There are so many kids activities out there and I’m always on the hunt for something new and exciting for my boys who are now aged 4 and 6. It’s a good thing they love the water because in our house learning to swim is an activity that is non-negotiable. My sons had the pleasure of taking swimming lessons at Aqua-Tots Swim Schools in Kanata. You will find below a review of their swimming lessons.
Water safety always!
The amount of accidents and deaths related to swimming is scary. Many kids (definitely mine) are always around water and will continue to be as they get older. Pool parties, the beach, cottages, friend’s boats, and more. For peace of mind and safety, it’s something I will always want them enrolled in and to excel at. It’s a mandatory life saving skill – plain and simple.
My six year old Jax had much more experience in swimming lessons than his little brother, then the pandemic happened and we were all at a standstill….like everyone else. I saw the signage for a new swim school coming in the Kanata Centrum area and was super curious right away.
World renowned swim lesson curriculum
I was pleased to find out that coming soon was Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Kanata, which as it turns out is a locally owned and operated swim school backed by a world-renowned curriculum taught all over the globe. We were super excited to find this out and try something new, so close to home right off the 417.
Now we just had to wait until they opened and government restrictions relating to indoor activities were set to resume – which happened just this past August finally!
Flexible options
With an ongoing enrolment model, parents and caregivers have the flexibility of registering children 4 months and up into swim lessons at their convenience year-round. We opted to start with semi private classes for the boys at first. The classes are 30 min in length and you can choose from private lessons, semi private (with a sibling or friend) or low ratio (1:4 ratio or 1:3 ratio for level and under). You can also attend multiple days of the week if you like. We were grateful to be gifted two days a week for each child.
The owners and staff are very accommodating and I was able to switch them both to private, which I thought would work out better based on their varying levels at the moment. I haven’t had to use a makeup class yet, but you can cancel up to 2 hours prior and there are unlimited makeup classes which is great and so convenient for families because life happens and we are all busy with unknown things coming up every now and then!
Spacious, inviting and clean environment
When we arrived for our first lesson, we were told to come 15 minutes early to get the full tour and welcome. Welcoming it was indeed! Staff were ready to greet us and meet the whole family. We were given super adorable Aqua-Tots t-shirts, which was a nice surprise with a reusable Aqua-Tots tote bag that we now use for our lessons and is perfect to hold their towels, goggles, etc. We were then toured around the facility that’s beautiful, clean, and new. Lots of room with spacious changing area, showers, and bathrooms.
As a parent and spectator, I loved the waiting area with their super comfy viewing chairs and floor to ceiling windows giving the perfect view of all the lessons going on. As students, my boys appreciate the heated pool, fun outgoing swim instructors…..oh, and the lollipops they look forward to at the end of each class!
Awesome progress and updates
Not to mention the progress they have made already and they both have fun all the while. I especially love that they update your progress report after every class and it’s emailed to you, which you can also view in your parent portal! They also make sure after each class to give you the run down on how the class went and what else needs to be worked on. We were all pretty proud of Hudson, when he graduated to level 4 recently!
We look forward to continuing throughout the winter to get them in tip top shape for a sunny winter vacation and all summer in the local pool next year!
To learn more about the brand-new Aqua-Tots Kanata follow them on Facebook or Instagram!
Swimming lessons was a much in our family as well, I remember taking my son to the Carlingwood Y for his lessons.
Learning to swim can help with gross motor skills and basic coordination and can help reduce drowning risk. Swimming lessons are so important to learn at any age!