An inventive app supported by the City of Tampere brings the joy of exercise to schools and families’ leisure time

The Geego app, developed in Tampere, offers an innovative solution to encourage children to exercise in a natural and fun way. Geego combines playfulness and physical activity while developing children's cognitive skills and perseverance. The app has already been piloted in Pispala and Kaukajärvi schools in Tampere.

Geego is a creation of Heidi Leivo, who founded the company five years ago with her husband. The content of the app has been developed in cooperation with Varala Sports Academy and the City of Tampere.

"While coaching children, I have seen how their enthusiasm for independent movement and challenging themselves has decreased. We wanted to develop something that would encourage children to move without the burden of the screen, but to make sensible use of the digital world," says Leivo, explaining the background to the app.

Gamification supports and inspires children to move

According to Minni Suni, Director of Wellness Services at Varala Sports Centre, the partnership is based on a common goal to increase children's physical activity and address the challenges of physical inactivity. The sports experts in Varala have been involved in developing the Geego method, which emphasizes long-term and goal-oriented activities.

"We are constantly developing new solutions to problems in today's society, such as children's poor physical activity results. We are committed to investing in children's activity and creating tools that support children's well-being," Suni explains.

Geego offers children engaging physical indoor and outdoor activities. The app features hundreds of short, exciting videos that encourage children to challenge themselves. With Geego, children can practice important skills like balancing and hand-eye coordination on the side. At the same time, children learn to tolerate failure, which helps them build resilience and cope with everyday life in general.

"With Geego, children have found a new meaning in movement, based not on reward but on a sense of achievement. Learning new skills is a real source of good dopamine," says Leivo.

Guided Geego recess breaks calm down lessons

Geego has found its place in the guided recess lessons at Pispala and Kaukajärvi schools in Tampere, and its use has also been piloted in Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. The pilot, supported by the City of Tampere, will be extended to more schools in Tampere next year.

Ilpo Rantanen, headmaster of Pispala school, says that Geego has become a natural part of the school's daily routine, and the guided Geego recess sessions have become a weekly routine that children look forward to.

"The morning and afternoon Geego exercise classes have also been very popular, with more people signed up than we can accommodate," says Rantanen.

Geego has brought more movement into the school day and therefore helped to calm down lessons. The energy boost before lessons has improved the children's concentration and learning. According to Rantanen, teachers use the app as a break time exercise and during physical education lessons, which also supports the functional pedagogy that is favoured at school.

"Geego is not intended to replace existing physical education, but to add more dimensions to it," he stresses.

Geego has not only been used as part of the school day, but also offered to families to use at home. Both Suni and Leivo emphasize the importance of parents in developing a child's love of physical activity.

"Physical activity during childhood has a huge impact on well-being even as an adult. Geego supports families in this educational process. Parents can set an example by inspiring children to move and participate in shared moments. Shared moments strengthen well-being and the bond between family members," Suni points out.

Collaborative research provides valuable information on children's physical activity

Geego is aiming for international markets, with piloting to be extended to Sweden and the UK in 2025. Research collaboration with the Universities of Tampere, Jyväskylä and Eastern Finland will provide valuable insights into children's physical activity behaviour. In the future, Geego will learn about children's preferences and recommend activities which motivate to develop.

"The aim is to combine the digital and physical worlds in children's physical activity. It's not about children hanging out looking at screens, but about using Geego to give them the nudge to move independently and enthusiastically," Suni says.

Rantanen adds that Geego's strength is its versatility and ability to reach children who might not otherwise move.

"Geego puts physical activity right under the noses of children and also reaches out to pupils who are not familiar with physical activity or have no financial means to do so," he says.

"Proactive health care is important, and physical activity supports both mental and physical well-being," Leivo concludes.