The Joy of moving programme
Active children are healthier, happier and achieve more.
Some children have already been switched off by sport by Year 5. Studies tell us that one of the key reasons children’s physical activity levels drop off is due to the pressure to compete and the lack of appeal of traditional sports.
Children who struggle in PE classes, who find they’re not the first to be picked for the team, who feel the weight of pressure that winning is everything, can be turned off from participating in sport or from even being active at all.
We believe sports organisations should do more to introduce fun activity to children and not necessarily promote their own sport.
Joy of moving is an unbranded Corporate Social Responsibility programme funded by Ferrero and was developed in partnership with Foro Italico University of Rome and the Italian Olympic Committee.
We have used the Joy of Moving approach to develop two key projects: Move & Learn and Joy of moving Festivals.
Move & Learn
Move & Learn is targeted at children aged 9 and 10 – a key milestone in a child’s development – and is designed to appeal to every child in some way. Consisting of 9 hours of education over six weeks, plus a series of home-based family challenges, children learn about the importance of physical activity and how to eat a balanced diet and an active lifestyle. We also work hard to support and encourage schools to adopt the ideas and approach in the longer term.
Our programme features specially designed games and activities which help children to develop in four major areas;
- Physical fitness
- Motor coordination
- Cognition and creativity
- Life skills
We are seeing the results from taking this approach. Children respond with huge positivity, telling us that they have a better understanding of why it’s important to be active and to eat a balanced and varied diet. They are also more motivated to stay active.
Joy of moving Festivals
Alongside the Move & Learn project we run Joy of Moving Festivals involving tens of thousands of children each summer term. These half or full day whole-school events are a celebration of being active. Children take part in a range of fun challenges and games during the day. In order to demonstrate its value, they design a healthy lifestyles campaign to educate other children.