Structured Swim Lessons That Build Skills, Safety, and Confidence for Life

For our children’s swimming lessons, we have the perfect program to get your toddlers and kids off to a great start when it comes to learning how to swim and staying safe in the water. We offer a full range of children’s swim lessons in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sonoma County, including infant, toddler, teen, and adult lessons. We’ll work with you to find the right level for your child and get them swimming in no time.

Every child enters the water with a different level of comfort, confidence, and experience. Our developmentally focused swim lessons meet children where they are and help them progress through consistent teaching, positive reinforcement, and age-appropriate challenges. From a child’s first introduction to the water through advanced swimming skills, our goal is to build safe, capable, and confident swimmers who enjoy the water for life.

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What Are The Benefits of Swimming Classes?

There are so many benefits to signing your child up for our top-quality swimming classes. Not only will they learn basic swimming skills, but they will learn about water safety and how to reduce the risk of drowning. Some parents are hesitant to sign their children up for swimming lessons at a young age, but research shows us time and time again that participation in formal swimming lessons is associated with an 88 percent decrease in the risk of drowning in children ages one to four. Our swim teachers provide a safe, fun environment for their swimmers and regularly stress the importance of water safety throughout the lessons. Some of the benefits of your child’s swimming lessons include:

  • Improved Safety – According to Safe Kids Worldwide, about 800 children drown in the United States every year. This can happen in pools, natural bodies of water, or even at home. Teaching your kids to swim from an early age can help them stay safe around water by knowing how to breathe properly and stay afloat.
  • Enhanced Strength & Wellness – Swimming is a phenomenal way to exercise throughout life because it offers high-intensity cardio without the high impact of some other sports. Regular swimming can help with weight loss or healthy weight maintenance, build muscle, and improve your overall health and wellness. It’s important for kids to stay active during this key developmental time in their lives.
  • Having Fun – One of the best reasons to take swim classes is to simply have fun! Children love playing in the water, and swimming lessons give them the opportunity to expand their skill set and have fun while playing in new ways.
  • Learning Swimming Basics – Your child will learn some of the swimming basics in our beginner classes (Levels 1 & 2), including UP-FACES®, balance, and buoyancy, as well as kicking and paddling. We also cover safety skills like back floats, climbing out at the wall, and underwater submersions.
  • Learning Advanced Swimming Skills – Some of the more advanced swimming skills we teach include front and back skills, rhythmic breathing, floating, and weaning off fins. Levels 3 and 4 classes then start introducing endurance and technical skills, including blended breathing, underwater swimming, strokes, and dives.
  • Learning Swimming Strokes – Our Level 5 swimming classes for children, teens, and adults goes deeper into technical strokes, including competitive breaststroke and butterfly, underwater WIGGLE-BUTTS® (aka dolphin kicks), and racing dives.

Why Parents Choose Us

La Petite Baleen has been providing swim lessons in the San Francisco, CA area for more than 45 years. Teaching all ages from infants to children and even adults, we are committed to providing a fun and safe AQUATIC CLASSROOM® for all our swimmers. Whether your child already knows how to swim or isn’t comfortable with the water yet, they will love gaining independence as they learn new water skills with their swim teachers. Our CPR and First Aid-Certified swimming teachers are highly trained in the La Petite Baleen method of teaching swimming and look forward to welcoming new students. Contact us today if you’re interested in learning more about our children’s swim lessons!

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Tuition

Common Questions

1WHAT DO CHILDREN LEARN IN SWIM CLASSES?
Swim lessons for kids and toddlers cover a wide range of skills, starting with the basics of breathing and continuing on to competitive strokes and dives. All our classes are 30 minutes long, once per week, with low student to teacher ratios so you know you’re getting personalized, hands-on instruction. Improved safety: Some parents worry that being comfortable in water can increase the risk of drowning for infants because they will get too close to pools or lakes. But research has actually shown that lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by teaching kids key safety skills from a young age. Enhanced cognitive functioning: Infant swim lessons can help your baby’s brain grow by utilizing movements that use both sides of the body. These movements combined with the tactile sensation of water can spur mental development and learning later on. Bonding time: Getting to play in the water with a parent or other caregiver is a great bonding experience for infants during key developmental phases. Skin-to-skin contact, water play, and songs all contribute to having fun and cultivating positive interactions.
2HOW MUCH DO SWIMMING LESSONS FOR KIDS COST?
For more information regarding pricing for swim lessons at each of our four locations in the Bay Area, review our tuition information. We also provide details about private lessons and available scholarships. Our baby swim lessons are all offered as joint caregiver-baby classes, so you are in the water with your child at all times. We have bilingual swim instructors who can teach in Spanish or English for maximum access for parents, as well as four locations throughout the Bay Area so you can find the location that’s most convenient for you. Choose from San Bruno, Redwood City, Half Moon Bay, or San Francisco to cut down on commute times. Contact La Petite Baleen today to get more information or to schedule your baby’s swim lesson by calling (844) 339-5015.
3WHEN SHOULD CHILDREN START SWIM LESSONS?
While some parents may feel nervous about putting their kids in a pool at a young age, starting swim lessons early on can keep your child safer around water and give them a head start when it comes to learning how to swim. A 2009 study found that participation in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88 percent reduction in the risk of drowning in children ages one to four. At La Petite Baleen Swim Schools in the Bay Area, we offer swim lessons for children as young as two months old. In these classes, a caretaker and baby both participate, getting comfortable in the water and learning about water safety. But if your child hasn’t already started lessons, don’t worry. We work with kids of all ages on introductory skills and water safety, helping them learn how to make the most of their swimming experience. Check out our class finder tool to learn which level is right for your child. Breath control, balance, and buoyancy taught through a series of songs and games Safety skills, like underwater submersions, back floats, and grasping the wall The use of goggles and, at approximately 12 months, fins are introduced.
4SOME OF THE CLASSES WE OFFER FOR TODDLERS AND KIDS INCLUDE:
Toddler and Me (ages 14-36 months): This 30-minute, once-a-week class covers the basics of breath control, balance, and buoyancy, as well as propulsion through kicking and paddling. We also cover safety skills like back floats, climbing out at the wall, and underwater submersions. Levels 1-5 (ages 3-5, 6-10, teen, adult): These classes cover a wide range of skills, starting with the basics of getting comfortable in the water in Level 1. Level 2 progresses to front and back skills, including rhythmic breathing, floating, and weaning off fins. Levels 3 and 4 then start introducing endurance skills and technical skills, including blended breathing, underwater swimming, strokes, and dives. Level 5 (ages 3-5, 6-10, teen, adult): Our highest-level class, goes deeper into technical strokes, including competitive Breaststroke and Butterfly, Underwater Dolphin Kicks, and Racing Dives. Check out all of our swim classes to learn more about our various levels and find out which one might be right for your child. At La Petite Baleen Swim Schools in the Bay Area, we offer swim lessons for children as young as two months old. This introductory level of lessons focuses on improving your child’s comfort around water and learning basic water safety skills. We also help the caregiver participating in the class learn about water safety and how to keep your infant safe around water. Check out our class finder tool to learn more about which level is right for your child.

Common Questions

1WHAT DO CHILDREN LEARN IN SWIM CLASSES?
Swim lessons for kids and toddlers cover a wide range of skills, starting with the basics of breathing and continuing on to competitive strokes and dives. All our classes are 30 minutes long, once per week, with low student to teacher ratios so you know you’re getting personalized, hands-on instruction. Improved safety: Some parents worry that being comfortable in water can increase the risk of drowning for infants because they will get too close to pools or lakes. But research has actually shown that lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by teaching kids key safety skills from a young age. Enhanced cognitive functioning: Infant swim lessons can help your baby’s brain grow by utilizing movements that use both sides of the body. These movements combined with the tactile sensation of water can spur mental development and learning later on. Bonding time: Getting to play in the water with a parent or other caregiver is a great bonding experience for infants during key developmental phases. Skin-to-skin contact, water play, and songs all contribute to having fun and cultivating positive interactions.
2HOW MUCH DO SWIMMING LESSONS FOR KIDS COST?
For more information regarding pricing for swim lessons at each of our four locations in the Bay Area, review our tuition information. We also provide details about private lessons and available scholarships. Our baby swim lessons are all offered as joint caregiver-baby classes, so you are in the water with your child at all times. We have bilingual swim instructors who can teach in Spanish or English for maximum access for parents, as well as four locations throughout the Bay Area so you can find the location that’s most convenient for you. Choose from San Bruno, Redwood City, Half Moon Bay, or San Francisco to cut down on commute times. Contact La Petite Baleen today to get more information or to schedule your baby’s swim lesson by calling (844) 339-5015.
3WHEN SHOULD CHILDREN START SWIM LESSONS?
While some parents may feel nervous about putting their kids in a pool at a young age, starting swim lessons early on can keep your child safer around water and give them a head start when it comes to learning how to swim. A 2009 study found that participation in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88 percent reduction in the risk of drowning in children ages one to four. At La Petite Baleen Swim Schools in the Bay Area, we offer swim lessons for children as young as two months old. In these classes, a caretaker and baby both participate, getting comfortable in the water and learning about water safety. But if your child hasn’t already started lessons, don’t worry. We work with kids of all ages on introductory skills and water safety, helping them learn how to make the most of their swimming experience. Check out our class finder tool to learn which level is right for your child. Breath control, balance, and buoyancy taught through a series of songs and games Safety skills, like underwater submersions, back floats, and grasping the wall The use of goggles and, at approximately 12 months, fins are introduced.
4SOME OF THE CLASSES WE OFFER FOR TODDLERS AND KIDS INCLUDE:
Toddler and Me (ages 14-36 months): This 30-minute, once-a-week class covers the basics of breath control, balance, and buoyancy, as well as propulsion through kicking and paddling. We also cover safety skills like back floats, climbing out at the wall, and underwater submersions. Levels 1-5 (ages 3-5, 6-10, teen, adult): These classes cover a wide range of skills, starting with the basics of getting comfortable in the water in Level 1. Level 2 progresses to front and back skills, including rhythmic breathing, floating, and weaning off fins. Levels 3 and 4 then start introducing endurance skills and technical skills, including blended breathing, underwater swimming, strokes, and dives. Level 5 (ages 3-5, 6-10, teen, adult): Our highest-level class, goes deeper into technical strokes, including competitive Breaststroke and Butterfly, Underwater Dolphin Kicks, and Racing Dives. Check out all of our swim classes to learn more about our various levels and find out which one might be right for your child. At La Petite Baleen Swim Schools in the Bay Area, we offer swim lessons for children as young as two months old. This introductory level of lessons focuses on improving your child’s comfort around water and learning basic water safety skills. We also help the caregiver participating in the class learn about water safety and how to keep your infant safe around water. Check out our class finder tool to learn more about which level is right for your child.