Physical Literacy with WeeMove

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Physical Literacy with WeeMove

10/18/2017

“Physical Literacy”. I get the two words independently, but put them together, and my face contorts in confusion. Ben, my 3 year old son, attends daycare and we receive real-time reports of his mood, what he’s eaten, what he’s learning, and his development in physical literacy in a program called WeeMove. So, in order to be more educated on what my son does all day and what he’s learning, I figure I should get knowledgeable on this fancy-term.

Upon picking Ben up from his daycare, BrightPath, I asked his educator what WeeMove is and to explain to me what physical literacy is. In very simple terms, she gave me this answer. “Think of incorporating learning while being active. Children can’t sit all day and be expected to learn”. That’s true. In fact, if you can get Ben to sit still for an hour to learn I’d be shocked. An example his teacher gave me – “jump to the purple triangle with the number three on it”. While doing this exercise, Ben is learning shapes, colours and numbers while working on his motor skills, balance and following instructions. And let’s not forget, getting his heart rate up (aerobic energy) and being active.

Ahh… like a lightbulb went off, I got it. After more research on the topic, there is a heap of studies proving the correlation of physical activity to learning. Turns out WeeMove, a proprietary BrightPath program, was developed to engage preschool children on multiple levels with real outcomes and progress based on individual children. It is an 8-week program, repeated three times a year, taught in the centre’s gym or outdoors. My son’s progress is reported as part of his curriculum in their mobile app, BrightPath Connect, and so far, I have seen great improvement in his gross motor skills and it’s encouraging to know he’s at physical level and development for his age.

It’s no surprise that studies have proven that getting children moving isn’t just good for health, but it also boosts cognitive skills, academic performance and mental well-being. According to the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, children under the age of 5 are generally recommended to have accumulated a minimum of 180 minutes of physical activity a day, to combat obesity, promoting active lifestyles, and enhancing academic learning. While not every child care centre offers this, there has been quite a pick up in physical literacy to be a requirement of the program.

One response to “Physical Literacy with WeeMove”

  1. Alayne Langford says:

    I think WeeMove is a great initiative and should be mandatory in all daycares and preschools, along with Jk and SK. 🙂

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