Swimming Lessons
Our Impact
As “America’s swim instructor,” the YMCA teaches children of all ages from all backgrounds that water should be fun, not feared, if you know how to be safe around water. We provide equal opportunity for all, ensuring everyone has the tools they need to be confident in and around water.
Member Registration for Spring 2024 is now open!
Swim lessons provide important life skills that could save a life and will benefit students for a lifetime. To build a better us, the Y teaches youth, teens, and adults to swim, enabling you to stay safe around water and learn the skills needed to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for staying healthy. Y swim instructors are nationally certified. Their training includes CPR, AED, First Aid and Oxygen Administration.
Register For Swim Lessons
SESSION DATES:
Early Spring: February 26, 2024 – April 14, 2024
Late Spring: April 22, 2024 – June 23, 2024
Be The Y!
Whatever you want to be, the Y is here for you.
By donating to the YMCA of Greater Boston, you create a community that welcomes everyone to be what they want to be.
Donate today. Be the Y.
Give To The Y
Find the right Swim Lessons with these three steps
Step 1: Which age group does the student fall into?
6 Months - 3 Years
Parent* & Child:
Stages A-B
3 Years - 5 Years
Preschool:
Stages 1-4
5 Years - 12 Years
Youth:
Stages 1-6
12+ Years
Teen & Adult:
Stages 1-6
Step 3: Which stage is the student ready for?
Age Group: "Adult"
Primary Location: "Adult"
Can the student respond to verbal cues and jump on land?
A / Water Discovery
Parents accompany children in stage A, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water.
Is the student comfortable working with an instructor without a parent in the water?
B / Water Exploration
In stage B, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
Will the student go underwater voluntarily?
1 / Water Acclimation
Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water in stage 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming.
Can the student do a front and back float on his or her own?
2 / Water Movement
In stage 2, students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while also continuing to practice how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.
Can the student swim 10–15 yards on his or her front and back?
3 / Water Stamina
In stage 3, students learn how to swim to safety from a longer distance than in previous stages in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage also introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action.
Can the student swim 15 yards of front and back crawl?
4 / Stroke Introduction
Students in stage 4 develop stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke.
Can the student swim front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke across the pool?
5 / Stroke Development
Students in stage 5 work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke.
Can the student swim front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke across the pool and back?
6 / Stroke Mechanics
In stage 6, students refine stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.
* At the Y, we know families take a variety of forms. As a result, we define parent broadly to include all adults with primary responsibility for raising children, including biological parents, adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, grandparents, or any other type of parenting relationship.
Swim Teams at the YMCA
If you enjoy swimming and would like to practice your moves and keep progressing, consider joining one of our swim teams!
The YMCA of Greater Boston is proud to partner with the USA Swimming Foundation to increase programming to underserved communities, support diverse coaches and create additional competitive swimming opportunities in the U.S.
