What do children think about how to create physical activity?
In Finland, a second-grade class has participated in a pilot project about physical activity. The aim of the project was to capture a case study of the range and diversity of children’s experiences and opinions: Which factors do eight- and nine-year-old children perceive as promoting or inhibiting their physical activity during the school day?
The inspiration came from a tool at the EU-project HEPCOM with focus on children’s participation as an essential basis in planning, for example planning of more functional environments and play areas at school.
Groups of children were asked to photograph factors that they found promoted and inhibited physical activity during the school day, and they came up with photos of for example weather appropriate shoes without shoelaces and a parking lot for cars where children were not allowed to come.
Then, after the photographic session, the children selected the photographs they wanted to talk about and were interviewed about them. The children were asked to recall the situations where the photos had been taken, which enabled her to hear the children’s descriptions of the photos. Their discussion about the photos showed a wide range of factors that can be addressed when planning or improving the possibilities for physical activities.