Children get physical activity boost with online resource

COCHRANE, AB, Oct. 4, 2023 – Canadian not-for-profit Active for Life has launched a new website for Early Childhood Educators that helps develop physical literacy for children ages 0 to 5 years old.

ActivePlay.ca provides free videos, posters, and articles showing early years educators how to deliver important play-based physical activities in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor settings. The videos are captioned in ten different languages, including three Indigenous languages. The posters are also available in all ten languages.

By adding daily opportunities for active play in childcare and early years centres, children develop the foundations for healthy cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. A recent study showed that children who participate in play-based physical literacy programming learn to love moving and become happier and better behaved. https://activeforlife.com/study-physical-literacy-early-childhood/

Some of the highlights of the Active Play online resource:

• Examples of how to activate daily programming for children indoors and outdoors
• Videos and posters in 10 languages, including French & English, three Indigenous and five international languages
• Monthly newsletter with in-depth advice for incorporating active play
• Articles on physical literacy, managing screen time, outdoor play fundamentals, and indigenous active play traditions

“ActivePlay.ca provides early childhood educators with valuable information about the importance of active play and the resources to implement it within their practice,” says Alyson Beben, Manager, Play in Peel. “Videos featuring children and educators from across Canada demonstrate how fun and easy it can be to incorporate active play within early learning and child care centres. The simple yet informative articles and posters will support early childhood educators as they promote active play to colleagues, parents, and caregivers.”

Designed to break down barriers to physical literacy, ActivePlay.ca provides tips for inexpensive ways to create a safe learning environment that promotes movement. Early childhood educators can access videos and posters in 10 languages to aid learning and communication with parents and caregivers. Plus, ActivePlay.ca offers tips on indoor and outdoor play.

“Incorporating active play into all aspects of the day, indoors and out, is easy, simple, and inexpensive,” says Dawne Clark, PhD, Professor Emerita, Mount Royal University. “Being active, creative, playful, and outdoors results in better mental and physical health for everyone. The resources at ActivePlay.ca show how much fun active play for all can be!”

Enjoy active play every day! Visit our website, ActivePlay.ca, or follow us on social media @activeplay.ca.

ActivePlay.ca was created by Active for Life and funded by the Government of Canada’s Early Learning and Child Care – Innovation Program. Active for Life is a Canadian not-for-profit social initiative that helps parents and educators give children a healthy start in life through the development of physical literacy. Active for Life is proud of the increased awareness of physical literacy amongst parents and educators. Our online platform reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. For more information, please visit activeforlife.com or follow us on Facebook @activeforlife or Instagram @activeforlifecom.

For further information: Richard Monette. Managing Director, Active for Life, Phone: (403) 760-0022, Email: info@activeplay.ca, Website: www.activeplay.ca

NT6