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1. National strategy(ies)

2. Promoting and supporting sport and physical activity among young people

3. Physical education in schools

4. Collaboration and partnerships

National strategy(ies)

Legislation

Acts containing provisions on physical activity promoting health and well-being, include the Constitution of Finland, the Act on the Promotion of Sports and Physical Activity (in Finnish, also available in Swedish), the Health Care Act (in Finnish, also available in Swedish), the Municipalities Act (in Finnish, also available in Swedish) and the Youth Act.

Under the Constitution of Finland, physical activity is a basic cultural right. The goal of the Act on the Promotion of Sports and Physical Activity (in Finnish, also available in Swedish) is to support the well-being and health of the population and to support the growth and development of young people by means of physical activity. The Act defines physical activity promoting health and well-being as 'all types of physical activity in the course of human life designed to maintain and improve the state of health and functional ability of the population'. Under the Health Care Act, municipalities must include health counselling in all health-care services and arrange health checks and advice for all age groups, including young people. In terms of young people’s physical activity, the Youth Act is also important. The promotion of a healthy lifestyle is one of its objectives, and youth work and youth policy of the municipalities include sports activities for young people.

National strategy

The national promotion programmes for physical activity and physical exercise, i.e. On the Move programmes, promote a physically active lifestyle for different age groups and demographic groups. The programmes are financed by the Ministry of Education and Culture. For more information, see: 

• Families on the Move (in Finnish)
• Early Childhood Education and Care on the Move (in Finnish, also available in Swedish)
• Finnish Schools on the Move
• Studies on the Move (in Finnish, also available in Swedish)
• Adults on the Move

Central government promotes leisure activities by means of guidelines, measures and funding. Local authorities, the voluntary sector and businesses all play a key role as providers of leisure activities. The Ministry of Education and Culture aims to increase the opportunities for leisure activities for children and young people and low-threshold physical activities locally. For more information, see for example: 

• Harrastuspassi (The Hobby Pass, in Finnish)
• The Finnish model for leisure activities

The National Sports Council has prepared the Reports from Ministries on Promoting Sport and Physical Activity in cooperation with the different ministries. The reports describe each ministry’s interests, objectives, measures, resources, indicators, key legislation and essential development areas related to promoting sport and physical activity. The reports cover policies on ways to increase physical activity at different stages of life, the construction of sports facilities, civic activity in physical activity and elite sports, and they were published in June 2019. 

Promoting and supporting sport and physical activity among young people

The National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme 2024–2027 states that young people themselves have highlighted the wellbeing benefits of hobbies and emphasised the need for preventing social exclusion. Therefore, the programme will support those who do not participate in leisure activities and create more opportunities for young people to engage in hobbies and other leisure activities.

UKK Institute – Centre for Health Promotion Research aims is to promote healthy lifestyle and health-enhancing physical activity through research, training and public awareness. The insitute promotes the physical activity of children and young people with various projects. They have received funding for the period 2024-2025 for the Smart Moves programme, which promotes physical activities and wellbeing among students in upper secondary level, including vocational education students. 

In addition, TEKO – Terve koululainen (A Healthy Student) project prevents sports injuries and leisure time accidents of children and young people, and promotes physical activity at schools and during free time. The target group of the project is especially the teachers of middle school health information and physical education, the teachers of pupils in 5th and 6th grades, and school health care professionals. Terve urheilija (The Healthy Athlete) project, on the other hand, promotes health-supportive sports and coaching, and applies researched sports injury prevention practices to coaching. The primary target group of the project is coaches and instructors of young athletes, while the second target group is children and young people participating in sports clubs, as well as their families. 

Physical education in schools

According to the national core curriculums, sport and health education are mandatory subjects in single-structure basic education and upper secondary education. According to the national core curriculum for single-structure basic education, sport in lower secondary education supports pupils’ physical, social and emotional competences. The ability to take action and in finding sports as hobbies are important emphases in classes 7–9. The teachers must take pupils’ state of health and special needs into consideration when they plan teaching and evaluates performances. Health education emphasises comprehensive understanding of health and health promotion. People skills, identity and sexuality are themes as well as prevention of illnesses, stress and crises.

Sports and health education are mandatory parts of the national core curriculum for upper secondary education as well. According to the national core curriculum for general upper secondary education, sports supports healthy lifestyle choices and well-being whereas evaluation should not be based on a level of fitness. There are two mandatory courses (1 course = 38 lessons) and optional advanced courses available. There is one mandatory health education course for everyone, and it covers the basics of health. The course deepens the knowledge gained in lower secondary education and supports everyday life management. The national core curriculum was published in 2019.

Vocational upper secondary education and training does not have a common national core curriculum, which would be same for everyone regardless of qualification, but education providers follow guidelines and draw up curriculums according to them. There is a mandatory study module for maintaining working capability and wellbeing in vocational education and training. The study modules content and implementation may vary according to one’s qualifications. For example, it may be possible to carry out health education as an online course or to accept one’s free-time sport hobbies as credits in some cases. The goal is to teach skills and knowledge that young people need to maintain and develop their physical, social and mental ability.

The Cultural and Sports Association of Finnish Vocational Education and Training, SAKU, is responsible for developing physical activity among vocational students. The Finnish National Agency for Education, the Ministry of Education and Culture and SAKU have developed a professional’s work capacity pass. The purpose of the passport is to motivate students to improve their work and functional capacity on their own initiative already during their studies.

For more information, visit:

• National core curriculum for upper secondary school (in Finnish)
• National core curriculum for basic education (in Finnish)
• National core curricula available in English

Measures implemented outside the curricula but connected to the school day include the Finnish Model for Leisure Activities. The model aims to create low-threshold, cost-free hobby opportunities to support children’s wellbeing. These activities are organised as part of the school day and are based on the children’s own interests and preferences. In 2024–2025, the model is implemented in 258 municipalities, which have received 14 million euros in funding for this period. In March 2025, the Ministry of Education and Culture announced (in Finnish) that a pilot project of the model would be launched at the upper secondary and vocational education levels. The pilot is partially financed by ESR+ funding.

Collaboration and partnerships

Several actors at national, regional and local levels have committed to the national strategy to promote physical activity. the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Education and Culture collaborate actively on a ministrative level. 

The third sector is actively involved in the implementation of the national strategy, and schools and municipalities cooperate in this area as well. For example, Finnish Schools on the Move programme was organised by the National Agency for Education, Regional State Administrative Agencies and various other organisations, and it was part of the 2019 Government Programme. The Cultural and Sports Association of Finnish Vocational Education and Training SAKU, cooperates with vocational education providers, and has offered support and materials for them as part of the Finnish Schools on the Move project.