Article

New Partnership Promotes Active Schoolchildren

We aim to bring more physical education and movement into Danish schools to enhance children’s well-being, health, and learning. To achieve this, we have joined forces with five leading organizations and research institutions.

Danish schoolchildren are not moving enough, which negatively affects their well-being, learning outcomes, and overall health.

Only 27% of Danish schoolchildren meet the recommendation of 60 minutes of daily physical activity. At the same time, many children experience poor mental well-being and high rates of school absenteeism. To address these challenges, we have formed the partnership Physical Activity and Movement in a School Context together with five key organizations. The goal is to increase physical activity and create a more varied school day.

Multiple studies show that increased physical activity during the school day improves concentration, learning, well-being, and mental health among children and adolescents. Yet it is often difficult to translate this knowledge into everyday practice. This is what the partnership seeks to change.

An Integrated Part of Teaching

We launched the partnership in collaboration with Danish School Sports (Dansk Skoleidræt) and are funding the initial phase with a grant of DKK 9.2 million.

“We need to create conditions that make sport and movement a natural, integrated part of the school day for all children. Physical activity promotes not only health but also well-being. That’s why it’s crucial to embed movement throughout the school environment—from the classroom to the playground and out into the local community,” says our director, Morten Grønbæk.

The partnership is based on a so-called whole-school approach, involving multiple stakeholders in and around the school, including students, teachers, school leadership, municipal administration, parents, and the local community. The aim is to work systematically across the school day to change school culture and everyday practice.

Examples include encouraging students to use their bodies and senses more actively in learning, making it easier to walk or cycle to and from school, making physical education more fun and inclusive, and strengthening links between the school and leisure-time movement activities.

Schools as Active Partners

Experience shows that this is an effective and sustainable way to create active school environments—even in under-resourced areas.

“The partnership offers a unique opportunity to develop solutions that benefit schoolchildren nationwide and to ensure that schools become active partners in promoting well-being and health. I am proud that we have brought together such central organizations around this cause. Together we can create a more active school day for the benefit of Danish schoolchildren,” says Bjørn Friis Neerfeldt, Secretary General of Danish School Sports.

The next step is to involve schools, teachers, students, and municipalities to ensure the work reflects everyday school priorities and resources. The partnership’s associated research institutions will contribute evidence-based knowledge.