White paper Skilled in movement from an early age

Some figures:

  • Only 55% of children between the ages of 4 and 11 and 34% of children between the ages of 12 and 18 meet the physical activity guidelines.
  • Physical fitness is less well developed than it was 20 years ago (1), with the continued decline in children's coordination skills being particularly striking.(2)
  • More than half of the injured athletes who end up in the emergency department are between 4 and 18 years old. In almost 60% of cases, the cause is a fall. It is known that learning to fall properly from a motor skills perspective can reduce injuries.(3)

The white paper discusses, among other things:

  • What is meant by terms such as motor development and motor competence.
  • What options are available to counter the decline in motor fitness?
  • In which settings do children move, play and take part in sports? (family, childcare/after-school care, school, sports club, neighbourhood)
  • What is known from scientific research? (Athletic Skills Model, Physical Literacy, the relationship between physical activity and health, Developmental Model of Sport Participation)
  • What are some good examples of practice and why are these examples successful?

Target groups for the white paper include:

  • Policy-makers and policy implementers
  • Childcare professionals
  • Physical education teachers
  • Class teachers
  • Internal support coordinators (IB coordinators)
  • Paediatric physiotherapists
  • Youth physicians
  • Community sports coaches
  • (Professional) sports coaches

The white paper can be downloaded here.

References

(1) Collard, D.C.M., Chinapaw, M.J.M., Verhagen, E., Valkenberg, H., & Lucassen, J.M.H. (2014). Motor fitness of primary school children (10–12 years): factors associated with strength, speed, flexibility and coordination. Utrecht: Mulier Institute.

(2) Collard, D.C.M., Chinapaw, M.J.M., Verhagen, E., Bakker, I., & Mechelen, W. van. (2010). Effectiveness of a school-based physical activity-related injury prevention program on risk behavior and neuromotor fitness a cluster randomized controlled trial. In: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 7:9.

(3) VeiligheidNL. (n.d.). Falling is also a sport. Retrieved from https://www.veiligheid.nl/kinderen-professionals/scholen/fysieke-veiligheid/vallen-is-ook-een-sport.