Child Barometer  

“Playing is the best” – children’s views of pre-primary education

The 2025 Child Barometer examines children’s views on the practices of pre-primary education, factors that increase and reduce the meaningfulness of everyday life in pre-primary education, and learning and related support in pre-primary education.

“If I’ve got someone close to me, I won’t be scared” – Childrens opinions on security

The Child Barometer 2022 surveyed what security means to 6–7-year-old children, what kind of things increase the sense of security of the children and what kind of things reduce it.

The Child Barometer 2020 surveyed 6-year-old children’s thoughts on good life. What factors does good life consist of and in what way are these factors part of children’s own lives? The data for the study was collected through a survey targeted at children. The key findings of the study can be summed up in three basic foundations of good life that were emphasised in children’s answers. These were play, home and food.

The Child Barometer in 2018 gathered information on the experiences of 6-year-old children on their leisure time and exercise. The study compared face-to-face and telephone interviews as information gathering methods, and 150 six-year-old children and their custodians were interviewed in the study. The study showed that playing games and playing pretend, staying at home and eating delicious food are the most important things for children in their leisure time.

The theme of the first Child Barometer was trust. Based on the results, most 6-year-old children express trust towards their nearest and dearest, such as their friends and family. On the other hand, the survey showed indications of inequality and that there is a small group of 6-year-olds who are unable to identify positive things in their life, or who do not view themselves as receiving positive feedback or help.