Helena Olofsson, a preschool teacher, and Anton Fagergren, an assistant principal, traveled from Västerås to visit preschools in Lahti, Finland, to gather inspiration and ideas for their own work back home in Sweden.
Our goal and focus
However, our goal was also to share our experiences on what we called sustainable education. Lahti is known for its environmental efforts and its passion for sports, particularly winter sports. Our focus was on pedagogical leadership, special education, learning environments, and sustainability issues.
Visited several preschools
Throughout the week, we visited several preschools and had the opportunity to participate in daily activities, gaining firsthand insight into a typical day in a Finnish preschool. We had the privilege of following both teachers, language instructors, and school leaders. As we toured the different preschool departments, we observed their methods, asked questions to the staff and leadership teams, and, most importantly, spent time in the heart of the educational setting together with the children during singing sessions, language gatherings, meals, and outdoor learning activcities.
One particularly striking aspect was Finland’s clear and structured system for assessing children’s needs. Based on these assessments, resources were allocated to support children with special needs. We noticed that Lahti placed significant emphasis on ensuring that preschools had access to special education teachers as part of their daily work, with most preschools having their own dedicated specialist. Additionally, Finnish preschools provide mother-tongue support in a way that differs from Sweden. Children with another mother tongue received extra training in Finnish, and we had the opportunity to observe such a session. It was fascinating to see how effectively they worked with language development using visual aids and storytelling.
Learning environments indoor and outdoor
Since we in Sweden have spent a great deal of time developing our learning environments, we paid special attention to this aspect. The learning environments in Finland were quite similar across the different preschools we visited. We understood that there were stricter guidelines regarding what educators could modify themselves, compared to the greater autonomy we are used to in Sweden. The classrooms and preschool settings were often equivalent and standardized, which could be seen as both a strength and an area for further development.
One fascinating detail was the strong emphasis on physical activity in Finnish preschools. Every preschool we visited had some form of sports area or physical activity space. One preschool had a huge indoor sports hall, another had access to a basement with a basketball court and soccer goals, while a third had a smaller space with a climbing wall and various balls. Some preschools even had ride-on toy cars for indoor use. Many classrooms were also equipped with ropes or climbing apparatus that could be attached to the ceiling, reinforcing the importance of movement in everyday activities. This strong presence of sports and movement is likely an influence of the athletic culture in Lahti, something that we definitely want to take with us as inspiration for our own work.
Outdoor environments also followed a relatively uniform design across all the preschools we visited. However, they were well-maintained and of high quality. Like in Sweden, many Finnish preschools frequently used the forest as a learning space, reinforcing the value of outdoor education.
New ideas and what we have learned
This visit has given us much to reflect on and a wealth of new ideas. It has been exciting to see how a neighboring country, so geographically close to Sweden, operates in ways that are both similar and very different in certain aspects.
Some other key takeaways from our visit:
- In Finland, children nap or at least rest all the way up to preschool class.
- There is a clearer division of tasks based on educational qualifications.
- Preschool leaders also oversee preschool classes and have the flexibility to allocate staff across these groups.
- Finland excels in the use of visual aids (picture support) in education!
- Many Finnish educators take great pride in their work, and rightly so. However, this made us reflect on how we in Sweden should also celebrate and acknowledge the high quality of our own preschools, including those in Västerås.
- Finland is currently facing a declining number of children in preschools, a challenge that we are in the middle as well. Perhaps this is an area where collaboration between countries could be beneficial?
Final words
A huge thank you to everyone we met during this journey! Your hospitality, knowledge, and dedication have been truly inspiring.
Anton and Helena
Norsamby 