Active Movement Advisors provide free professional development workshops which are fun, interactive sessions full of great ideas and resources to take away. Your nearest Active Movement Advisor can be found by calling 0800 ACTIVE

Positive active movement experiences impact on children for the rest of their lives, we all have a part to play!

Introduction to Active Movement

A SPARC initiative, Active Movement was developed to assist those working with Under Fives understand why it is important that children learn through fun play activity.  More importantly Active Movement provides the caregiver with easy to implement, relevant activities that can be performed in the home environment with minimal effort and cost.

Latest information suggests 36% of our children are overweight or obese. However, what is less well known is that the more experiences children have in the early years, the more likely the brain will reach its genetic potential.

The baby’s brain has 100 billion neurons in place at birth but they are immature and have few connections between them. A baby’s brain is only 15% developed at birth but 85% developed at age 3.

Experiences enable the brain to grow.  The more pathways established, the more efficiently the brain can function. Movement provides these vital pathways in the young child’s brain; the richer the experiences, the more intricate patterns for learning, thought and creativity will be established.

As adults we can make a difference by being positive active role models, encouraging regular activity and by sending positive verbal and non verbal messages about being active to our children.

Active Movement Advisors work with caregivers and teachers to ensure all children have the opportunity to take part in quality physical activity. We provide free professional development workshops which are fun, interactive sessions full of great ideas and resources to take away.

Your nearest Active Movement Advisor can be found by calling 0800 ACTIVE

Positive active movement experiences impact on children for the rest of their lives, so let’s get more active, more often!

Kirsty , Active Movement Advisor, Sport Bay of Plenty

Tummy/Floor Time

Nowadays our children are spending less and less time on the floor.  When we think about modern day living, there are more labour saving devices; supermarkets, cars, washing machines and buggies, than ever before.  Instead of using these devices to give us more spare time, we cram more and more “stuff” into our days.

Babies need to be put to sleep on their backs to prevent SID’s (Cot Death) Car seat capsules, bouncy seats and swing/jumping devices also mean children spend increasing amounts of time on their backs or seated and less time on the floor.

Spending time on the floor is vital, allowing babies to develop the head control and upper body strength needed to push up and eventually crawl.  On the floor, important muscles used for moving and exploring are strengthened (legs, arms, back and neck)

When a newborn is placed on the floor, she will pull her knees up and push to move forward.  This push away reflex is strongest at birth, over time it weakens and she will be less likely to move and find crawling more difficult. Rolling, crawling, sitting, standing and walking all help develop the brain and body and all these start with time spent on the floor.

Tummy time encourages

• upper body strength and muscle tone
• eye development
• pincer grip
• commando crawling and leads to crawling

When I talk to groups about tummy time, often the first response is – “but baby hates it” Most babies are not placed on their tummy from birth because they look uncomfortable. As a baby grows, her head becomes heavier and it is harder and more distressing to lift it. The later a baby is left before tummy time is initiated, the more difficult it is to introduce.

So to encourage awake tummy time, we recommend 10 seconds at a time and build slowly. Playing and distracting him helps as he strengthens important muscles needed for exploring and moving.

Ideas for Tummy Time

• Lie on your back and place baby on his tummy on your chest, once happy, he can be moved to a blanket on the floor
• Roll a ball or blow bubbles in front of his eyes
• Place a mirror or rattle where she can stretch and reach for them
• Roll on a large beach ball
• Fly baby through air positioned on his tummy across your arms
• Lie on your tummy beside baby so she can see your face

Positive active movement experiences impact on children for the rest of their lives, we all have a part to play!

Kirsty, Active Movement Advisor, Sport Bay of Plenty

The Vestibular System – part 1 

I often write bullet points on the whiteboard to help me stick to the lesson plan: (1)Tummy Time, (2) Importance of crawling and (3) The Vestibular System, “What’s that?” is the general response!

The Vestibular System is often thought of as your sixth sense. It is the first sensory system to develop in utero. Directly or indirectly the Vestibular System influences everything we do.  It has an important influence on all our other sensory systems directing each sensation and telling it when and where it should go or stop.

The Vestibular System maintains both the static equilibrium of the body when standing still in relation to gravity and maintains body position, mainly the head, when sudden movements such as acceleration and deceleration occur.

Put simply, among other things, it controls the sense of movement and balance.

How does it work? Situated in the inner ear are the semi circular canals which contain millions of tiny hairs or cilia. Each time we move fluid washes over the hairs and as they move messages are sent to the brain.

If there is little Vestibular movement, the hairs lie down and as a result motion can become a problem. It is therefore important that infants have plenty of opportunity and are encouraged to move freely to help the Vestibular system develop fully. Poorly developed Vestibular Systems may be caused by premature birth, little handling or moving during infancy, repeated ear infections, grommets and excessive use of infant seat, jumpers, swings and playpens thus restricting or limiting natural movement. Children who have poorly developed Vestibular Systems may develop one or more of these symptoms; avoid head movement, head bang, develop motion sickness, become dizzy, inability to listen without moving or rocking, problems with balance, a need to move fast, hearing problems, excessive watching of things spin or problems reading and writing.

The Vestibular System – Part 2

Last month I talked about the structure and function of our Vestibular Systems. Directly or indirectly the Vestibular System influences everything we do. It has an important influence on all our other sensory systems directing each sensation and telling it when and where it should go or stop. The Vestibular System maintains both the static equilibrium of the body when standing still in relation to gravity and maintains body position, mainly the head, when sudden movements such as acceleration and deceleration occur.

Put simply, among other things, it controls the sense of movement and balance.

Rocking, swaying, spinning, swinging and rolling activities are very important to stimulate our Vestibular System. Children of all ages, right from birth, need constant daily stimulation of the Vestibular System. It is important to remember to do any activities slowly and always spin in both directions. Build up time slowly – no more than 10 seconds initially. Remember, when children are active you need to stay around them to keep them safe.

Activities for Newborns and Infants Sit on the floor with baby in your lap and rock backwards and forwards gently (Row,row,row your boat and other rhymes) Hold and support baby while dancing to music, slowly move him up and down and round and round. Lie on an office chair – tummy down and spin slowly – unwind As above use a tyre swing or hammock Toddlers Sit on a chair with your toddler sitting on your ankles and knees. Bounce her up and down – there are lots of rhymes that can be sung Hold your toddler under her armpits and around her chest facing away from you. Swing her legs slowly from side to side or back and forward through your legs Roll your toddler up in a blanket and unroll (or roll down an inclined mat) Young Children Upside down time. Help him hang so his head is lower than the rest of his body – bars are good for this. Caregiver and child hold opposite ends of a 2 m rope or ribbon – child skips or walks around the caregiver winding into the centre and out again Go head first down a slide Pencil roll down hills and rolling under or over an elastic string Child and caregiver hold scarf or hand towel with both hands between them and both pencil roll together. Swinging Poi and dance around with ribbon wands.