At first glance, vacation time sounds pretty tempting: From exciting activities in the city—such as an interactive hands-on museum—to completely free experiences, Berlin has plenty to offer. But even during the weeks when school is out, educational support shouldn’t be neglected—and ideally, without parents having to dig deep into their pockets. That’s exactly why the capital has a great offer in store for the upcoming fall break: In 2026, Berlin will provide a total of 2,420 free spots for intensive swimming courses. These are aimed at Berlin students in grades 4 through 10 who cannot swim yet or are not yet confident swimmers and do not yet hold a bronze youth swimming badge.
Registration for the free courses is already underway. It began on September 28 at 6:00 p.m. and is available exclusively online through Sportjugend Berlin. The swimming courses will take place during the fall break over two weeks. The first runs from October 19 to 23, and the second from October 26 to 30, 2026. Each intensive course lasts five days, from Monday through Friday. The children receive 45 minutes of swimming instruction each day and learn in small groups of no more than ten participants. The goal is to improve their swimming skills and, if possible, earn the “Seepferdchen” or the Bronze Youth Swimming Badge .
Of the total 2,420 available spots, 1,960 are reserved for elementary school students in 4th grade and above. The remaining 460 spots are intended for students in grades 7 through 10 who cannot swim yet or are not yet confident swimmers and have not yet earned a bronze swimming badge. The free intensive courses are offered at eight locations in Berlin. These include the Spandau Süd combined pool, the Seestraße combined pool, the Sewanstraße swimming pool, the Thomas-Mann-Straße swimming pool, the Allendeviertel swimming pool, the Fischerinsel swimming pool, the Finckensteinallee swimming pool, and the Gropiusstadt combined pool. At the Fischerinsel Swimming Pool in Mitte and the Gropiusstadt Combined Pool in Neukölln, inclusive courses are also offered for students with and without disabilities.
The program is organized by the Sportjugend (Youth Sports Association) within the Landessportbund Berlin(Berlin State Sports Federation) and funded by the Senate Department for Education, Youth, and Family Affairs. Eight Berlin swimming clubs, along with school swimming coaches from the Berlin Swimming Association, will run the program. There is no cost to participating families.
Figures from the 2026 summer break show that these intensive courses can indeed be successful. At that time, 2,874 Berlin students participated, and a total of 2,043 swimming badges were earned. Among these were 605 Seepferdchen badges, 1,098 Bronze badges, and 340 Silver badges.
