Toddler Swimming Lessons

Our lessons for toddlers aged 18 months to 2 years 11 months are a natural progression from baby swimming and carefully designed to balance technique, safety skills, floating, games and songs with an emphasis on having fun!

toddler swimming lessons
toddler swimming lessons

THE PATH TO INDEPENDENT SWIMMING

Our Turtle Tots toddler lessons are a great way to teach your child to swim and will develop your toddler’s water confidence and stroke development, helping them progress to independent swimming. We consolidate the fundamental skills your child has already learnt and introduce new skills too. You’ll see your child’s strength and confidence increasing, as they become more independent.

Play is an essential part of early development and we use songs and games in the lessons, with the emphasis on learning though having fun. Lessons improve balance and co-ordination. They also focus on promoting water confidence and early stroke practices, helping them to progress towards independent swimming. By this time, most children are happily self-submerging multiple times within each lesson and this remains under their control.

During this phase there is a stronger focus on developing aquatic breathing techniques so that younger toddlers learn to exhale as they swim and then surface to breathe. Water safety is of course key to our lessons and we build your child’s ability to assess and make judgements about risk – they will also further develop their knowledge of water safety techniques, enabling them to be as safe as possible around water. Our lessons for younger toddlers are fun-packed and energetic for both toddler and parent! We incorporate themed lessons into our programme to keep lessons feeling fresh and exciting.

toddler swimming lessons

THE BENEFITS OF SWIMMING

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why teach my toddler to swim?

The Turtle Tots philosophy is to ensure safety and water confidence, encouraging parents to fully utilise the benefits and enjoyment that can have swimming with their children – whether that is at our lessons, on holiday or trips to the pool. We also provide a great social environment for parents and toddlers, giving them the opportunity to meet other families and children, forging friendships for life.

The age a child learns to swim independently depends on many factors including ability, confidence, and regularity of swimming.

Introducing children to Turtle Tots from an early age, and continue regular lessons, means that by the age of 3 and a half many children will be swimming short distances independently.

Swimming underwater is not the main focus of Turtle Tots swimming lessons. Our award-winning swim programme does include natural submersions once your little one is ready. This will be different for every child and our teachers are fully trained to understand when this will be. However, most of our activities take place above the water, with lots of fun and games.

Reviews

Posted on Google Google
Sinéad McCabe profile picture
Sinéad McCabe
01/07/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Really enjoyed the lessons and I now feel more confident taking my baby swimming. Our teacher Kimberlie Rose is so kind and patient with the babies, cannot recommend Turtle Tots enough.
Posted on Google Google
Claire o'connor profile picture
Claire o'connor
28/06/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Liam loved his swimming lessons
Posted on Google Google
Ana Silva profile picture
Ana Silva
10/06/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
My daughter has started swimming lesson with Turtle Tots, for the first time, for the summer time and we are having so much fun. As a parent I think swimming is such a great, fun and important skill. The classes are well elaborated for the young ones, and our teacher Niamh Doyle is great. Would highly recommend.
Posted on Google Google
Claire Bedford profile picture
Claire Bedford
10/06/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Really recommend turtle tots, excellent instructors, child led and child focused. Small classes with great interaction
Posted on Google Google
Keelin Hughes profile picture
Keelin Hughes
09/06/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Great lessons, fun for parents and baby
Posted on Google Google
Stacey Murray profile picture
Stacey Murray
08/06/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
My little boy Ollie loves going to Turtle Tots every week. It’s amazing to see how much his confidence has grown over the last few months. Thank you to Emer for making the classes super fun, will definitely be enrolling in the Autumn term. ☺️
Posted on Google Google
Shane Kennedy profile picture
Shane Kennedy
07/06/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
I've done Turtle Tots with both of my daughters in the Clayton in Cork and they both absolutely flourished in the classes. Their confidence grew hugely over the courses, as did their enjoyment of it. The teachers are absolutely amazing and really respond to every child's needs during the class.
Posted on Google Google
Dervla profile picture
Dervla
07/06/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Great instructor, both my boys really enjoy going every week, it’s a fun and stress free lesson.
Posted on Google Google
Siobhan Ní Dhufaidh profile picture
Siobhan Ní Dhufaidh
07/06/2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Really enjoying the classes in Liffey Valley with Veronika. She has made us both feel at ease in the water despite my daughter only being 4 months old. The classes are fun too which keeps baby entertained.

READY TO START SWIMMING?

We have swimming lessons for babies, toddlers, 3 and 4 year olds available across the whole of Ireland and the UK. Our world-class swimming teachers are eagerly waiting to welcome you and your little one into a lovely warm pool. If you’re ready to kick-start your child’s journey towards water confidence, find a lesson near you today.

×
Find a Lesson