THE BOTTOM – With the restart of the daycare movement program, toddlers and preschoolers are getting more exercise and more developed motor skills. This will help them in their transition into the primary and secondary school later on.

Sports Coordinator Joelyn Robinson and Health Promoter Allan Carolina of the Public Health and Sport Department have been going to the Laura Linzey Daycare Center once a week since mid-January to do fun exercises with the children. “The children enjoy the exercises. It is a lot of fun,” said Carolina. The goal is to get more movement and exercise into the program to help the children develop their physical motor skills like balance, coordination, speed and stability.

Robinson and Carolina will be doing the exercises with the children for three months and then transfer this task to the daycare employees so they can continue the program. The daycare movement program is a creative way to exercise and to get movement into the daily program. “The idea is to start with the children as young as possible so they can easily transition into the primary and secondary school with more developed motor skills,” said Sports Coordinator Robinson. “At the daycare, we encourage movement, play and enjoying the outdoors in our curriculum. In addition to our ongoing weekly dance and locomotion activities, the Early movement program fits right into our ethos,” said Daycare Manager Tessa Alexander.

Early movement

The Early movement program was first initiated at the daycare last year. There is already a movement program at the Sacred Heart School and at the Saba Comprehensive School since last year that includes the so-called BLOC test to measure students’ motor skills. The movement program fits in the efforts, led by the Department of Public Health and Sport, to promote a healthy lifestyle and create a healthier community.