Abstract
The aim of the study was to capture the views of children, parents and teachers on the topic of physical activity in kindergarten through observation and focus group interviews. The study was conducted in the kindergartens from the sampling group in the Danish part of PERISCOPE. 1st methodology: Children interviewed inside by the researcher on preferable movements and settings and then observed outside during their playtime. 2nd methodology: Children asked to draw themselves playing their most preferred physical activity. Parents and kindergarten teachers interviewed in two different groups, using an identical guide. Children are skilled in taking advantage of the space and facilities available for physical activity; girls need more support than boys to initiate physical activity; children are happy with the facilities and the toys available in the kindergarten. Teachers feel an increasing pressure to take more responsibility and initiatives for the children's health habits. Parents state that if more physical activity is initiated in the kindergarten, it could make children request domestic activity. Physical activity and movement concept are too abstract for children of this age to talk about: they quickly lose their focus and concentration. The new methodology of videotaping gives the researcher the chance to interpret facial expressions to capture movement, talk and actions, and to make a distinction among children, as they tend to interrupt each other. However, this method contains a weakness, if used alone, by the fact that the shooting is only a reflection of what the video camera has recorded.
Acknowledgement
This paper is a result of the project PERISCOPE, which has received funding from the EU, in the framework of the Public Health Programme through the EAHC (Agreement number 2006341).
Declaration of interest: The authors declare to have no proprietary, financial, professional or other interest of any nature or kind in any product, service, and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in the manuscript entitled.