A healthy diet and regular, adequate physical activity are major factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health throughout a person's life cycle. The World Health Organisation (WHO) rates childhood obesity as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The WHO states that being active is important not only for a child's physical health and fitness but also for their mental health and academic performance. If started early enough it establishes a pattern of healthy behaviour into adulthood. Children who are physically fit tend to sleep better and are better able to handle physical and emotional challenges.
The consumer society in which we live is creating a situation where children are spending more and more time in front of the TV or on computers or computer related products and as a result are spending less and less time on physical activities.
I have designed "The Cartwheel Kidz" programme as a series of fun movement lessons for beginners that incorporates basic gymnastics skills, ball skills, tumbling and obstacle courses. The programme also incorporates different sensory activities such as slime and textured materials. This programme is designed such that it is available to children "in their own backyard".
The lessons are planned in such a way that they develop a child's gross motor abilities and exposes them to sensory activities during the crucial foundation phase years. "Gross motor ability" refers to the large muscles of the body that need to be controlled in order to perform the basic tasks such as walking, sitting and playing sport. These skills need to be developed first in order to allow the child to develop their fine motor skills which are required for items such as holding a pencil, threading and cutting.