The Physical Literacy and Healthy Living program began at Riverview in 2020 and since that title is a bit of a mouthful to say we like to call it “gym” with the students. It is so important for children to have the opportunity to be active starting at a young age. The class is offered weekly for 45 minutes. It is a combination of structured and unstructured play.

There are two sides to the program; physical literacy and healthy living.  

Physical Literacy is the starting point, the building blocks of fundamental movement skills. The aim is to encourage children to enjoy and participate in games and activities so that it may continue to grow and develop throughout their years.  Having a physical literacy helps children to learn and do better in school, have less stress, develop social and leadership skills, and enjoy physical activity and stay active through their lives.

While physical literacy is about movement, healthy living is all about promoting a healthy life style. This could be through discussion of daily habits that lead to healthy habits, exploring the food rainbow, talking about dental hygiene, discussions of safety rules as well as personal and social management (understanding feeling and emotions, making friendships, learning responsible social behaviours).

Early childhood is such an important time in a child’s life. It is a time for growth and development, gaining independence, gaining control of their body’s movement and the choices they make for themselves. Gym class provides these opportunities to each child and helps in creating a well rounded child.