When can your child start?
You can start early. Baby swimming is for children from about 3 months to 2 years. Svensk Simidrott, the Swedish swimming federation, recommends swimming lessons from age 4, and the Swedish Life Saving Society in many places offers water confidence sessions from age 2. The City of Malmö's term-time swimming school takes children from the year they turn 6.
Swimming lessons are divided into levels by what the child can do, not by age. Svensk Simidrott has six levels. The first two are about water confidence, and in the last one the goal is to become a competent swimmer. Other swimming schools use their own names for the levels, so ask what your child needs to manage to start. It is common to repeat the same level more than once.
In Sweden, a person counts as a competent swimmer if they can fall into the water, go under, come back up and then swim 200 metres in deep water, 50 of them on their back. To pass physical education in year 6, pupils must be able to swim 200 metres, at least 50 of them on their back, and handle emergencies near water.
Questions to ask the swimming school
Can you try it, and how do you cancel? Swimming lessons are often a course with binding registration. In the city's term-time swimming school, you can only cancel with a doctor's certificate. Ask what applies before you sign your child up.
What does the course cost, and what is included? Ask how many sessions the term has and whether entry to the pool is included.
How big are the groups? The Swedish Life Saving Society recommends no more than 8 children per instructor, and no more than 12 when two instructors share the group.
What training do the instructors have? The Swedish Life Saving Society's instructor course covers swimming teaching, lifesaving and water safety. Ask what training the instructors have and whether they have done CPR training.
Should you stay during the lesson? At the city's holiday swimming school, a relative over 18 must stay in the building when the child is under 12. Ask what applies, and whether you should be in the water with younger children.
Who runs the swimming school, and how are instructors checked? In Malmö, swimming lessons are run both by the city and by swimming clubs. The swimming federation is part of the Swedish Sports Confederation, and sports clubs must check a limited extract from the criminal records register for leaders with direct and regular contact with children. At other providers, you can ask whether the instructors show such an extract.
Swimming lessons in Malmö
All pupils in the City of Malmö's municipal schools have swimming lessons in year 2. The goal is water confidence and being able to swim 15 metres. The city says more swimming lessons or more visits to the pool help a child become a fully competent swimmer.
The city runs term-time swimming lessons at Hylliebadet, with separate groups for teenagers and the Sjöstjärnan group for children with disabilities. During the autumn half-term and in summer, the city offers free swimming lessons for children registered as living in Malmö, from preschool class to upper secondary school. The autumn half-term lessons are for those who cannot yet swim competently. Places are released on a set date and go quickly. Several swimming clubs in Malmö also run swimming lessons.
The city's holiday and summer swimming lessons are free. You can pay for a term-time course at a swimming club with Fritidskortet, the national leisure card, if the club has joined the scheme and the course has at least six sessions. Read more about Fritidskortet in Malmö
How Playsa helps
On Playsa you can see swimming lesson groups in Malmö with ages, district and times where the provider has given them, and whether there is a trial session. You book the city's own swimming lessons on malmo.se. Always ask the provider whether there is a place.
Sources
Read on 17 September 2026. The sources are in Swedish.
- Svenska Livräddningssällskapet, "Simskola"
- Svensk Simidrott, "Vad gör man i simskolan?"
- Malmö stad, "Krabban", simskola hösttermin 2026
- Malmö stad, "Välj rätt nivå"
- Malmö stad, "Simning i skolan"
- Malmö stad, "Simskola på höstlovet"
- Riksidrottsförbundet, "Föreningar ska kontrollera registerutdrag"
- Malmö stad, "Simskola hösttermin"
- Malmö stad, "Sommarsimskola på Hylliebadet"
- Malmö stad, "Lär dig simma"
- Fritidskortet, "Så använder du Fritidskortet"
- Riksidrottsförbundet, förteckning över specialidrottsförbund med engelsk översättning
