Please call the front desk at (405) 325-4837 or email learntoswim@ou.edu with any questions.
Our swim lessons are taught by Adult Water and Safety Instructors® certified by the American Red Cross. We annually teach over 600 swim lessons in our Learn to Swim program. Our goal is to make the water a safe and fun place for the University and Norman community.
We are currently moving our swim lesson registration to a new online registration platform and will begin summer swim lesson enrollment on the new platform as soon as possible but no later than May 7, 2024.
Online 2024 summer swim lesson registration begins May 7.
| Session A | Session B | Session C | Session D |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 3 - 13 | June 17 - 28 | July 8 - 18 | July 22 - Aug 1 |
| Session Times* | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30 am | 11:15 am | 4:00 pm | 4:45 pm | 5:30 pm | 6:15 pm | 7:00 pm |
| *not all levels are offered every session/time | ||||||
All sessions are 35-minutes in length and will meet at their specified time. Sessions will be Monday-Thursday with the exception of Session B which will meet Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday to accomodate for the Juneteenth (Wednesday, June 19) university holiday. Fridays will be used as make-up days, if necessary,
Parent and Child Aquatics (6 - 36 months):
This class is designed for those aged 6 months to 36 months old with a parent in the water, as well. This level will introduce your child to the water with the comfortability of a parent or family member being hands on. Both adult and child will learn fun ways to play and get your young one ready to learn to swim.
Preschool Aquatics (3 - 4 year olds):
Level(s) 1-3 - For those aged 3 and 4 years old, preschool aquatics are the perfect beginning to becoming comfortable in the water environment. Your child will be able to stand on our Preschool Level Docks, for added comfortability, while they practice with an instructor in the water. They will learn the very basics of swimming: exhaling while in the water, front and back floats, and the beginnings of the front crawl, back crawl, and elementary backstroke. Your child’s level of comfort in the water will determine how much support they receive from the instructor and upon which skills they will build relative to their abilities. It is recommended that your child be at least 3 years of age to begin in this level. No previous water experience is necessary.
Learn to Swim Levels 1-6 (5 year olds +):
Level 1 - Introduction to Basic Aquatic Skills: This is a beginner level for those ready to become independent in the water. Your child will learn to float both on their front and back. They will also learn the basic stroke techniques for front crawl, back crawl, and elementary backstroke. They will become familiar with submerging their face in the water, as well as learning the basics of breath control. Skills in this level are demonstrated with support from the instructor. It is recommended that your child be around 5 years old to begin in this level. No previous water experience is necessary.
Level 2 - Fundamental Aquatic Skills: For this level, your child should already be capable of ‘swimming’ on their own without the assistance of a floatation device. This level builds upon the skills learned in Level 1 and is performed without support from the instructor. Your child will develop their stroke technique for front crawl, back crawl, and elementary backstroke; as well as, improving their breath control.
Level 3 - Stroke Development: This level continues to build upon the skills learned in Levels 1 and 2. In addition to those existing skills practiced, your child will also learn how to dive in the deep end and begin treading water. Rotary breathing will be introduced with their breath control.
Level 4 - Stroke Improvement: For this level, your child should be proficient in swimming the front crawl, back crawl, and elementary backstroke. This level will continue to develop your child’s rotary breathing skills while adding endurance swimming for the previous mentioned strokes. Your child will also learn the breaststroke and be introduced to open and flip turns.
Level 5 - Stroke Refinement: This level builds upon endurance with lap swimming for each of the strokes learned in previous levels. This level will incorporate open turns and flip turns in practice with lap swimming. Your child will also be introduced to the butterfly and other endurance building drills.
Level 6 - Swimming and Skill Proficiency: Refines the strokes so participants swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Level 6 is designed with "menu" options that focus on preparing participants for more advanced courses, including the Water Safety Instructor, or other aquatic activities, such as competitive swimming or diving.
Options include: Fitness Swimmer, Personal Water Safety, and Fundamentals of Diving
Adult Swim Levels:
Learning the Basics, Improving Sills and Swimming Strokes, Swimming for Fitness
Not sure which level to enroll?
We offer several different levels for individuals of differing abilities. If you are still uncertain, please feel free to reach out to learntoswim@ou.edu for more information.
