Learning path supports children and young people in being physically active

The Espoo learning path keeps children physically active right from the start. Physically active lifestyles adopted in early childhood can persist throughout life, contributing to long-term well-being. Early childhood education and teaching play a significant role in making the exercise experiences and habits of children and young people more equal. For this reason, the Espoo study path promotes exercise in many ways.

“A physically active child grows into a physically active adult. It also supports learning and well-being. According to studies, basic motor skills, a physically active lifestyle and confidence in one’s own physical activity skills are adopted and learned very young, even before school age,” says Tuuli Tepponen, Project Coordinator of the project Varhaiskasvatuksen aktiivinen arki (“the active everyday life of early childhood education”) at Espoo’s Finnish Early Childhood Education.

The majority of children and young people move enough, but not all. According to the recommendations for physical activity in early childhood, a child under school age should get at least three hours of physical activity a day, one hour of which should be brisk and make them breathless. This amount of physical activity is achieved by about three out of four children in Finland. For all 7–17-year-olds, an hour a day (at least) of versatile, brisk and strenuous exercise is recommended. In practical everyday life, the aim is to provide opportunities for exercise for children and young people of all ages in Espoo by various means. Schoolchildren get to enjoy outdoor air during recess through games and playing together, and upper secondary school students can, for example, spend time in nature between classes.

“Exercise is very beneficial for the mental health of young people. It helps to balance the stress of a full day of studying and sets endorphins, or well-being hormones, in motion. The person’s mood will improve, they will calm down and their worries will be forgotten at least for a while,” says Virpi Torkki, Community Director at the Lukiopaja workshop of the City of Espoo.

In the Leiki ja liiku activities, children aged 5–6 participate in instructed exercise sessions as part of the regular programme of day care centres, either once a week or every other week. The activities are carried out in cooperation with Finnish and Swedish Early Childhood Education, the City of Espoo’s Sports and Exercise, and gymnastics clubs. Through these activities, children learn new skills and their motor skills develop.   

“The physical activity programme will remain the same for six weeks, after which the programme will change. Sometimes, children may be a little anxious about a particular exercise, but when it is repeated for six weeks, and the children are encouraged every time, their self-confidence grows. Finally, they will have the courage to do the exercise that at first seemed difficult,” says Elli Nylund, Director of Alberga daghem och förskola.

In the project Varhaiskasvatuksen aktiivinen arki, the focus has been on training personnel, procuring different exercise equipment for the joint sports equipment loan shop of day care centres and finding concrete ways to introduce more physical activity into the everyday routine of day care centres.

“Day care centre staff can, for example, use ape to mark an exercise track on the floor and give a selection of exercise equipment to the children who can then utilise these independently and as part of the games they play. These innovations do not need to be big in order for their effects to be significant,” Tuuli Tepponen says.

Active everyday life also helps children and young people cope better in schools. The KULPS culture and sports path is a unique Espoo-based system that promotes equality between pupils and develops the use of culture and sports services as a teaching tool. KULPS promotes cultural and sports visits for pre-school and comprehensive school pupils by offering the opportunity to visit places such as museums in the middle of the school day and as part of teaching. KULPS comprises three paths: the culture path, library path and sports path. The sports path introduces pupils to new sports and sports venues. The wide range of sports also creates opportunities to try completely new sports that might be difficult to access otherwise. 

In Espoo’s comprehensive schools, everyday activity is supported not only by physical education classes and active recesses, but also by ending the school days every Wednesday at two o’clock in the afternoon so that everyone can participate in the offered free recreational activities. Espoo implements the Finnish Model for Leisure Activities by offering over 200 free hobby groups to pupils in grades 3–9. The groups are located at schools and in premises close to schools, such as libraries. It is also possible to participate in some groups remotely. Hobbies are organised immediately after the school day to make it easy for children and young people to participate. Recreational opportunities are based on the wishes of children and young people.

Espoo’s hobby path brings together diverse hobby opportunities so that as many young people as possible can find meaningful activities in which they can learn new things, gain experiences of success and make new friends. There are a variety of groups available, including art hobbies, sports, handicrafts, cooking, and digital activities such as programming. None of the hobby activities require previous experience or special equipment. Hobbies are provided in Finnish, Swedish or English. Some groups also offer a free snack. Children and young people in need of support have their own hobby groups, but they are also welcome to participate in all groups.

All the hobby groups of the Espoo Hobby Path are published in the Hobby Search service of the City of Espoo, and they are also communicated through the Wilma messages of the school at the start of the hobby term. Most of the hobbies require registration, but many groups can also be tried without advance registration. In Espoo, sports clubs also provide free sports groups for secondary school pupils on Wednesday afternoons. These can be found in the Hobby Search.

Basic art education is provided for those interested in art in school premises outside of school days. Basic art education is offered in, for example, circus art and dance. Basic art education is subject to a fee, but you can also apply for free student places and fee reductions.

In Espoo, children and young people’s everyday life is also made more active by combining physical activity and digital gaming. Sports game trials, sports game days and trainings for staff are organised in day care centres, schools and upper secondary schools. In digital exercise-based gaming, the player’s body acts as a game controller.

“Games offer meaningful ways to increase everyday physical activity and develop motor skills. Bringing sports games into the everyday life of day care centres and schools benefits especially those children and young people who are not as physically active as recommended. Since last autumn, different sports games have increased the physical activity of school pupils by more than 640 hours,” says Project Planner Oona Koivula. Experiments with sports games will continue in Espoo’s education units throughout 2025 with the Exercise Through Games project. 

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

Leiki ja liiku (Play & Move) : Leiki ja liiku | City of Espoo

KULPS culture and sports path: KULPS – culture and sports path | City of Espoo

Hobby path: https://www.espoo.fi/en/culture-and-leisure/espoo-hobby-path

Finnish Model for Leisure Activities: Finnish Model for Leisure Activities(external link, opens in a new window)

Basic education in the arts: https://www.espoo.fi/en/culture-and-leisure/basic-education-arts

Exercise Through Games project: https://www.espoo.fi/en/exercise-through-games-project