Sweden

Sweden has a population of around 9,208,000. The majority of Swedes live in the southern third of the country, where the climate is milder. There are three main cities in Sweden: Stockholm, Göteborg, and Malmö. The capital, Stockholm, is home to over a million people and is situated on a group of islands on the coast.

What is noticeable right away is the terrain and landscape of Sweden—it is famous for its massive stretches of forests and thousands of lakes. Another major factor is climate and the variation of daylight. In winter, the weather can be very cold and harsh, with only a few hours of daylight, while summers can be very hot, with 24 hours a day of sunlight in some parts of the country. The climate and landscape have a significant impact on the way children play and attitudes toward play.

Sweden's large size and relatively low population make it easy for children to play miles away from the dangers of cars. A good public transport system also means there are fewer cars on the roads. Adults, as well as children, are very focused on nature. Families often explore the outdoors together, with walking, picking flowers and mushrooms, skiing, and ice-skating all being popular pastimes.

Instead of keeping children inside on cold and snowy days, they are dressed in thermal body suits. In fact, Swedish parents see it as essential that their children get to play outside at least once a day, but usually twice a day, no matter what the weather is like. This means that children get to experience and play in mud, snow, ice, and rain, and can get as dirty as they want.

As well as the landscape and climate playing important roles in children's play opportunities, so do the attitudes toward play and children in general. Children in Sweden start school at the age of 6. Before that, most children attend nursery or preschool from a very early [Page 691]age. This is because, although not being free, daycare is inexpensive and both parents usually work full- or part-time. Swedish nurseries and preschools are very play based and encourage very informal learning. Freedom and choice are at the heart of the curriculum, encouraging children to explore the world themselves in a very child-centered, relaxed environment.

Sweden is also notable as the birthplace of Dan Olweus, who has, more than any other researcher, put bullying and bully/victim problems on the map as a major area of research. His work in Sweden, Norway, and other countries has increased awareness of the importance of bullying as a social issue that needs to be addressed in schools and other settings worldwide, and he has been called the world's leading authority on the subject.

From 1962 to 1970, Olweus was also the director of the Erica Foundation in Stockholm, a Swedish institution that has made important contributions in the field of child development. Dr. Gösta Harding and Allis Dan-ielson developed the Erica Method of Play Assessment there in the 1940s, and it is still in use. The foundation now treats children and trains clinical child psychologists and is supported in part by the Swedish central government.

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