Talk about exercise
approx. 5–30 min
Easy
No equipment required
1–2
How to do it
Tip
You can make this a regular routine in your work: set a goal to have a good chat about exercise every week.
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Mini-intervention to promote physical activity is a tool that helps you talk naturally with young people about small successes in their everyday physical activity. The tool is based on three questions that make it possible to quickly bring up physical activity as a topic and at the same time support motivation to increase it in a way that feels meaningful to young people.
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Familiarize yourself with the material in advance: 0f377e97-liikkumisen_edistamisen_mini-interventio_yhteistyokumppaneille_2024_a4_sahkoinen_14.2-1.pdf
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Choose an appropriate time. Look for an everyday, safe, and natural situation where there is time and peace for conversation—for example, during a walk together, at the coffee table, or during playtime.
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Use the three core questions from the mini-intervention model and the related follow-up questions to support the conversation.
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Listen and encourage. Give the young person space to talk – don’t rush them. Acknowledge their experiences and perspectives, and avoid steering or correcting them too much. You can share your own experiences if you want, but focus primarily on listening to the young person.
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Give them the opportunity to return later. Not every occasion is right for a conversation. If the young person is not ready to talk, you can bring up the subject again at a later date.
This method can be used to strengthen young people’s sense of self-efficacy, highlight their existing skills, and build a positive identity as a person who is physically active. The conversation can also help to identify negative feelings associated with exercise and inspire new, inspiring ways to be active. Listening to young people increases their sense of participation and strengthens trusting interaction.