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Researchers say it's essential for children to learn how to climb into boats and swim in cold water
Learning to swim in a pool is not enough, according to researchers.
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In a swimming pool, the water is heated, calm, and safe, and there are neither currents nor waves. The weather also does not change.
Outdoors, it's a different story – in the sea, rivers, or ponds, and in fluctuating summer weather.
That’s the message from several researchers who recently shared a blog post on forskning.no. They question why Norwegian children don’t receive more outdoor swimming instruction.
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Children in Norway are entitled to outdoor swimming lessons.
Climb into the boat
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Why is it so important to learn to swim outdoors?
According to Ingrid Elnan, a physical education researcher at NTNU, it’s about more than just swimming.
Children need to figure out how well they can swim in cold water and assess risks in challenging conditions and across seasons.
They should also practice other survival skills, like climbing onto a dock, into a boat, or onto an ice edge after falling into the water.
"The outdoor swimming environment presents different challenges that children need to train for," Elnan tells Science Norway.
Not the same
In a new study from NTNU, researchers tested students' swimming abilities both indoors and outdoors.
The results showed that indoor skills didn’t transfer well to the outdoors.
So even if a child passes a swimming test in a pool, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re capable of swimming safely outdoors.
Offering outdoor swimming
Some students in Norway are learning to swim outdoors, but it’s hard to say exactly how many.
The national curriculum for 7th grade states that students 'should be able to assess safety in outdoor activity and nature travel, and perform self-rescue in water.' By 10th grade, they 'should understand and carry out lifesaving in, on, and near natural bodies of water.'
Although Elnan does not know the updated numbers on how many schools meet the curriculum goals for outdoor swimming, she has the impression that there are large variations.
"It ranges from schools that carry out extensive teaching programmes – even in winter – to those that do nothing at all," she says.
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Mixed feelings about swimming
Elnan has studied how students and teachers perceive outdoor swimming. Her PhD project follows teachers and students at two Norwegian lower secondary schools.
"What surprised me most was how overwhelmingly positive the students were about swimming outdoors," she says.
She believes it's because they are learning something concrete, practical, and clearly important to their own safety.
"There’s also a strong sense of accomplishment in taking on and succeeding at something they’re both nervous and excited about," she says.
Elnan thinks outdoor swimming fills a gap in many students’ school days, which are often described as overly theoretical, sedentary, and indoors.
Teachers worry about outdoor swimming
For teachers, the experience is more challenging.
Those involved in the study recognised the value of outdoor swimming for their students, but had serious concerns about safety.
"They need to plan and run a programme where they feel in control and confident that all safety measures are in place," says Elnan.
She notes that issues like too few staff and large class sizes make outdoor swimming more difficult to manage.
For many teachers, this is also a new activity in an unfamiliar setting. The initial phase is the hardest – finding a suitable location, planning, and executing the lessons.
"With time, teachers build experience, which makes it easier to manage, and they can begin to refine and improve the instruction," she says.
Learning to think about risk
What should parents of kids who only swim in pools consider?
Elnan says that children need both practical experience with outdoor swimming and an understanding of potential risks.
"For instance, swimming out to a distant dock or diving from places where they don’t know the depth or what's on the bottom. They need to be able to make smart decisions to avoid putting themselves or others in danger," says Elnan.
She also says that swimming is a joyful and rewarding activity for many.
"The important thing is to look out for yourself and your friends, and to help kids understand that skill levels can vary within a group," she says.
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Translated by Alette Bjordal Gjellesvik
Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
Reference:
Sundan et al. Environmental constraints: a comparative analysis of children’s swimming competence in different aquatic environments, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2025. DOI: 10.1080/17408989.2025.2512754
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