Ytterhus recommends allowing children to practise the things they are passionate about and can become good at. But that is not always what happens. Students are often expected to spend extra time working on their weaknesses rather than the things they are good at.
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"Adults don't have to do that. We can simply choose not to do things we are completely unable to master. Children should have more say in what they do and be allowed to spend time on things they enjoy. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that," Ytterhus said at a public event earlier in August.
Ending the day with something you love
NTNU professor Steinar Krokstad spoke about the 'passion hour' that has been introduced for the youngest pupils at some schools in Iceland.
The school day begins with physical activity. Pupils then work on academic subjects before ending the day with the activity they most enjoy doing. This could be academic work, football, or drawing.
"It is as simple as it is brilliant. By ending the day with a passion hour, children go home feeling that they have accomplished something. The results in Iceland have been excellent, and the students learn better," Krokstad said at the public event.
We learn best when things are challenging
"Mastery does not necessarily come when things are easy. We learn best when we encounter some resistance," said Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter.
She is a professor at Queen Maud University College.
"Kindergartens do a good job of creating opportunities for children to experience achievement, but we see a change when they enter school. There is too much focus on achieving targets and testing, while play and physical activity are given less and less room. That affects children’s sense of mastery," she said.
The second piece of advice from the NTNU researchers is that society should encourage children to be physically and socially active.
“We need to be careful not to overprotect children,” says Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter. She is a professor at Queen Maud University College.(Photo: Nina Kristiansen / Science Norway)
At school, this means pupils should have opportunities to move throughout the day, rather than being active only during PE lessons.
'Misled' by schools and the tech industry
Being active is natural for us humans. So if children and adolescents are not physically active, they have been misled, according to Steinar Krokstad.
"Either by schools, which force them to sit at a desk when what they really need most is to run around. Or by the tech industry, which tricks them into staring at a screen for five or six hours a day," he said.
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Physical activity helps prevent physical illnesses, but is also beneficial for children’s mental health.
“Children are being misled,” says Steinar Krokstad. He is a professor of social medicine and a consultant psychiatrist at NTNU and Levanger Hospital.(Photo: Nina Kristiansen / Science Norway)
“We call it the ABCs for good mental health. It means being active, doing things with other people, and engaging in something meaningful,” said Krokstad.
Children also need to be given challenges when it comes to physical play, according to Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter.
“We need to be careful not to overprotect children. They should be free to explore without us constantly being overly cautious and keeping a close eye on them,” she said.
A solid foundation leads to better health
The third and final piece of advice from NTNU is that children and adolescents need to develop good health literacy.
“It means being able to access, understand, and use information that helps you make make good choices for your health and well-being. For example, understanding that you should choose an apple instead of a chocolate bar,” said Borgunn Ytterhus.
If you develop a solid foundation in childhood, you will have better health later in life. Schools reach all children, regardless of their background, and are therefore an important setting for promoting good public health, according to the NTNU researchers.
But some children are more vulnerable than others. Ytterhus has worked primarily with these children.
“Some groups need accommodations. The idea that children should be social and do things together sounds positive, but autistic children, for example, don't always enjoy doing things together with others. So we have to adapt things to their needs,” she tells Science Norway.
“Some groups need accommodations,” says Borgunn Ytterhus. She is a professor of health sciences at NTNU.(Photo: Nina Kristiansen)
Conflicting and inaccurate health information
School health services should work more closely with kindergartens and schools. They can identify whether every child has at least one trusted adult in their life.
"They need sufficient resources to coordinate between GPs, the educational and psychological services, child welfare services, and other services. I have seen children return from child welfare interventions without the school nurse even being informed," says Ytterhus.
Today, children and adolescents get much of their information about their bodies and health from advertising and social media. This information can be inaccurate and conflicting.
"We have a major challenge with an unregulated tech industry that pushes content onto children that they do not need. We need active policies to regulate this industry's influence on children and adolescents," Krokstad said at the public event.
The NTNU researchers recommend that teachers receive further training and sufficient resources to work on public health and encourage critical thinking about health information and media use.
“Schools cannot be responsible for everything”
Member of Parliament Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen (Conservative Party), who sits on the parliamentary education committee, also attended the public event earlier this month. She supported the researchers' advice and recommendations but warned against placing too much responsibility on schools.
"We really need to start much earlier. From a young age, children should learn what is good for them and what is not. And that learning takes place first and foremost within families," she said.
Trøen wants to help families make good choices.
"It's not easy for everyone. Many live in cramped conditions, have limited finances, and lead busy lives. But when we talk about prevention, families and child health clinics are where we need to start," Trøen said.
She also pointed out that children are active in many other settings.
“Schools cannot be responsible for everything,” said Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen. She is a Member of Parliament from the Conservative Party.(Photo: Nina Kristiansen)
"Schools should primarily teach children to read, write, and do arithmetic. Perhaps sports clubs, scouting groups, and school bands could play a greater role in keeping children active," Trøen said.
