In a response to the gap in coach education for those delivering physical and sporting activities to young children, Sport Wales and University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) are working in collaboration to create a coach education course which focuses upon high-quality movement in early childhood. This is an essential time for laying the foundations of physical activity, health and well-being.
Following extensive research into professional development approaches, UWTSD have developed a robust evidence base, which focuses upon an in-depth understanding of what high-quality movement is and how to support this in early childhood and beyond. Sport Wales and the sports sector have linked with UWTSD to further develop this evidence base into a course for coaches.
The course will involve a combination of face-to-face workshops and online study. Practitioners will learn how high-quality movement supports both cognitive and physical development, how fundamental movement skills underpin physical activity and support a child's physical literacy and health, and how to observe and analyse the developmental stages of children’s motor skills to make informed judgements about the appropriate equipment and tasks needed to support a child's development.
