Barns hälsa i förskolan : Pedagogers tankar och samhällets ideal

The aim of this study is to examine teacher´s thoughts and ideas about children´s health in Swedish preschools. It´s a qualitative study where interviews have been done with five preschool teachers about children´s health in preschool. The theory applied in this study is Social-Constructivism, which means a theory of knowledge where reality and society is constructed by a human perspective and each individual create his own knowledge. The reason for this study is children´s increased sedentary behavior. Many children today are overweight and health is a major topic of conversation in society today. The questions asked in this study are: What criteria do teachers consider as parts of in the concept of health? What important factors are working towards the children to achieve a good standard of health? Are the teachers affected by the thoughts about health that exist in society today and can the teacher’s ideas be linked to the concept about health created by society? The results indicate that all the study´s participants believe that the children´s health is very important and that they all daily promote children´s health and wellbeing daily in preschool. Important factors for a good health are good physique, good mental and social health. The participant’s views on children´s health were that children should be safe as well as be able to physically endure different activities. The teachers do not plan activities where health comes first, but instead activities where health comes naturally via games played outdoors and in nature. The participants never spoke of health as a certain ideal and appearance, contrary to what we can hear in society today