is for beginners who may be just starting or swimmers who want help with their strokes. Participants set their own goals within the Adult Swimmer curriculum, to develop water confidence and smooth recognizable strokes. Targeted Water Smart® drowning prevention messages are an integral part of the Swim for Life® program. These messages are delivered in all Adult Swimmer levels. Instructors should be prepared to adapt these items and awards to accommodate the needs of adult learners and provide the flexibility for them to select the skills they want to learn to achieve their personal swimming goals.	14 years and over
Fitness Swimmer	The Fitness Swimmer program is for swimmers of any age who want to improve their overall physical fitness in the water. Fitness Swimmer provides a structured approach based on accepted training principles and practices, including interval training. Participants set their own goals.	12 to 16 years

Lifeguarding and swim instruction

Visit Lifeguarding and Swim Instruction for more information on how to become a lifeguard, swim instructor or to develop water safety knowledge.