Baby swimming
In 1982, I pioneered teaching methods promoting play-based activities, songs and rhymes in baby and toddler aquatics. Since 1988, as a member of the Baby swimming committee for the Norwegian Lifesaving society (NLS), I have worked to instigate changes in the national teaching program toward child-initiated activity focusing the child as a subject not an object. As the 2014 recipient of the Virginia Hunt Newman Award for Baby swimming, my efforts to promote a “Gentle Approach” to baby swimming, have been internationally recognized.
I have presented internationally on four continents over the past 35 years on Baby and toddler swimming, the most recent at the World Drowning Prevention Conference in Perth, December 2023. My motto is “Let the Baby Show the Way”.
Swimming and lifesaving career
An active swimmer and lifesaver as a teenager, I went on to be an instructor and have been involved in life saving education, water safety, prenatal swimming, and baby swimming from 1976 to the present day. I have been a volunteer with NLS for over 35 years, starting three lifesaving clubs for children and teenagers. I have worked to develop lifesaving sport as leader for the Sports committee for NLS (1990 – 2002) and as trainer at club level and national coach. I have served on the ILSE Rescue commision and am an ILSE risk assessment tutor.
I am currently on the ILS and the ILSE Drowning Prevention Commission.
As an advocate for water safety and the drowning prevention perspective in beginner swimming I have presented at national and international conferences. The most recent intervention was at the World Drowning Prevention Conference in Perth, December 2023.
Parallel to teaching baby swimming, I have been a head teacher and manager in several kindergartens in Norway for over 15 years, where, of course, swimming was on the curriculum.
In my work as Education director for the NLS head office I have developed educational programs for teachers in baby swimming, water safety and lifesaving in accordance with relevant research. I have also had responsibility for counseling instructors, schoolteachers, and others with responsibility for water-based activities in open water.
I have produced three books on swimming and water safety education for NLS teachers, the last one is focused on aquatic activities for babies and toddlers. I am currently working on a book in English directed at parents of babies and toddlers who wish to engage in aquatic activities with their baby
Torill will have these presentations at Learn to Swim:
Understanding Children’s Play? Is there room for this in beginner swimming?
The “in word” is Play! We can learn through exploration! Out with exercises, drills and structured lessons! In with free play! What is free play and how free is it really?
“Can we implement this in water which is a dangerous environment for the learner?”
“A wild free for all will end in chaos”… “how will free play enable learning?”
“Parents pay for a swim course, they expect results. How can we justify our activities.”
These are some of the statements I hear in different arenas for teaching and learning.
I would like to share some insights into how one can facilitate exploratory play within a structure. How to expose learners to experiences, allowing water to change their movements and to let the water be the teacher.
To feel the flow of water is a very individual process and the ability to relax into the water is an important part of this process. We must create good learning spaces to meet the needs of the different age groups of beginner swimming.
Water Competence and the Nordic shore line – with focus on outdoor bathing for preschoolers and school children.
Exploring the skills and knowledge, the attitudes and behaviours we need in order that beginner swimmers can keep themselves safe from the first swimming lesson onward.
it is important that some water safety lessons take place outdoors. This is where drowning takes place. How can we safely conduct outdoor activities for beginner swimming.
Skills in risk assessment and discovering good learning opportunities are built up through experience of many different outdoor locations and children’s behavioural patterns.
What can we expect Nordic children to master in outdoor swimming and water safety. Can indoor practice be a starting point and complement the outdoor arena.
Workshop
Each age group has an optimal way to experience the water and to master comfortable and effective movement in water. Many experienced swim teachers have found ways to create good learning situations out from their own perspective of what swimming and water safety means. It is important to share these perspectives and share the good activities we each create in our own learning arena with our limited resources. This is the perfect chance to share, question and explore how we can take the aquatic profession forward.
How can one implement constructive learning in a playful arena where children can take the lead?
Are there other ways to learn about water safety than in the pool?
How can we influence the older generation through our activities with the younger generation?
These are some of the questions we will work with in the workshop.