“Pre School Activities” is a programme which has been specifically designed to develop the pre-school aged child through a series of progressive lessons. The process of working through these lessons enables the child to gradually develop in a wide variety of ways. The classes are designed to grab the child’s attention and help them to learn and develop whilst they think they are doing nothing more than having fun. In order to do this, the child has to work through a wide range of basic physical skills which includes:

• Different movement patterns – sideways, backwards
  
• Ball skills – throwing, catching, kicking, and striking
  
• Balance and co-ordination
  
• Strength and agility
  
• Different motion skills – running, hopping, jumping and galloping
  

The classes are also designed to develop the child’s social skills by encouraging them to share and take turns, to act individually and as part of a group. This in turn enables the children to develop important social interaction skills, which allows them to develop mentally as well as physically. More importantly, the emphasis is on fun and play throughout, with an imaginative approach the children can readily respond to.

Equipment plays a very important role in the success of these classes as it is used as a means to teach the children. Examples of this are numbered bean bags to help with counting, different coloured stepping stones to assist with colour recognition and also different textured balls and objects to help develop sensory skills.

Due to the vastly differing stages of development within pre-school aged children, the Pre School Activities programme is broken down into the following age groups:-

This class is set up for younger babies and is designed to stimulate their minds through active play with their parents. Due to the age of the children, a lot of the emphasis of these classes will be placed on sound and visual stimulation.

This class is for children and adults, with the adult playing a very important role in these classes. They are required to lead the child throughout the class, help them on the larger equipment and guide them through various activities. As the parents are involved so heavily, it helps to strengthen the bonds between the parent and the child.

Here, children are encouraged to work directly under the coach, therefore giving them the chance to more freely interact with other children. It also allows the child to develop to another level as they are now more independent and no longer reliant on their parents.

For more information on these activities why not take a look at the Sports Development Brochure which you can pick up at your nearest sports centre, or contact the Children's Activity Officer for more details.

These lessons will help the children develop water safety and confidence whilst teaching them how to float, move through the water, learn how to breathe and basic stroke technique. The class has the advantage of being small to minimise distractions and maximise learning. For further information call Averil Anderson on 438866.

These classes caters for all abilities and is based on the individuals needs. The class works on developing a broad range of basic physical and social skills. This class is for your child if they have a disability, a health difficulty or are not developing as you would expect. It provides also the opportunity for the parents and carers to make friends and give and receive support from others with similar concerns. For further information call Averil Anderson on 438866.