A healthier start in life
for every child
MOVE For Fun promotes physical activity as something joyful and easy to be part of. Together with partners, we help children discover that movement can be fun — and support their health and happiness from an early age.
Support active childhoods
Every child should be able to enjoy the benefits of physical activity — supporting their health, social well-being and personal growth.
MOVE For Fun is designed for organisations willing to work together to create more accessible, playful and inclusive opportunities for children to be active in their everyday lives. It combines a proven concept, practical guidance and a global network, while giving partners the flexibility to adapt activities to their local context.
By making movement fun from the early years, MOVE For Fun supports healthy habits that can grow over time.
Active lifestyle from the early years
Engaging in physical activity has numerous benefits for the social, mental and physical health and well-being of children and adolescents. Building healthy habits in childhood can support well-being for years to come. In addition to that, regular physical activity can also help reduce the risk of disease later in life.
Adaptable and inclusive
MOVE For Fun builds on the successful Jump4Fun model, implemented in 39 municipalities across Denmark by DGI. This concept has been further developed by incorporating valuable insights from similar programmes worldwide, thanks to the network of ISCA members, experts and partners.
The underlying principle of the model is rooted in the didactic relationship approach. It is designed to be adaptable to local circumstances while providing ample guidance, resources and capacity-building support to ensure the success and sustainability of activities by the local delivery organisation.
Who can join
MOVE For Fun is designed for organisations that want to help children move more: civil society organisations, community sport organisations, schools, municipalities / cities, Novo affiliates and local partners.
The model can be adapted to different local contexts while keeping fun, inclusion, involvement and simple evaluation at its core.
What makes it work
The model is built on four principles that help partners deliver activities children want to join, enjoy and return to.
Inclusion
Activities are carefully designed to ensure that all team members feel included and can fully appreciate their participation. There is a strong emphasis on creating a positive environment where every child can participate, contribute and feel part of the team.
Involvement
Specific activities are co-designed with children, giving them a say and allowing them to take an active role in decision-making. They contribute their ideas and share responsibility for putting the activities into practice.
Enjoyment
First and foremost, activities should be fun. Children may take part for different reasons, but the joy of playing and moving together is at the heart of the programme.
Evaluation
Simple, age-appropriate evaluation helps children share what they experienced and helps partners improve activities over time.
Pilot case studies
United Kingdom
Argentina
Poland
See how the concept works in practice
Learn how the MOVE For Fun pilot in Argentina used joy through movement to engage children and support local delivery.
Partner reflection
from the Argentina pilot
“A lot of the children from these neighbourhoods aren’t having so much fun, and they face challenging circumstances every day, so joy through movement is absolutely our main goal.”
Follow MOVE For Fun stories from our partners.
About the partners
MOVE For Fun is a stand-alone initiative founded and continuously supported by Novo and ISCA, and co-branded with Cities for Better Health.
Novo
Novo is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo employs about 67,900 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries.
ISCA
International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) is a global umbrella association with an active community of 3,669 MOVE Agents and a democratic backbone of 81 member organisations, all of which are national and local promoters of sport, play and physical activity. We develop and deploy concepts to empower organisations worldwide to get citizens from all walks of life more physically active.
DGI
DGI is the biggest “sport for all” association in Denmark, focusing exclusively on strengthening and promoting physical activity and sport participation for all citizens through local clubs and communities. DGI collaborates with a wide range of partners to promote health and social wellbeing. The organisation has 6,600 member associations with 1.7 million volunteers. More than 30,000 volunteers, coaches and leaders attend courses at DGI every year.