More moving and less screens — Finland's school year starts with active plans for kids

Finland's students will return to school on Wednesday following a lengthy summer vacation, with numerous cities including Helsinki, Lahti, Jyväskylä, Joensuu, Oulu, and Rovaniemi welcoming them back. In Espoo and Vantaa, children have one additional day of summer vacation before heading to class. The new academic year also introduces several modifications, as authorities aim to reinforce the mobile phone ban and encourage physical activity among young learners.

Terhi Nissinen, from the Finnish National Agency for Education, emphasized that these changes will be evident in every primary school student's daily routine, with a greater focus on active lessons and reduced sedentary behavior. Breaks between classes will now see the introduction of teacher-led games, peer mentoring, and activities known as "välkkäri."

This latter term, which stems from the Finnish word for a break or recess, involves older students assisting, playing with, or supervising younger peers during recess. Nissinen further noted that promoting a more active lifestyle may also extend to children's commutes to school, encouraging walking or biking over other forms of transportation.

As school boundaries in eastern Helsinki have recently shifted, there has been renewed discussion surrounding the phenomenon of "school shopping," where parents seek to enroll their children in more prestigious schools outside their immediate neighborhoods. Annette Ukkola, from the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre, pointed out that schools populated by a higher proportion of foreign-language speakers might be viewed less favorably, potentially leading to perceived discrimination if parents avoid such institutions due to the presence of students learning Finnish as a second language.

Ukkola stressed that while a high-quality education is crucial for future opportunities, such as university admission, there are multiple pathways to achieving academic success in Finland, and attending a top-performing school is not the sole determinant.