Increasing pupils’ physical activity through Successful Kinaesthetic training for pre-schoolers (SKIP)

Many of the children entering our school have poor physical skills. This is affecting how much physical activity they can and will do.

SKIP in the Foundation Phase is a programme that teaches about how young children develop their motor competence. This foundation of good movement is vital if they are to be active throughout life. The training helps practitioners understand how to alter constraints relating to tasks and the environment so that pupils progress through the stages of development.

Since attending SKIP training we are able to improve the children’s skills and ensure that they have opportunities for high quality movement across all areas of learning.

We have seen children becoming more competent, confident and more physically active. 

Also, the programme has enabled us to create links with parent, making them aware of the positive impact of physical activities on not only their child’s health and well-being, but also their ability to concentrate and be better prepared to begin the necessary tasks for academic learning.

For us this is a relatively new initiative but already we are beginning to see a positive impact.

I believe that all teachers in the Foundation Phase need to understand how to teach children to move so that we can lay the foundations for all young people to be physically active for life. If we can instill this at an early age then I believe that this will have a positive impact on the individuals concerned and also the raising levels of obesity and the challenges that this places on the national Health Service.