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The Canadian Olympic Team made a conscious decision to fuel their athletes’ confidence for these Olympic games with their slogan “Own the Podium”. International controversy and the politics of athlete funding aside, the high expectations created and the amazing sense of pride and community that has evolved in Vancouver from hosting these games is incredibly contagious.
No matter where I go in Vancouver now, I am mobbed by a sea of people dressed in red and white. Never in my life have I seen so much clothing donning a Canada logo and vehicles and homes and stores alike flying Canadian flags. For a country that has struggled with identity and unity for centuries, it is an amazing sight. I have never felt more Canadian. Even the opening ceremonies were decidedly Canadian, with the capping moment for me being the poem read by Shane Koyczan towards the end of the evening.
And after only one weekend of competition, Canadian heroes, who are great role models for our kids, have emerged. The Men’s and Women’s Freestyle Mogul events alone has motivational stories—whether it is our first Gold Medalist, Alexandre Bilodeau’s story of inspiration from his older brother Frederic, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy; Jenn Heil, a reigning Gold Medalist and World Cup Champion, who graciously accepted Silver; or Kristi Richards who decided to give the audience a show with her final jump, demonstrating grace after her fall and last place finish, each athlete left us feeling proud. Victorious or not, Clara Hughes, Cindy Klassen, Charles Hamlin, Erik Guay, Sydney Crosby, Hayley Wickenheiser, and many more Canadian athletes are sure to have unforgettable moments, too. Regardless of whether we “Own the Podium”, we are inspired by the magical atmosphere that has overtaken our city.
Lastly, the tragic death of Georgian Luger, Nodar Kumaritashivili, cannot go without mention. The team unity that the Georgians showed during the Opening Ceremonies and the standing ovation they received from the spectators was the only moment that night which moved me to tears. Patriotism was washed away in favour of sportsmanship and international community—values we want our children to espouse.
Spotted!
The boys and I were at Granville Island yesterday and spotted Team Canada Hockey Coach, Mike Babcock. He was very accommodating to the attention he was receiving from the fans who recognized him, and even helped me to corral the boys for the photo. Other athletes spotted at restaurants or outside events by my friends include Team Canada Hockey Players, Chris Pronger and Martin Brodeur, and US Short Track Speed Skater J.R. Celski. I also met Kaillie Humphries, member of the Canadian women’s Bobsled team on the train ride to the Oval. As she spoke about how hard she trained for her event here over the past year (10 hours/day, 6 days/week), it made me realize just how much is at stake for some of these athletes. Seeing the athletes close up and hearing their stories is great for our kids too: they learn that the athletes are real people with real stories of hard work and lots of heart.
Also spotted: Chloe Dufour Lapointe (Canadian Freestyle Team) who came 5th place. As well, numerous Canadian athletes have been spotted each afternoon signing autographs just outside of the main Canada Post office in downtown Vancouver (Homer & W. Georgia Street). Have you spotted any athletes?
Do we blame TV time, diet or busy parents? The failing grade that Active Healthy Kids Canada gives Canadian children each year causes lots of soul searching.
Why aren’t our children more active?
We’re asking the wrong question; it’s like asking “Why aren’t our kids reading more books?” when they can’t read. Canadian children are less physically active because they are less physically literate than previous generations.
Physical literacy doesn’t refer to specific sports skills, rather it is general physical competence and confidence. Think agility, balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, and speed (fundamental movement skills), coupled with a desire to be active.
Just like linguistic literacy, physical literacy is best developed from six months to six years of age when the mind and body are building foundations.
A physically literate child has the necessary motor skills and confidence to play any sport they choose recreationally, and a far greater chance of finding one where they excel.
If a child is not physically literate, they are tied to the few sports they acquired sport-specific skills from when young. If they lose interest, or if this sport doesn’t suit their physical strengths, they often lack the versatility to adopt a new sport.
The best route to physical literacy? According to Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development Plan, under sixes should spend most of their time at unstructured active (often outdoor) play. Varied movements and the capacity to hold children’s interest make active play the foundation of physical literacy. Go to the park, ride your bike, run in the sprinkler or play hide-and-seek outside. This play can be supplemented with well-structured programs that develop all fundamental movement skills (gymnastics and swimming are two good examples).
Help your child become physically literate by providing them with opportunities to acquire fundamental movement skills, solidify them through repetition and combine them through active play. Most importantly, make sure they are having fun.
Only when our children are given these tools, along with the knowledge that active play is fun, will we raise them to be active for life.
Keep Kids Active at Home
There are some pretty simple things parents can do at home to build their children’s physical literacy.
- Give your children plenty of opportunity for active play. How much? Canadian guidelines recommend a minimum of 60 minutes (and up to several hours) of unstructured daily physical activity for young children.
- Provide toys that support active play. Consider balls of different sizes, balloons, bean bags, skipping ropes and hoops.
- Use little facilitation. Set up opportunities for different movement pathways (running, jumping, hopping, crawling), projection (throwing, kicking, hitting) and reception (catching/retrieving) that require minimal facilitation on your part.
- Introduce variety within a skill. If they are throwing, ask: “How high/far can you throw? Is it different with heavy/light/big/small balls? Can you hit a target (start big) like the side of a house?”
- Set up safe situations to try skills. Obviously hitting their sibling with a stick is out, but using a foam bat to hit a tennis ball in a sock hanging by a rope from a branch provides a safe opportunity to experiment.
You can try a bit more structure by putting it all together into an obstacle course. Have your child help lay out the circuit or do it themselves. Unless it’s a matter of safety, don’t worry about showing your child the ‘right’ way to use sports’ equipment. A critical component of physical literacy is the ability to string movements together into different combinations. Building ‘circuits’ and creative use of equipment can jump start this process.
With your support, your child can gain a foundation of physical literacy that will allow them to enjoy a wide variety of sports (recreationally or competitively) for their entire lives. Canadian Sport for Life is a great resource for those interested in learning more.
Comments
I had never thought about kids being physically literate before - thanks for sharing your wealth of experience.