health
Active for Life Developing Physical Literacy
By Jennifer Hood
c
anada has been experiencing an alarming rise in rates of child obesity and inactivity, and other nations are facing the same crisis. At the same time, Canada has always struggled to produce top-level athletes on a consistent basis, as our system of athlete development has been haphazard in most sports. Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) is working to make an impact on both of these problems by improving the quality of sport and physical activity in Canada. By improving the quality of everything from coaching and training to facilities and equipment, the idea is that more children will get active, stay active, and go further in sport. There’s a lot behind CS4L, but a big part of it revolves around Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD), and it begins with an important stage called Active Start.
What is Long-Term Athlete Development? LTAD is model that describes seven stages in the development of an athlete, from early childhood through all phases of adulthood and all levels of competition (i.e. both recreational and high performance). Each stage is based on principles of physical, mental and emotional maturation. There are also guidelines for coaches and athletes on how to train properly, and what kinds of competition will best support learning and development. The basic LTAD model describes seven stages: 1. Active Start (0-6 years) 2. FUNdamentals (girls 6-8, boys 6-9) 3. Learn to Train (girls 8-11, boys 9-12) 4. Train to Train (girls 11-15, boys 12-16) 5. Train to Compete (girls 15-21, boys 16-23) 6. Train to Win (girls 18+, boys 19+) 7. Active for Life (any age participant) The idea is simple: by doing the right things at each of these stages, we can systematically develop top athletes in all sports, while also promoting more lifelong participation at all ages so we have a healthier Canada.
It Begins with an Active Start Active Start is the critical first step on the LTAD pathway. During this stage, children from birth to six years need to be introduced to active, unstructured play that incorporates a variety of body movements. This is how they begin to develop the “ABCs of movement”—agility, balance, coordination and speed. The ABCs are essential for developing fundamental movement skills—and fundamental movement skills later provide the foundation for developing fundamental sport skills. Together, fundamental movement skills and fundamental sport skills form the basis of physical literacy. Physical literacy provides children the important ability to pursue other sports and activities as they grow up and move through the stages of LTAD.
Key Outcomes of Active Start An early start in physical activity and active play enhances each child’s development of brain function, physical coordination, gross motor skills, and posture and balance. An active start also helps children to build confidence, social skills, emotional control and imagination while reducing stress and improving sleep. From the child’s perspective, the Active Start stage should teach them to love physical activity and active play as a fun and exciting part of everyday life.
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How to provide an Active Start Children in the Active Start stage should be encouraged in playful activities where they run, jump, catch, throw and balance. They should also be introduced to swimming and activities on ice and snow. Parents and caregivers play a huge role in this process. They need to provide opportunities for children to play in safe, fun, stimulating environments while gradually exposing them to new skills. Children learn by doing, so they need these active play experiences to teach them. As parents and caregivers, it’s important to be positive, active role models, but it’s also important to let the child take charge at times. And while parents and caregivers need to play with children, they also need to let them play on their own at times. For more information on developing your child’s physical literacy through quality sport and physical activity, visit Active for Life at www.activeforlife.ca. For more information on Long-Term Athlete Development, visit Canadian Sport for Life at www.canadiansportforlife.ca. Jennifer Hood is a mother and the owner of Jump Gymnastics in Vancouver.