At what age should a child learn to swim?

Swimming is one of the most important and useful skills a child can learn. Aside from being great exercise, it’s an important safety tool that can significantly reduce the risk of drowning. It’s also a ton of fun and a great way to beat summer heat!

Introducing your child to water at an early age is a great way to get them started. At CAC we have kids swim programs to help you do just that. All of our swim programs and lessons are offered year round. The introductory program is our Parent/Infant Swim program for adults with children ages 6 months to 2 years. This a water orientation class that gives children an opportunity to become familiar with sights and sounds associated with being in the pool. Parents and children sing songs that encourage the children to use their arms and legs in the water.

The next step is Parent/Toddler Swim for children ages 2 to 4, designed to get your child ready for group lessons. Children continue to work on their skills from the Parent/Infant class and introduce more complex skills such as floating, breathing, gliding and diving. Both Parent/Infant and Parent/Toddler swim classes are offered throughout the week.

At age 4, you are able to enroll your child in Chicago Athletic Clubs’ Kids Swimming lessons, one of the best and most comprehensive kids swimming programs offered in Chicago. Kids Swimming lessons are offered throughout the week at our Lakeview, Lincoln Park, West Loop and Evanston locations for kids ages 4 to 8. For older kids with good swimming skills, we have the Junior Swim Team and CAC Swim Team to allow their stroke and endurance to improve and even race against other Chicago swim teams.

In addition to our group swim lessons for kids, we also offer one-on-one private swim lessons to children and adults of all ages. Looking for something more family oriented? Check out CAC Family Swim, open swim times at our CAC pools that are free for members and their children up to age 15!

Learn more about all the aquatic goodness that CAC offers on our Kids Swim Lessons & Programs page. If you have any questions, you can email our Swim Director Monika Suto at msuto@chicagoathleticclubs.com.