Children need three hours exercise a day - Finland

[Tennis]

hildren should spend at least three hours a day performing physical activities, according to the Finnish government.

Parents have been advised to actively encourage their children to pursue hobbies and interests that require physical exertion.

Children aged eight and under have been targeted in the move.

Finland is known for producing some of the most physically fit children in Europe.

It also produces some of the highest academic results among schoolchildren in the developed world.

Secret of Finland's success

Finland's Minister for Education and Culture, Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, believes this is no coincidence.

Ms Grahn-Laasonen said physical activity contributed to a child's happiness and promoted learning by developing a young person's ability to interact socially.

"When children exercise together they develop interaction skills and connect socially, and it's healthy, too," she told local media.
How will it affect the school curriculum?

The minister's recommendation has been embraced by those who set the educational agenda, with the move expected to have a positive impact on results.

Anneli Rautiainen, head of basic education with the Finnish National Board of Education, told the BBC that schools would now be experimenting with new ways of teaching.

"In our new curriculum, we are looking at two to three hours a week of physical education and more outdoor activities. But we are also looking at non-traditional ways of teaching," she said.
Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Finland is considering removing desks from classrooms to encourage children to exercise during lessons

These include removing desks and chairs from some classrooms, so that children are not sitting as much while learning regular subjects.

"Some children learn very well sitting at a desk and listening, others would benefit greatly from moving around the room talking with their classmates," said Ms Rautiainen.

"The child has an active role. We will emphasise personalised learning. The learning environment should be modern and support different learners."

Finland is one of the first countries to put forward these recommendations, which will use classrooms to connect physical exercise with traditional learning.

What do young people think?

A report published last month by the child and family services change programme revealed that young people in Finland were in favour of more physical activity in schools.

The idea was widely supported among those questioned, who suggested using the school gym during breaks and increasing out-of-hours school club activities.
What is the current recommendation?

Guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggest that children and young teenagers aged between 5 and 17 should perform at least an hour of moderate physical exercise a day.

But the public health body goes on to say that more than an hour will provide additional health benefits, including later in life.

Why are Finnish children so fit?

Finland's obsession with health dates back to the 1970s, when it had the highest rate of deaths from heart-related issues in the world.

This was largely due to a thriving dairy sector, which played a large part in the Finnish diet.


In an effort to tackle the issue from a young age, schoolchildren were weighed on an annual basis and the results were recorded in end-of-year reports.

This led to the Finnish National Nutrition Council, a government body that issues dietary guidelines, eventually introducing a directive that schools should not only provide free lunches, but that the food should be nutritional.
Why is more exercise needed?

According to the WHO, Finland's population is still among the healthiest, but economic, social and cultural developments through globalisation are having a detrimental impact.

As in many countries, health inequalities are on the rise in Finland.
Is Finland ahead of the game?

Finland introduced child health clinics way back in the 1940s, a pioneering move that was later introduced in other nations.

The primary focus at the time was on physical development and nutrition, early identification of abnormal conditions or disease and immunisation.

Wow. Good job Finland!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37306818

Let's hope more countries follow the Finnish lead so we ensure that our society is becoming more healthy and fit.

[Sunseeker]

The article says 2-3 hours a week. Which seems about reasonable.

[Medusa Cascade]

I knew chasing kids with my belt was a good idea

[Deleted]

The article says 2-3 hours a week. Which seems about reasonable.

Yeah, I read 3h a day and I was like WTF, are they kids or soldiers?

[TrumpIsPresident]

But we are also looking at non-traditional ways of teaching," she said.

Hopefully this doesn't mean engaging in the sort of psychological warfare tactics that schools in the US are using to make kids feel guilty about who they are.

But did something happen to gym class since the many years since I've been in lower schooling?

I remember having a PE/gym period every day from grades 3 through 12.

[Ilir]

Yeah 3 hours a day i was like wtf ?

Also they can be fit and not healthy.

Stop putting the two together.

[Deleted]

Why stop at 3 hours? Isn't sending them into coal mines a time-honored tradition in many parts of the world?

[Belize]

Why stop at 3 hours? Isn't sending them into coal mines a time-honored tradition in many parts of the world?

Exercise 14 hours a day!

And save so canaries at the same time!

[Medusa Cascade]

Why stop at 3 hours? Isn't sending them into coal mines a time-honored tradition in many parts of the world?

You weren't a man until you worked down t' pit

[Allybeboba]

If the Finish were so fit why didn't they do better in the Olympics?

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Hopefully this doesn't mean engaging in the sort of psychological warfare tactics that schools in the US are using to make kids feel guilty about who they are.

But did something happen to gym class since the many years since I've been in lower schooling?

I remember having a PE/gym period every day from grades 3 through 12.

What kind of psychological warfare do you speak of? I never encountered this.

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Hopefully this doesn't mean engaging in the sort of psychological warfare tactics that schools in the US are using to make kids feel guilty about who they are.

But did something happen to gym class since the many years since I've been in lower schooling?

I remember having a PE/gym period every day from grades 3 through 12.

What kind of psychological warfare do you speak of? I never encountered this. But I don't have fragile feelings either.
This kind of stuff gets you prepared for the real world. Not everyone gets a trophy every day at work.

[Kraenen]

Oh yeah? I get 15 hours of exercise a day.

[Azadina]

Oh yeah? I get 15 hours of exercise a day.

I get 59!

[Allybeboba]

Yeah 3 hours a day i was like wtf ?

Also they can be fit and not healthy.

Stop putting the two together.

You do realize 180 minutes is not that much. Two 45 recesses if they are very young and then another 1.5 hours of playing outside later. When I was in school we literally played(exercised) outside 4-5 hours a day. 45 min in school and another 3-4 after. And then 10-12 hours x 2 ( all day ) on the weekends. We did stuff outside.
Hell, still exercise 120 daily. 45 min before work, 30 min at lunch and 45 after. Plus whatever I do on the weekends(mowing, working around the house, honey-dos, etc).

[Narwal]

The article says 2-3 hours a week. Which seems about reasonable.

All of my schools from kindergarten through 12th had 3 recesses a day. 15 mins in the morning, 20-30 mins after lunch, and 15 mins in the afternoon. Plus an hour long gym class 2 or 3 times a week for an hour. That's an 8 hours a week. I don't get how Finland is doing anything more physically fit here than a normal US school system?

[Azadina]

All of my schools from kindergarten through 12th had 3 recesses a day. 15 mins in the morning, 20-30 mins after lunch, and 15 mins in the afternoon. Plus an hour long gym class 2 or 3 times a week for an hour. That's an 8 hours a week. I don't get how Finland is doing anything more physically fit here than a normal US school system?

The difference is in the school lunches. In Finland, pizza hasn't been renamed to vegetable just for example.

[Allybeboba]

It is what the thread title says. Clickbait or honest mistake.

These days the only way to get kids outside seems to be Pokemon Go - so don't dismiss this article. Exercise (or just taking walks, basically moving your arse) is a good way to stay agile and improve health. Hell, just play outside like we did when we were kids. (depending on how far back that was for you)
.

I know what you are saying. Pokemon Go and web forums...
I am fortunate to have a job that I can look here every once in a while for amusement.

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All of my schools from kindergarten through 12th had 3 recesses a day. 15 mins in the morning, 20-30 mins after lunch, and 15 mins in the afternoon. Plus an hour long gym class 2 or 3 times a week for an hour. That's an 8 hours a week. I don't get how Finland is doing anything more physically fit here than a normal US school system?

It's news because it is new to them. It is not new to the US. We have been doing it for over a half a century.

[Deleted]

The article says 2-3 hours a week. Which seems about reasonable.

Let's see, we have had about 1,5 hours of physical excercise classes in school per week, this would be ok because you would usually expect children to play outside anyway. At least as long as they are no videogame addicts, but even then, a Wii or Connect game which requires some movement, would alleviate this.

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The difference is in the school lunches. In Finland, pizza hasn't been renamed to vegetable just for example.

Also this. I guess I was lucky that I just went home for lunch (and returned to school if I had classes in the afternoon). While my parents are not obsessed with healthy foods, cooking at home usually produces a healthier result if done reasonably (no microwave meals etc.)

[Independent voter]

Was reading a study the other day that said people are naturally lazy, like cats. Unless they're motivated they like to do as little as possible. I'm not sure how cats stay so fit without exercise though.

[TrumpIsPresident]

What kind of psychological warfare do you speak of? I never encountered this. But I don't have fragile feelings either.
This kind of stuff gets you prepared for the real world. Not everyone gets a trophy every day at work.

The <redacted> privilege rhetoric schools are passing off as education.

They're going after young students with that shit and its basically a form of psychological warfare, or brainwashing if you please.

[Gamdwelf]

Adults should probably get like 3 hours of exercise per day, but sho gas time for that?