Leaps and pirouettes: Espoo Early Childhood Education encourages children towards activity

As we all known, physical activity has many health benefits, but did you know that physical activity and good motor skills are also linked to learning? In addition to this, exercise promotes the development of social skills, emotional skills, inclusion and mental well-being.

“Exercise has positive impacts on things such as attention, memory and concentration – skills that every child needs for learning. The effects are particularly substantial in early childhood, when children’s brains develop rapidly and learning is intensive,” says Project Coordinator Tuuli Tepponen of Espoo’s Finnish Early Childhood Education.

Because physical activity plays such a significant role in terms of learning and every child’s overall well-being, exercise is part of every child’s day in the early childhood education provided by Espoo.

“The City’s early childhood education plan also provides guidance towards this goal,” Tepponen says as a reminder.

Tepponen leads the Varhaiskasvatuksen aktiivinen arki (Active daily life in early childhood education) project for Espoo’s Finnish Early Childhood Education. She has a background as an early childhood education teacher and physical activity counsellor.

The Varhaiskasvatuksen aktiivinen arki project has focused on developing concrete ways to increase physical activity in children’s day-to-day lives. The project has received funding from the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland, and it started in Espoo in the autumn of 2022.

Among other efforts, the project has trained staff and purchased various sports equipment for the early childhood education sports equipment lending office. Early childhood education units can gain access to skis, skates and trekking gear from the office, for example. The goal is to establish an exercise-oriented approach into Espoo’s early childhood education.

Most children get enough exercise. That said, about a quarter of early childhood education-age children exercise less than recommended. According to the recommendations for physical activity in the early years, a child under school age should have three hours of physical activity every day, including one hour of vigorous exercise that makes you catch your breath.

“Educators play an important role, especially in increasing physical activity among more passive children and in inspiring them towards exercise. A great deal can be done in early childhood education to promote children’s physical activity,” Tepponen says as a reminder.

As such, one of the goals of the project has been to encourage children who are less active to exercise and increase inclusion in physical education. Every child has the right to participate in physical activity, experience a sense of achievement and appropriate challenges, and feel the joy of engaging in exercise.

Studies have shown that children from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds are less physically active in their free time than those with a Finnish background. According to studies, there are many social reasons for this, which an individual cannot influence, such as structural inequality. Physical education provided as part of early childhood education offers all children experiences of physical activity. The Varhaiskasvatuksen aktiivinen arki project has sought to promote the physical activity of all children by encouraging families to participate in physical activity with their children.

“The piloting of the Kieltä liikkeellä (Language through motion) model developed within the project has involved family exercise activities, and we have particularly encouraged families from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds to participate in these activities. Physical activity is known to be linked to the development of linguistic abilities. Playful exercise and activities also support learning a new language, so exercise yields many benefits to these children and their families,” Tepponen says.

Equipment purchases can also promote equality and equal experiences of physical activities between children. Thanks to the sports equipment lending office, even children whose families cannot afford to buy the necessary equipment can try out new sports.

Inclusive physical education takes into account children’s different starting points.

“As the latest addition to the early childhood education sports equipment lending office, some adaptive physical activity equipment has been procured,” says Tepponen. “This includes assistive devices intended for children with disabilities, such as skating sleds and special swings.”

Training and inspiring the personnel have played an important role in the Varhaiskasvatuksen aktiivinen arki project.

Employees have been offered concrete methods and practical tools to increase physical activity in early childhood education. Various workshops and sparring sessions have been organised, and a wealth of material has been produced to encourage and support educators towards developing and strengthening an exercise-oriented culture. Both municipal and private day care centers, residents’ parks and family day care providers have been involved.

At many units, participation in the training has shown how small changes can add physical activity to children’s everyday lives.

“If there are decals for jumping games on the floor of the day care center or the physical activity equipment is constantly and freely available to everyone, more movement will be added to the day almost without any effort,” Tepponen describes.

In Espoo, almost 80 per cent of municipal day care centers are already involved in the national Liikkuva varhaiskasvatus (Physical activity in early childhood education) programme. This is a national exercise and well-being programme aiming to ensure that every child has the opportunity to engage in physical activity and enjoy the joy of sports every day.

“The goal is to get all municipal day care centers in Espoo to join the programme,” says Saara Salmi-Rautiainen, the early childhood education specialist responsible for Espoo’s Liikkuva varhaiskasvatus network. “The aim is to integrate physicla activity into all early childhood education activities as an overarching work method.”

In Espoo’s early childhood education, exercise is also combined with outdoor recreation. The opportunities provided by local nature are used actively. A special feature of Espoo is that even in an urban environment, there is usually no need to go very far as forests and outdoor recreation areas are available nearby.

“We encourage outdoor physical activities. For example, we organise the Mennään metsään (Let’s go to the woods) week twice a year in Espoo. During the theme week, the learning environment is expanded to nearby nature and the usual daily activities of early childhood education are introduced to a forest environment,” says Tepponen.

This way, the benefits of both exercise and spending time in nature can be combined.

“The seeds for an active lifestyle are sown early on. "Early childhood education plays a significant role in forming a positive relationship with physical activity and igniting the joy and spark of physical activity,” says Salmi-Rautiainen.

In Espoo, children in early childhood education are also activated through the Leiki ja liiku activities.

The Exercise Through Games project brings exergaming to schools and teaching.