Physical Activity Resource Centre Conference 2006Making it Happen Physical Activity and the Early Ye

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Physical Activity Resource CentreConference
2006Making it Happen! Physical Activity and
the Early Years Christa Costas-Bradstreet Sue
Weststrate
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Were Going to Have a ball!Presentation Overview

• Best Start Resource Centre
• Introduction to Have a Ball! A Toolkit for
  Physical Activity and the Early Years
• What the Research Says
• Resources
• Great Ideas for Great Balls of Fun!
• Fact Sheets for Professionals and Parents

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Best Start Resource Centre

• Consultations
• Training, workshops, annual conference
• MNCHP Network
• Resources
• Member of OHPRS
• www.beststart.org
• www.meilleurdepart.org

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Have a Ball!The Resource

• Purpose
• Partnership
• Advisory Committee
• Environmental scan
• Needs assessment with EL CC sector
• Research and design
• Focus test at pilot sites
• Training needs assessment
• Next steps
• Toolkit contents

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What the Research Says
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about the benefits of physical activity

• Physical
• Increases energy and improves stamina
• Encourages muscle growth and helps develop strong
  bones    
• Helps maintain a healthy weight
• Makes the heart and lungs stronger
• Maintains a healthy blood pressure
• Increases flexibility
• Improves coordination
• Helps improve sleeping habits
• Helps improve eating habits

   
 
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• Psychological/Emotional
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• Reduces anxiety
• Prevents, reduces, combats depression
• Enhances psychological well-being
• Improves our ability to deal with stress
• Helps us feel good about ourselves

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• Academic
• Helps
• increase concentration
• improve memory
• enhance creativity
• improve problem-solving skills/abilities
• enhance learning

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• Social
• Teaches important skills such as sports skills
  and life skills
• Provides opportunities for children to socialize
  and make friendships, and practise
  self-discipline
• Decreases the likelihood of using tobacco,
  alcohol and drugs in the teen years and beyond
• Develops positive lifelong attitudes toward
  physical activity
• Encourages healthy family engagement

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about the relevance of physical activity for
young children

• Movement is an important part of a childs
  physical, mental and emotional development and
  one of the important mediums through which young
  children form impressions about themselves and
  their surroundings.
• Activity satisfies a childs curiosity of
  movement.

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• Physical activity can help young children feel
  good about themselves.
• Games and activities encourage interaction among
  children.
• Enjoyable physical activity experiences promote a
  positive attitude about active lifestyles and may
  carry over into adulthood.

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• Young children solve problems and gain success
  through challenges and explorations
• The best time for basic movement development is
  during the early years
• There is a strong connection between motor
  competence and self-esteem among very young
  children.

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.about how active children are

• Children today are 40 less active than they were
  30 years ago.
• In 2000, over half of Canadian children and
  youth, aged five to 19 were not active enough for
  optimal growth and development.
• Forty percent of Canadian children already have
  developed at least one risk factor for heart
  disease reduced fitness due to inactivity.

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about the obesity epidemic

• Between 1981 and 1996, there were dramatic
  increases in overweight and obesity in children
  ages seven to 13. The prevalence of boys who
  were overweight increased from 15 to 28.8 and
  among girls from 15 to 23.6.
• The prevalence of obesity in boys nearly tripled
  from 5 to 13.5 and more than doubled in girls
  from 5 to 11.8.
• There is reason to believe that these figures
  underestimate the actual numbers.

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• Obese children are five to seven times more
  likely to become obese adults than non-obese
  children. Children who were obese at age six had
  a fifty percent chance of becoming obese adults.
• Sedentary lifestyles are a major contributing
  factor to the development of obesity in children
  and adolescents.

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• Ontarians aged two and up spent almost 21 hours a
  week watching TV. Children between the ages of
  two and 11 specifically, watched an average of
  14.5 hours a week. This does not include time
  playing video and computer games or using the
  Internet. (Stats Canada, 2002)
• Half of Canadas children and youth are spending
  two to four hours per day watching television.
  (Tremblay and Willms, 2003).
• Children who watch television more than two hours
  per day are more likely to be overweight and
  obese. (Tremblay and Willms, 2003).

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• Canadian children and youth rank among the
  highest in the world for computer use. Nearly
  half of our kids spend three or more hours on the
  computer per weekend day alone.

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about children with a disability

• Canadians with a disability are less likely than
  other Canadians to participate regularly in
  physical activities.
• A person with a disability might gain the
  following benefits- Improved physical stamina
  and self-confidence bring greater independence-
  Controlled weight loss and increased strength aid
  with strength and mobility- Enhanced
  circulation reduces the possibility of blood
  pooling and swelling in limbs- Improved posture
  decreases aches and pains

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• An inclusive environment is one that provides the
  opportunity for children of all abilities and
  interests to participate in all activities.
  Inclusive environments recognize the inherent
  value of each child, the right to take risks and
  make mistakes, the need for independence and
  self-determination, and the right to choice.

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• In an inclusive program
• Activities are modified and individualized as
  necessary
• Expectations are realistic yet challenging
• Assistance is provided only to the degree
  required
• Dignity of risk and availability of choices are
  respected and fostered
• Zindler-Wenett Weiss (1987)

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A Bleak Future?

• Because of the increasing rates of obesity,
  unhealthy eating habits, and physical inactivity,
  we may see the first generation that will be less
  healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than
  their parents
• (U.S. Surgeon General).

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One Solution Active Start

• Active Start
• A Statement of
• Physical Activity Guidelines
• for Children Birth to Five Years
• The U.S. National Association for Sport and
  Physical Education (NASPE)

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Guidelines for Infants

• Guideline 1
• Infants should interact with parents and/or
  caregivers in daily physical activities that are
  dedicated to promoting the exploration of their
  environment.
• Guideline 2
• Infants should be placed in safe settings that
  facilitate physical activity and do not restrict
  movement for prolonged periods of time.

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Guidelines for Infants (2)

• Guideline 3
• Infants physical activity should promote the
  development of movement skills.
• Guideline 4
• Infants should have an environment that meets or
  exceeds recommended safety standards for
  performing large muscle activities.

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Guidelines for Infants (3)

• Guideline 5
• Individuals responsible for the well-being of
  infants should be aware of the importance of
  physical activity and facilitate the childs
  movement skills.

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Guidelines forToddlers and Preschoolers

• Guideline 1
• Toddlers should accumulate at least 30 minutes
  daily of structured physical activity
  preschoolers at least 60 minutes.
• Guideline 2
• Toddlers and preschoolers should engage in at
  least 60 minutes and up to several hours per day
  of daily, unstructured physical activity and
  should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes
  at a time except when sleeping.

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Guidelines forToddlers and Preschoolers (2)

• Guideline 3
• Toddlers should develop movement skills that are
  building blocks for more complex movement tasks
  preschoolers should develop competence in
  movement skills that are building blocks for more
  complex movement tasks.

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Guidelines forToddlers and Preschoolers (3)

• Guideline 4
• Toddlers and preschoolers should have indoor and
  outdoor areas that meet or exceed recommended
  safety standards for performing large muscle
  activities.
• Guideline 5
• Individuals responsible for the well-being of
  toddlers and preschoolers should be aware of the
  importance of physical activity and facilitate
  the childs movement skills.

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Resources
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Resources

• Criteria for Resource Selection
• Books and Manuals
• Free Downloads
• Reports
• Videos and CDs
• Websites
• Nutrition Resources and Reports

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Great Ideasfor Great Balls of Fun!

• Active Ideas

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Just The Facts

• Fact Sheets
• for Professionals and Parents

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ContentFact Sheets for Professionals

• Kicking Things Off With a Healthy Self- Image
• Have a Ball with Physical Activity
• Lets Not Drop the Ball When it Comes to
  Promoting Healthy Weights

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1. Kicking Things OffWith a Healthy Self-Image

• Topics include
• Definitions of self-image and self-esteem
• A word about body image
• Building Positive Self-image and Self-esteem
  involves
• Physical Activity and Self-esteem
• When providing physical activity opportunities
  for children, be sure to

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1.c. Building Positive Self-image and Self-esteem
involves

• Providing nurturing, safe and loving environments
  for children
• Being aware of self-esteem gender biases a
  girls self-esteem is often linked to appearance,
  whereas a boys is more likely to be linked to
  talents and abilities
• Avoiding the focus on body shape or size
• Setting children up for success and helping them
  feel important
• Showing you have confidence in them and focusing
  on the positive.

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1.d. Physical Activity and Self- esteem

• The very young child is most likely to think
  about their worth based on family and physical
  experiences. For example, when a child says
  watch me, s/he is often demonstrating his/her
  ability to perform a physical skill.
• A child believes s/he is successful at physical
  activity skills when s/he feels able to perform
  simple tasks (such as making contact with the
  ball) is trying hard is learning a new athletic
  skill is enjoying the activity is receiving
  positive feedback and reinforcement from parents,
  teachers and coaches.

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• Physical Activity influences self-esteem because
  it
• Enhances creativity, problem-solving and academic
  performance
• Improves self-discipline
• Improves fitness levels which are related to
  positive mental health
• Has a positive impact on behaviour and healthy
  lifestyle choices in later years.

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1.e. When providing physical activity
opportunities for children, be sure to

• Make them fun
• Keep them free of negative pressure
• Keep them interesting
• Set small but achievable goals
• Incorporate activities that emphasize basic motor
  skill development, such as running, rolling,
  climbing, throwing, catching and kicking
• Plan the activity in short bursts with frequent
  breaks.

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2. Have a Ball with Physical Activity

• Topics include
• Benefits of Physical Activity
• Facts and Stats
• Physical Activity Guidelines for Infants,
  Toddlers and Preschoolers
• Physical Activity for all Abilities
• Ten Tips for Having a Ball with Young Children

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2.d. Physical Activity for all Abilities

• Use lighter, softer, larger balls
• Choose shorter, lighter bats and racquets
• Choose larger goals or target areas
• Partially deflate balls for dribbling and kicking
• Simplify games by having players drop the ball
  and catch it rather than asking that they bounce
  it consecutively
• Use a smaller playing area to make it easier for
  all players to participate

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2.e. Ten Tips for Having a Ball with Young
Children

• Excerpts include
• Be an active role model by participating in
  games, dancing, action songs and outdoor play.
• Make physical activity part of the daily routine,
  just like lunch and nap time.
• Display photos of the children being active. Put
  up posters depicting physical activity.
• Use equipment that does not label by gender, such
  as balls, hoops, beanbags, etc. Use cooperative
  games that do not exclude anyone or ask anyone to
  sit out.
• Build a childs self confidence in p.a. by using
  praise, encouragement and positive feedback.

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3. Lets Not Drop the Ball When it Comes to
Promoting Healthy Weights

• Topics include
• Did You Know
• A word about body image
• Energy Balancea juggling act
• Physical Activity
• Healthy Eating

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3.d. Physical Activity

• Educate children and parents about the importance
  of daily physical activity
• Promote activities that use large muscle groups
  and encourage movement of the whole body
• Ensure that children participate in vigorous
  forms of physical activity such as running,
  dancing, chasing a ball and jumping
• Build p.a. into other aspects of the program. Do
  arts and crafts that require the children to move
  around
• Make physical activity a daily part of the
  program.

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3.e. Healthy Eating

• Provide water and milk to children and limit
  drinks with added sugars such as soft drinks,
  fruit drinks and sport drinks. 100 juice is a
  healthy choice for children but should still be
  limited to one-50 to 125 ml serving per day
• Do not use food as a reward and avoid withholding
  food as a consequence of undesirable behaviour
• Talk about food in a positive way
• Involve children in planning and preparing
  meals/snacks
• Promote healthy fundraising initiatives
• Encourage parents to send healthy meals and
  snacks.

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