There’s a revolution going on in kids’ sport.
Research shows there’s a right way and a right time to develop the fundamental movement skills and fundamental sport skills that benefit kids for their whole lives. Just as important, we’ve learned that by making the process fun for kids, they will stay active and have greater chances to become top-level athletes.
Because kids who have fun being active are more likely to stay active for life.
Just as children need to be taught to read and write, they need to be taught how to run, jump and throw. After all, movement is a child’s first language, and our ability to move is the most fundamental means we have of interacting with our world. It’s called physical literacy. To develop physical literacy, there are certain fundamental movement skills and fundamental sport skills our children need to learn the right way, at the right time during their development. These skills include movements such as running, jumping, hopping, balancing, throwing and swimming. If any of these skills aren’t developed properly, future development is restricted. Children may be excluded from many sports and activities later in life. But give a child a strong foundation of movement skills and they’ll be ready to learn more complex movements and sport skills when the time is right.
The key to quality sport and physical activity is to design programs with the athletes in mind, whatever their age. That means doing the right thing, at the right time and in the right way.
Research shows there’s a right way and a right time to develop the fundamental movement skills and fundamental sport skills that benefit kids for their whole lives. Just as important, we’ve learned that by making the process fun for kids, they will stay active and have greater chances to become top-level athletes.
Because kids who have fun being active are more likely to stay active for life.
Just as children need to be taught to read and write, they need to be taught how to run, jump and throw. After all, movement is a child’s first language, and our ability to move is the most fundamental means we have of interacting with our world. It’s called physical literacy. To develop physical literacy, there are certain fundamental movement skills and fundamental sport skills our children need to learn the right way, at the right time during their development. These skills include movements such as running, jumping, hopping, balancing, throwing and swimming. If any of these skills aren’t developed properly, future development is restricted. Children may be excluded from many sports and activities later in life. But give a child a strong foundation of movement skills and they’ll be ready to learn more complex movements and sport skills when the time is right.
The key to quality sport and physical activity is to design programs with the athletes in mind, whatever their age. That means doing the right thing, at the right time and in the right way.
- FUNdamentals first
- Focus on child development
- Child small, not adult large
- Practice, practice, fun
- Winning is not a good measure
