Browsing by Author "Kurkaa, Saara"

The aim of this study was to find out the level of preschoolers’ physical activity during the day and to show if they are able to reach the recommended level of physical exercise in perspective to early childhood education. The study was also targeted to find out if there are any differences in preschoolers’ physical activity based on gender and geological location. The material for this quantitative research was gathered in May 2015 from two separate pre-schools. 28 children from two groups took part in the study. While this study took place, the children were 6–7 years old. Nine of them were girls and 19 boys. The data was gathered by using Polar activity wrist sensors and analyzed by transforming the results into a quantitative form. The results show that the preschoolers’ physical activity is fairly minimal, but on the other hand, it varies significantly between the individuals and days. Only a few of the participants were able to reach the expected minimum of two hours physical activity per day. Some differences be-tween genders were found in favor of the boys, but the greatest differences were found be-tween individuals. The location of the preschool had significance as well: the children in the city center preschool had higher results in physical activity than the ones in the municipality pre-school. Generally, it can be said that children between 6-7 years of age do not get enough exercise, which coincides with previous studies. The results are directive but the concern of the low physical activity of preschool children is justified. . More attention should be paid to those habits and practices which enable - and prevent - the daily play time at preschool.