A group of kindergarten children stands in a row wearing colorful rain gear. In front of them, a ramp made of stacked milk crates is set up by a muddy puddle.
And then something happens that many will likely remember fondly from their own childhood: the children jump into the puddle, splashing muddy water up. One by one they jump, while the others cheer loudly, and a pedagogue stands ready to help.
A video of these mud jumps with the children from Tinghøj Nursery and Kindergarten on Funen has now reached no less than six million views on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=183711961467478).
The video comes from an ordinary day at the kindergarten back in November 2023. Since then, the number of views has exploded, and in June this year it had achieved one and a half million views. But that was nowhere near the peak. Since then, the number of views has just grown and grown.
The video's popularity has really come as a surprise to Kasper Jensen, who is a pedagogue at the integrated institution.
- It has really surprised us a lot, because it wasn't shared to make something cool. We make videos to show our everyday life with play and fun activities, he says.
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'Danish pedagogy can do something special'
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Already in the summer, the video went viral (https://avisendanmark.dk/indland/boernehave-i-mudder-er-gaaet-viralt-se-den-soede-video-her) and was also shared by influencer Anders Hemmingsen on Instagram, where it has now been seen 14.6 million times. Now the video has been shown over 20 million times in total.
The comment sections on both Facebook and Instagram also show that August, Magne, and the other children in the video from Tinghøj have also reached beyond Denmark's borders.
- Then we suddenly become more aware that Danish pedagogy can do something special, says Kasper Jensen.
- It may not be a given for everyone to be allowed to play in that way, where it also becomes a little dangerous and exciting, he says.
The kindergarten, which spends just as much time indoors as outdoors, also shared a video in July from another rainy day, the pedagogue says.
Here the children were allowed to slide on a homemade slide made of a tarp that was smeared with water and soap and spread out on a hill. That video has been seen by 37,000.
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> I think this is quite special for our culture in the Nordics.
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Child physiotherapist: Children need to be challenged motorically
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There are several good reasons to let children play wilder and freer, says
- From a motor skills perspective, it is good for children's coordination, timing, and body awareness, she says.
- Jumping from something high and landing on your feet gives you good compression through your body and allows you to feel yourself.
Maria Schultz Appelt is a trained child physiotherapist and runs DeveloBaby Child Physiotherapy. (Photo: © Private photo)
The children also practice their motor calculation and timing when they look down at the puddle, jump, and then land on their feet, she says.
- If we as children constantly move within what we call the green zone – meaning where we are not challenged – then we don't gain experience with what the body can do, and the body will become limited.
In fact, Maria Schultz Appelt herself uses jumping play in her treatment of children with so-called sensory integration difficulties.
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> We must train children's senses and joy of movement. That is more important than them getting dirty clothes.
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'Special for our culture in the Nordics'
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Maria Schultz Appelt shares tips and exercises on her three Instagram profiles – she has one in Danish, one in English, and one in German, which together are followed by 745,000.
Here she experiences a great interest in how Danish children grow up.
- I think this is quite special for our culture in the Nordics. We incorporate more nature, naturalness, and joy of movement into play than in many other countries, she says.
Also read: Zhang Tong has released Danish children's books on the Chinese market – one author they need to get used to (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kultur/zhang-tong-har-sluppet-danske-boerneboeger-ud-paa-det-kinesiske-marked-en-forfatter-skal-de-lige-vaenne-sig-til)
She therefore hopes that the video from Tinghøj can inspire, because it annoys her that in recent years more caution has entered children's lives – also here at home.
- It is important that we do not become too cautious with our children. Today, you don't see very many children alone at the playground, so the culture of overprotection is unfortunately also gaining more ground in Denmark, she says and adds:
- We must train children's senses and joy of movement. That is more important than them getting dirty clothes.
Science also encourages less caution in children's play. You can hear more about that in this previous edition of 'Verdens navle':
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.