Visiting other swim schools to learn from others and share best practice in baby swimming approaches has always been part of our development at Blue Wave Swim School in London. So when I was in Iceland in October to attend the bi-annual Nordic Baby Swimming Conference, I jumped at the chance to visit Ungbarnasund Snorra – Snorri’s baby swimming in Iceland run by Snorri Magnússon.
The school was founded in 1990 by Mr Snorri Magnússon. Snorri, is a Physical Education teacher and has been a baby swim teacher since the 1980s.
He was Iceland’s first baby swimming teacher and his swim school client-base includes the current president’s family. Snorri’s reputation has spread throughout Europe and he is particularly well known for his unique approach to baby swimming through the integration of balance and strength training.
He’s very much the ‘go-to’ on this subject as demonstrated by his frequent media interviews and a 2017 UK Channel 4 news programme featuring him and his techniques.
The British may have their pubs, the French their cafés, the Icelandic people have … their local swimming pools. Going to the swimming pool in Iceland is a national past time.
For Icelanders swimming pools are places to exercise, relax, meet friends and socialise and enjoy the hot tubs.
Icelanders start going to the pool from a very early age and baby swimming lessons can easily be found virtually everywhere. School swimming lessons are mandatory and even the smallest village or community has a good sized swimming pool.
The majority of baby swimming experts agree that baby swimming lessons should be focused around using water as a medium to ‘nurture’ children’s overall development.
In the same way that the amniotic fluid aids a baby in the development of muscles, limbs, lungs and digestive system, after birth, water can play a similar role. Baby swimming lessons in Nordic countries have been based on this notion.
Snorri’s is a strong believer that you cannot teach a baby to swim as they lack the requisite cognitive abilities.
But he does believe that providing a mixture of strength and balance activities in the water is relaxing for babies and stimulates their growth and development. Attending baby swimming lessons gives you plenty of opportunities and time to have skin-to-skin contact with your little ones. There are plenty of cuddles in the swimming pool or when you are changing and drying your baby.
Snorri is famous for enabling babies under four months to stand on their own. It may be hard to believe but through some simple exercises using his palms or kickboards, he trains babies to stand up much earlier than the usually expected. Watching him doing those practices was absolutely fascinating.
Snorri also does many other strength training exercises which help babies to develop their core muscles.
Focus on the FUN! Use lots of different activities and be gentle and calm. Snorri advises parents to use the water to bond with their babies. Baby swimming is about creating happy memories to instil a love of water in children.
The teaching technique part can take place later. You can learn more of Snorri’s approach to baby swimming during my interview with him here.
A good swim school with professional staff
My girls have been going to Blue Wave Swim School for over 2 years, they have been looking forward to each lesson and keep practicing the swimming tricks even in a bath. All teachers and an owner of the school has been friendly, very professional. They found unique approach and made kids happy, but most importantly show them how to swim and have fun. Thank you very much from our family to Blue Wave Swim School.
April 19, 2021, www.yell.com
Easter 2021 Crash Course
Various lockdowns have held back my daughter’s swimming development so we opted for a crash 4 day course over Easter and she has come away from it much more confident and with a recognisable stroke as opposed to doggy paddle!
April 19, 2021, www.yell.com
Although I have only attended two lessons, Marjan’s bubbly personality makes you feel instantly at ease. During the lessons, the pool was not very busy which is a good thing (as opposed to public pools) for those who are anxious.
I would strongly recommend to adults who have experienced trauma with water at a certain time in their lives.
November 24, 2020, www.yell.com
My son has been going to swimming lessons at Blue Wave in Wimbledon for a few years now and thoroughly enjoys it. The teaching is great and the lessons well run. Helps to prepare him for when we finally get to go on holiday again!
September 26, 2020, www.yell.com
Highly Recommended
My son went to improve his swimming technique and found his instructor very helpful, very kind and patient. The school itself is very welcoming and feels safe for all the children who go there. I would highly recommend it.
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
Excellent results
My son is 4 years-old and we were looking for weekend swimming classes in a nice environment that could bring good results. After some research we chose Blue Wave Swim. Our son has been having private lessons since the end of 2018 and he is progressing very well. We believe the professionalism of the team, the clean and tidy infrastructure, and the good care of the management are contributing for his development and confidence in the water. Thank you very much Blue Wave Swim!
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
Awesome!
I am grateful to Marjan and her team at Blue Wave Swim for their hard work and for promoting happiness and enjoyment in swimming. It is amazing to watch the lessons, see the attention, the encouragement and the support the children receive. I have been impressed with my daughters’ progress and the fact that they love attending their classes and learning a vital life skill. Thank you very much. Great job!
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
Superb Swimming School in Wimbledon
My daughter, who is now 7 years old, started with blue wave two years back and we have been very happy with her progress at the school. Initially we started with group lessons but once she got comfortable in water we moved her to semi private lessons, which made a lot of difference in her ability to learn swimming. As part of the smaller group she is better bonded with other children in the group and gets more attention from the swimming instructor, which is helping her advance her swimming skills. During her 2 years with blue wave, swimming instructors for my daughter have changed and while continuity in learning was maintained, I think this could have been managed better. Needless to say, she still goes and enjoys her time here and looks forward to her class every week. Overall we are very pleased with Blue Wave and would recommend them without any hesitation.
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
Highly recommend
Highly recommend this swimming school. My daughter has been attending since she was 1 years old and she loves it. The teachers are very good with children and my daughter, who is now 4 years old is very confident in the water.
August 23, 2019, www.yell.com
020 8090 1415
Snorri impressed me with his innovative approach inspired by an exceptional pedagogical sense, empathy and sincere dedication. Congratulations on his contribution from Slovenia!
Hello Neva, thank you for reading our blog and taking time and leaving a comment!Please feel free to share the blog with other baby swimming teachers.