Playball Central Otago
Playball© is a sport and movement programme for children between the ages of two and nine. All of the programs are taught in a fun-filled, energetic positive environment, and for the last 25 years children from all over the world have loved it!
WHY IS PLAYING SPORT IMPERATIVE FOR A CHILD?
There is ongoing input from teachers school directors and principals around the world as to the positive benefits that sport and movement has had on the lives of the children that they teach.
It is necessary for school readiness
It is necessary for sport participation
It is necessary for the development of social skills
Movement is a very important component of a child’s overall academic development!
Movement is the child’s first “language†and the more proficient they become in this first language, the better they will develop other powers of expression, exploration and development.
Positive movement and sport experiences enable children to know and grow in an environment that is rich in wonderful experiences. As we know, success-orientated experiences empower young children. This establishes confident, competent children, who know motivation and perseverance, and who are able to take suitable risks in all areas of their learning and development.
Modern life with its mass explosion of technological advancements has many advantages and disadvantages that create inactive environments for children in the early years.
The amount of time that children spend in an active environment has decreased for many reasons including:
New pastimes and games such as computers and game consoles
limited opportunities for play
Ever increasing pressures on time
Inactive role models
Over concern for safety
HEALTH
The health benefits of being physically active are becoming recognized as important to public health promotion, and prevention of illness. There is clear evidence that increasing physical activity in children can result in health benefits particularly in:
Maintaining a healthy weight
Diabetes prevention and control
Primary prevention of some cancers
Injury prevention and control
Promotion of positive mental health
Research indicates that children who develop the key movement skills and experience the joy of competent sports participation will participate in physical activity and enjoy the many benefits an active life provides.
It is clear that specialized sport and movement programs will assist children who are more likely to lead active lifestyles in the future.
HOW CAN LOW MUSCLE TONE AFFECT THE CHILD IN THE CLASSROOM?
Unfortunately children who have not developed sufficient trunk control (low muscle tone) through lack of movement, will have difficulty sitting still at their desk as they will constantly need to adjust their postures. Too much time will be spent doing the task (focusing on their writing as an example) and very little spent learning from the task. Because of this they will inevitably miss a lot of what is being said by the teacher and the gap between their knowledge and that of their peers can widen.
HOW DOES A PROGRAM LIKE PLAYBALL© FACILATE THESE LEARNING EXPERIENCES?
By dealing with children in a special way the Playball© coach aims to help children become self-respecting and responsible human beings who are able to respond to the challenges of school competently and enthusiastically.
Throughout the Playball© program children are exposed to challenges, which are not only relevant to their developmental needs but also in line with the latest educational principles of motor development.
In summary, Playball© is a sports program but as we have being saying for the last 23 years there is much more to sport than the sport itself.
Children need to play. They need to socialize. They need to feel worthy.
However in order to achieve these and many more life skills they need to feel; confident and comfortable in the learning environment!
You can feel rest assured that our concept, our coaches, our teachers and our commitment to all the children whom we teach does that.
