Skip to Main Content

Cedar Falls

Swim Lessons

Spring and Summer Sessions are available each year
Registration Begins January 15
This link will take you to see if we have any lessons at this time and class times
Follow us on Facebook for registration announcements
Our swim lessons are designed by our staff to help promote water safety for our participants at a young age. It is our hope that participants meet with success early and often in our swim lesson programs and develop a love and respect for the water. Competitive orientated skills have been moved to the more advanced groups. Should lessons at the Falls need to be cancelled for the day due to weather, staff will make every attempt to make them up on weekdays at the end of the third week. The Recreation Division will do everything possible to see that at least 10 lessons are held, but we cannot control the weather.

Group 2: Toddler

Must be 2 to 4 years.
Must have parent or adult in the water.

Skills taught:

Water entry
Walk in water holding parent's hand
Walk in water without aid
Run in water without aid
Make swimmer hands
Wash arms, neck, and face
Blow bubbles
Blow Bubbles with nose in water
Blow bubbles with ears in water
Blow bubbles with eyes open in water
Bobbing opening eyes underwater
Lean back on hands and kick
Front kick
Alligator with head up reach and pull and kick
Alligator with head in water reach and pull and kick
Back float with aid
Back float with hands on bottom and head up
Back float with hands on bottom, ears in water
Back float
Back glide

Group 3: Preschool

Must be 3 to 5 years.
No parent or adult required.

Skills taught:

Walk in water
Run in water
Face in water to ears and blow bubbles
Face in water to ears and hold breath 10 seconds
Face in water eyes open
Face in water, eyes open, and pick up object
Bracket off gutter and kick with pointed toes
Prone glide or face float 3 seconds
Face float and kick
Face float, kick, reach and pull
Face float, kick, reach and pull with high elbows
Back float with aid
Back float
Back float with kick and pointed toes
Back float with kick and finning
Go to shallow end of lap pool
Jump to teacher to adjust to deeper water
Pass to Group 4 when 6 years old or 39" / 46" tall (Depending on pool)

Group 4: Swabbies

Must be 39” tall at The Falls or
46” tall for Holmes and Peet Pools.

Skills taught:

10 bobs counting out loud when coming out of the water
Blow bubbles 7 seconds
Submerge 2 seconds holding breath
Open eyes underwater
Back float without assistance 7 seconds
Front float without assistance 7 seconds
Face the wall, hold onto wall and kick with pointed toes, face in water
Hold on to wall and kick on back with pointed toes
Kick 1/2 width of pool with board on front
Kick 1/2 width of pool with board on back
Swim 1/2 width of pool w/out assistance (doggy paddle)
Jump into shallow water with assistance if needed
Lifejacket safety

Group 5: Deck Hands

Must be 46” tall.
Skills taught:

15 bobs counting out loud when coming out of the water
Submerge and swim underwater 5 yards
Retrieve object from bottom of the pool
Front float 7 seconds
Back float 12 seconds
Kick w/board on front the width of the pool
Kick w/board on back the width of the pool
Introduction to rotary breathing on the wall
Kick w/board the width of pool with face in water doing rotary breathing
Introduction to coordination of freestyle arms and kick
Introduction of backstroke arms
Coordinate backstroke arms wtih kick
Jump in deep water without assistance, swim on back to wall
Finning on front and back 1/2 width of pool
Scull on front and back 1/2 width of pool
Diving safety

Group 6: 1st Mates

Skills taught:

Submerge and swim underwater 5 yards
Rotary breathing on wall with arms
Streamline introduction
Front glide 1/2 width of pool with flutter kick (streamline)
Back glide 1/2 width of pool with flutter kick (streamline)
Rotary breathing with board and arms 1/2 width of pool
Streamline, rotary breathing 1/2 width of pool (freestyle)
Backstroke 1/2 width of pool
Introduction to breaststroke kick
Breaststroke kick w/ board 1/2 width of pool
Introduction to elementary backstroke kick
Introduction to elementary backstroke arms
Elementary backstroke kick 1/2 width of pool with board
Swimming with lifejacket
Survival float one minute
Sitting and kneeling dives
Jump off diving board
Tread water 30 seconds

Group 7: Skippers

Skills taught:

Freestyle 1 width of pool
Backstroke 1 width of pool
Swim elementary backstroke 1 width of the pool
Introduction to breaststroke arms
Coordinate breaststroke arms and legs
Swim breaststroke the width of pool
Introduction to sidestroke kick
Sidestroke kick the width of pool
Introduction to sidestroke arms
Coordinate sidestroke arms and legs the width of pool
Forward somersault in the water
Backward somersault in the water
Survival float 3 minutes
Caring for breathing emergencies
Standing dive
Tread water 1 minute
Jump or dive off diving board
Lifejacket safety

Group 8: Captains

Skills taught:

Freestyle 2 widths of pool
Backstroke 2 widths of pool
Breaststroke 2 widths of pool
Sidestroke 2 widths of pool
Elementary backstroke 2 widths of pool
Open turn for breaststroke
Open turn for backstroke
Freestyle flip turns
Backstroke flip turns
Feet first surface dive
Pike surface dive
Tuck surface dive
Tread water 7 minutes with combination of kicks and hands and no hands
Touch bottom of pool in deep water, recover an object
Dive off diving board
Caring for cardiac emergencies
Reaching assists
Throwing assists

Group 9: Admirals

Skills taught:

Introduction to butterfly kick
Butterfly kick width of pool
Introduction to butterfly arms
4 widths of pool freestyle with flip turns
4 widths of pool backstroke with flip turns
4 widths of pool elementary backstroke
4 widths of pool sidestroke
4 widths of pool breaststroke
Coordinate butterfly
Swim butterfly width of pool
Individual medley
Relays
Recover 5 pound weight from bottom of pool in deep end
Introduction to the use of mask, fin and snorkel
Water polo
Underwater hockey
Boating safety