The summer holidays are nearly over and it will soon be time for the new term to start. Did you know that over 660,000 children signed up for the 10 Minute Shake Up from Change 4 Life with Disney this summer. That means well over half a million children were jumping, running, dancing, throwing, catching, stretching and more this summer, all because they and their parents know how important – and fun! – it is to be physically active.
It’s easy to think that only older children benefit from being physically active but actually, the youngest children and even babies can get moving with the help of motivating adult role models, an outside space and some great outdoor resources. Of course not every school or early years setting has endless space for outdoor play and physical activity but whatever the size or space, we pride ourselves on designing the very best solutions for customers needing our help.
Earlier this year, we asked our customers what impact investment in their playground or outdoor space had had. Nearly half (48%) of those responding said that improving their outdoor facilities has significantly increased physical activity levels while over a third (38.1%) said they’d seen major improvements in physical literacy and competence. Over half (51.7%) said that tackling physical inactivity was the main objective for updating their outside space.
It’s great to know that we’re playing a part in helping children be more physically active and our design team work hard to create EYFS resources we know will make a difference. For the under twos, we’ve worked with one of our nursery partners to create a unique Toddler Movement Set. Chunky natural cork blocks provide robust and stable yet tactile support for babies and children who are cruising, clambering and learning to walk.
To help the over twos find their feet, there’s our award-winning EYFS Scrambler Set. With its endless combinations, older toddlers use the sturdy timber multi-part set to develop confidence in their movement and balance skills, learning to test their own limits and challenge themselves.
Then for older toddlers and pre-schoolers, we’ve created a range packed with fun EYFS-learning outcomes in mind. For balance and co-ordination, our bikes and trikes are fantastic value while our nursery towers provide numerous physical challenges like climbing, pulling, crawling and sliding.
For KS1, our Freestanding Target Wall supports the development of throwing and kicking skills while our Jump and Leap Set made of ramps, boxes and balancing items makes a fantastic mini Parkour course.
With summer special offers of up to 25% off many items in our Playforce Shop Physical Literacy range, it’s a great time to get even the youngest children moving more.