PLEASE, Any Swedish speaking activities for kids - In the capital region?

[Samer2010]

Hi Forum,

Could you please help me out? Do you know any playgrounds, parks, or any institutes in the capital region that has Swedish speaking activities for young kids (3 - 7 years old)? Any place where kids can play and socialize together.

Please, Let me know - I really need this!

[Samer2010]

Hi All,

Just sending this post to resurrect the topic. As I wrote, I really, really, really need this. I have a kid who only speaks Swedish and little bit of English and I am seriously struggling so bad to find any activities to engage him in. All swimming lessons are in Finnish, All hokey/skiing lessons are in Finnish, even the football clubs that we went to were only in Finnish.

What do I do? Could you please be kind and advise me what to do? I am willing to go anywhere within the capital region just to find anything useful where he can meet and interact with kids of his age.

Thank you, and I hope to hear your inputs!

[Samer2010]

Hi All,

Just sending this post to resurrect the topic. As I wrote, I really, really, really need this. I have a kid who only speaks Swedish and little bit of English and I am seriously struggling so bad to find any activities to engage him in. All swimming lessons are in Finnish, All hokey/skiing lessons are in Finnish, even the football clubs that we went to were only in Finnish.

What do I do? Could you please be kind and advise me what to do? I am willing to go anywhere within the capital region just to find anything useful where he can meet and interact with kids of his age.

Thank you, and I hope to hear your inputs!

[FinlandGirl]

I have a kid who only speaks Swedish and little bit of English and I am seriously struggling so bad to find any activities to engage him in. All swimming lessons are in Finnish, All hokey/skiing lessons are in Finnish, even the football clubs that we went to were only in Finnish.

What do I do? Could you please be kind and advise me what to do? I am willing to go anywhere within the capital region just to find anything useful where he can meet and interact with kids of his age.

Swedish kindergarten would be the natural option, there are several in the capital region.
Or Finnish kindergarten if he will grow up here, learning Finnish in school will be harder than learning in kindergarten.

[vla]

I have a kid who only speaks Swedish and little bit of English and I am seriously struggling so bad to find any activities to engage him in. All swimming lessons are in Finnish, All hokey/skiing lessons are in Finnish, even the football clubs that we went to were only in Finnish.

What do I do? Could you please be kind and advise me what to do? I am willing to go anywhere within the capital region just to find anything useful where he can meet and interact with kids of his age.

Swedish kindergarten would be the natural option, there are several in the capital region.
Or Finnish kindergarten if he will grow up here, learning Finnish in school will be harder than learning in kindergarten.

When we moved in my daughter only spoke spanish. She went to a finnish kindergarten and after two months she could already talk some finnish so engaging with other kids was a lot easier.

Of course I could have sent her to a spanish kindergarten (there is a couple in Helsinki) but I think that would be pointless, I need my daughter to speak finnish.

Your first post was on december last year, so almost one year ago and you are still facing the same problem, for me that is a sign that you need to change something.

[Samer2010]

Due to very complicated matters I cannot put him in a Finnish kindergarten.

According to the official stats there are 288400 Swedish speakers in Finland, assuming that only 1% of that number lives in the capital region which is about several thousands persons. Don't these nearly 3000 persons have any sort of social or cultural life, activities, clubs, organizations that help their children in their mother tongue?

[FinlandGirl]

Due to very complicated matters I cannot put him in a Finnish kindergarten.

Any place where kids can play and socialize together.

Finnish kids play and socialize 5 days per week in a kindergarten.

According to the official stats there are 288400 Swedish speakers in Finland, assuming that only 1% of that number lives in the capital region which is about several thousands persons. Don't these nearly 3000 persons

Kauniainen alone has more than 3000 people with Swedish mother tongue.
There are more than 70000 people with Swedish mother tongue in the capital region.

All swimming lessons are in Finnish, All hokey/skiing lessons are in Finnish, even the football clubs that we went to were only in Finnish.

95% of the children do not speak Swedish.
In parts of the capital region are more kids who speak Russian than kids who speak Swedish.
In parts of the capital region are more kids who speak Somali than kids who speak Swedish.
Finnish is the lingua franca for kids in the capital region.

have any sort of social or cultural life, activities, clubs, organizations that help their children in their mother tongue?

Speaking only Swedish is not a practical option in the capital region at any age, and children of Swedish speaking Finns also speak Finnish.

[Samer2010]

I would like to politely repeat that Finnish language is not an option at all. I tried suggesting that before, But, It is not in my hand, that's why I am hoping to hear any possible alternatives, Please!

[FinlandGirl]

I would like to politely repeat that Finnish language is not an option at all. I tried suggesting that before, But, It is not in my hand, that's why I am hoping to hear any possible alternatives, Please!

Finnish is not an option for you and kindergarten is not an option for you.
This excludes the options Swedish speaking Finns are using for their kids.

You can check what associations exist for Swedish speaking Finns and ask them whether any alternatives exist.
Areas with larger Swedish speaking minorities are more likely to have afternoon/weekend options in Swedish for kids. Swedish language swimming lessons in Vantaa would be absurd, in Kauniainen they might exist.

[rinso]

I would like to politely repeat that Finnish language is not an option at all.

This is confusing. I myself cannot think of any reason why this is so. Also if there is a big problem with Finnish, why do you stay in Finland?
I would suggest looking at the problem from all sides. Making your child completely dependent on Swedish will not help him in the future.

[inkku]

https://barnkultur.luckan.fi/

https://www.hel.fi/sote/perheentuki-sv/ ... ed-barnet/

http://www.annantalo.fi/fi/taideopetus/?ct=738

https://dotdot.fi/undervisning/

[jarikaija]

I would like to politely repeat that Finnish language is not an option at all. I tried suggesting that before, But, It is not in my hand, that's why I am hoping to hear any possible alternatives, Please!

Sounds that you are under your kids feet... oh my...

[inkku]

https://www.hel.fi/varhaiskasvatus/sv/l ... ckoprogram

football in Sipoo, bi-lingual
http://svjalkapallo.fi/joukkueet/

[inkku]

football in Helsinki, bi-lingual
https://hifkfotboll.fi/juniorit/

[inkku]

Traditionally HIFK is bending towards swedish speaking folks, you could email them and ask if they have any support for swedish speaking kids in their ice hockey training.
rf@hifk.fi