Fysisk aktivitet i barnehagens utemiljø: «Hvordan tilrettelegger barnehagen for fysisk aktivitet i et utemiljø?»

Abstract

Background: Many preschoolers and staff members spend a substantial portion of their day outside. The amount of physical activity and sedentary time accumulated in the outdoor environment are critical to children ability to meet the national health recommendations. Previous research suggests the 50% of Norwegian children satisfy the national health recommendations for physical activity. However, little knowledge exists regarding how the preschool organize physical activity in an outdoor environment. Purpose: This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of how a preschool organizes physical activity in in an outdoor environment. Methods: The data collection was based on qualitative research interview, which relates to data in the form of sound, text and image, which emphasizes the interpretation of the data that the researcher receives. Conclusions: The results showed that the preschool staff have a general knowledge about physical activity, and what benefits physical activity has for a child’s development. Nevertheless, the evidence demonstrated that the staff did not spend a great deal of time planning or organizing physical activity outdoors. Furthermore, this study indicated that it was often the children who initiated physical activity and physical play. Keywords: Physical activity, Outdoor environment & outdoor play, Preschool staff, Health recommendations