Everyone can play a part in getting a child active and helping them to become physically literate, and what better time to start this than in the summer holidays!
To help out, we’ve pulled together a suite of fun activities that will get your little ones, hopping, skipping and jumping their way to a healthier future, learning basic skills to support any sport and most importantly having lots of fun at the same time.
Below Manager, Physical Literacy guru, mum and grandparent, Julie Rotchell, explains how you can help a child become physically literate.
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| Julie's grand-daughter Bella, now loves swimming |
When you think back to your childhood, what do you remember about playing? I remember running until my legs couldn’t carry me any further, cycling too fast downhill on my bike, jumping over waves in the sea and really enjoying catching that first wave on my wooden surf board! Playing French skipping with a piece of elastic with my mates and creating loads of different games throwing balls against a wall.
Ok, so it was an age where Playstations and iPads were yet to dominate our play time and as a result this might seem a bit basic. But it was fun. I was always out, playing games, spending time with friends and dreaming up new activities to try out. Being active was just a part of everyday life.
I realise we’ve moved on since then and new technologies have changed the way our children spend their free time and learn new skills. However, throwing, catching and balancing – skills such as these are still key to our development and something we want more children to learn earlier because with these skills so much is possible in later life.
We want every child to be physically literate – why? Because it’s as important to their future as being able to read or write.
When we help a child to become physically literate, we get them into good habits from a young age and give them the ability and desire to lead an active and healthy lifestyle for life.
For those of us who think we may have the next Gareth Bale, Frankie Jones or Amy Boulden living with us, physical literacy will help them achieve to their highest potential. For those who just want to give their kids the best possible start in life – sport can support academic achievement and develop lots of life skills.
And as parents, grandparents or child-minders we can play such a huge role in helping our children on this journey. We are best-placed to know what our children will do and what they are capable of.
Not every child is born with natural sporting ability (they are all however full of energy and willing to give things ago but I’ll come back to this later), so all will start activities at different levels. We are the ones that can spot where we may need to simplify something, just as we do when a child struggles with learning to read.
We are also the ones then that can provide the positive encouragement to help our child take the baby steps to improve that skill. I took my Granddaughter Bella to the swimming pool the other week. She had initially been afraid of putting her head under the water. But using fun sticks to find under the water she was soon thoroughly distracted and suddenly she was away and very quickly afterwards her feet were off the bottom! And now she can’t get enough of swimming underwater.
It sounds simple, but learning these basic skills in a fun and non-pressurised environment can be life-changing and we really are the ones to support this. Every child can be physically literate; we just need to support them in the correct way. After all one on one with your little one is lots more attention than they would get with their teacher in school. And it will be a quality experience for you as well!
Going back to my earlier point, most 3 year olds are full of energy, so let’s make the most of it while it lasts (it can certainly be a different picture in their teens!) It’s also amazing how much fun we can have helping them. The steps that we can each take are simple.
Have a go at our activities, and take every opportunity to get them a little more active, whether at home, on holiday or at local leisure centres and community clubs. It’s a way for them to have fun (for free) and it could kick-start their physical literacy journey!
Over the next month (August 2015), we will release a total of 8 activity cards and short films from our Play to Learn resource that detail short games and challenges that can be undertaken at home, in the garden, at the local park or swimming pool and even on holiday.
So parents, grandparents, child-minders and anyone looking after a young child these summer holidays get yourself to our physical literacy webpages and start downloading now. Each week we will be adding new activities.
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