In Finland’s education system, parents are viewed as essential partners who work collaboratively with schools while maintaining a healthy distance from daily educational processes. This balanced approach fosters children’s independence while ensuring they receive consistent support from both home and school environments. Finnish parents typically focus on creating stable home conditions, encouraging autonomy, and valuing quality family time rather than pressuring children academically or micromanaging their education.
In Finnish education, parents are considered primary educators who form a balanced partnership with schools based on mutual trust and shared responsibility. Unlike educational systems that position teachers as the sole authorities or parents as customers of educational services, the Finnish approach views both parties as collaborative partners with complementary roles in supporting children’s development.
This partnership is built on a foundation of professional trust. Finnish parents generally trust educators’ expertise and decisions, while schools respect parents’ knowledge of their children. This mutual respect creates a balanced system where parents remain involved without micromanaging classroom activities or questioning professional judgment.
Finnish parents typically focus on providing emotional support and stability rather than academic pressure. They understand that their role is to create conditions where children can thrive holistically – supporting not just academic learning but also social skills, emotional wellbeing, and physical health.
The relationship between parents and schools in Finland is characterized by open communication and shared values. When issues arise, the emphasis is on collaborative problem-solving rather than blame, creating a unified approach to supporting children’s educational journey.
How do Finnish parents support learning at home?
Finnish parents support learning primarily by creating stable, nurturing home environments rather than focusing extensively on homework or academic drills. They understand that children’s wellbeing forms the foundation for effective learning, so they prioritize adequate sleep, nutritious meals, and emotional security – factors that significantly impact learning readiness.
Finnish homes typically emphasize independence and responsibility from an early age. Children are encouraged to manage age-appropriate tasks themselves, from packing their school bags to eventually planning their study schedules. This autonomy-building approach aligns with school practices, creating consistency in expectations across environments.
Play and outdoor activities are highly valued in Finnish culture and considered essential for learning. Parents regularly encourage children to spend time in nature, engage in physical activities, and enjoy unstructured play – all of which support cognitive development, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Rather than focusing on academic achievement through excessive homework help, Finnish parents tend to support intrinsic motivation by showing interest in what children are learning, discussing school topics naturally, and modeling reading habits. This approach helps children develop a genuine love of learning rather than studying merely for external rewards or grades.
What’s the difference between parental involvement in Finland vs. other countries?
The most striking difference in Finnish parental involvement compared to many other countries is the emphasis on trust and autonomy rather than constant oversight. While parents in countries like the United States, South Korea or China might closely monitor homework, grades, and extracurricular activities to ensure academic success, Finnish parents typically adopt a more relaxed approach that emphasizes children’s independence.
In many high-pressure educational systems, parents often engage in “helicopter parenting” – hovering over children’s educational experiences, intervening frequently, and pushing for academic achievement above all else. Finnish parents, by contrast, generally trust the educational system and focus more on supporting children’s overall wellbeing and development.
Finnish families typically prioritize quality time together through shared meals, outdoor activities, and family traditions rather than scheduling numerous academic enrichment activities. This stands in contrast to the highly scheduled lives of children in many other developed nations, where extracurricular activities often focus on building competitive advantages for university admissions.
While parents in many countries might measure educational success primarily through grades and test scores, Finnish parents tend to value a broader range of outcomes including social skills, creativity, critical thinking, and happiness. This holistic view aligns with Finland’s educational philosophy that sees standardized testing and academic pressure as potentially counterproductive.
How do Finnish schools communicate with parents?
Finnish schools maintain regular communication with parents through digital platforms that have largely replaced traditional paper notices. Most schools use systems like Wilma, which allows teachers to share information about schedules, assignments, and student progress, while parents can monitor their children’s attendance, view upcoming events, and communicate directly with teachers.
Face-to-face meetings remain an important component of home-school communication. Schools typically organize parent-teacher discussions (vanhempainvartti) at least once or twice yearly, providing opportunities for personalized conversations about children’s progress, strengths, and areas for development. These meetings focus on collaborative problem-solving rather than simply reporting grades.
The concept of ‘kodin ja koulun yhteistyö’ (home-school collaboration) is central to Finnish education. Schools regularly organize parent evenings (vanhempainilta) where families learn about curriculum, teaching methods, and school values. These events help create a shared understanding of educational goals and approaches.
Communication in Finnish schools tends to be straightforward and solution-oriented. When issues arise, teachers typically contact parents promptly, focusing on constructive dialogue rather than blame or criticism. This approach helps maintain positive relationships between home and school, benefiting children’s educational experience.
Why is the parent-teacher relationship important in Finnish education?
The parent-teacher relationship forms a crucial foundation for Finland’s educational success by creating consistency between home and school environments. When parents and teachers share similar values and approaches to learning, children receive coherent messages about expectations and priorities, eliminating the confusion that can occur when home and school operate as separate worlds.
This partnership enables early intervention when learning or behavioral challenges arise. With open lines of communication and mutual trust, small issues can be addressed collaboratively before they develop into significant problems. Parents and teachers can work together to identify effective support strategies tailored to each child’s needs.
The parent-teacher relationship in Finnish education contributes significantly to children’s sense of security. When children observe respectful collaboration between the important adults in their lives, they feel safe and supported, creating optimal conditions for learning and development.
Perhaps most importantly, this collaborative approach acknowledges that education extends beyond classroom walls. By working together, parents and teachers create a seamless educational experience that supports not just academic learning but also the development of social skills, emotional intelligence, and personal responsibility – preparing children for success in all aspects of life.
Through our educational visits and job shadowing programmes at VisitEDUfinn, international educators can observe firsthand how this balanced parent-teacher partnership functions in Finnish schools. Many participants find that this aspect of Finnish education offers valuable insights that can be adapted to improve home-school collaboration in their own educational contexts.
