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The Footwear Hub-Parent information pack (please share sensitively with parents)

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The Footwear Hub-Parent information pack (please share sensitively with parents)

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*NEW Training Offer-Building Blocks to Movement-Train the Trainer Package

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*NEW Training Offer-Building Blocks to Movement-Train the Trainer Package

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to book a place email eya@bury.gov.uk

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Building Blocks to Movement-Train the Trainer information from the GMCA Pilot

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Building Blocks to Movement-Train the Trainer information from the GMCA Pilot

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GMCA RISE-Physical Development Online Training 

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GMCA RISE-Physical Development Online Training 

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Sensory Processing Differences Support Padlet

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Sensory Processing Differences Support Padlet

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Physical Development in Early Years: Supporting Additional Needs in Young Children

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Physical Development in Early Years: Supporting Additional Needs in Young Children

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✨ Physical development in early years: supporting additional needs in young children - Fun & Play

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Explore how to support physical development in early years for children with additional needs. Learn about therapies, equipment, and funding options for families in Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames.

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Famly: A parent guide to Physical Development in the Early Years

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Famly: A parent guide to Physical Development in the Early Years

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For many parents, being cooped up in the house all day with limited opportunities to go outside and burn off some energy has been the greatest challenge of this crisis so far. A lot of the things we usually rely on to keep active become more difficult when we're observing social distancing. Going out into the garden gives a bit of much-needed respite, but not everyone has this luxury.

Physical activity is vital for children's well being, and research tells us that it also impacts on children's learning in later life. So it's important to make sure that staying at home doesn't mean staying still.

We know that parents might be looking to practitioners to support them with activities and ideas if they are self-isolating. With that in mind, here are some suggestions which might help.

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For children under one

Babies should be encouraged to be active wherever possible, and if they're not yet crawling, I'd recommend you encourage tummy time for at least 30 minutes throughout the day. It's best to do this in frequent, small bursts.

By placing toys just out of your baby's grasp, you will encourage them to stretch and move their limbs - try getting down on the floor alongside them to encourage and support them. Tummy time helps to build the muscles babies need for crawling and sitting, and will help with building their core strength.

Encourage babies to reach and grasp toys, pull and push through play activities. Laying babies on their back allows them to kick their legs. If your baby is crawling, encourage them to do so as much as possible.

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Children aged one to two

The NHS recommends that children between one and two years old should be active for at least three hours every day. But if you've got limited access to the outdoors, this can be very challenging. The safest social distancing option would be to get out into the garden - this gives children a space to roam and explore, no matter how small.

If you don't have a garden, England's COVID-19 guidance has more leeway to get out and about. We can now go outside to exercise for unlimited amounts of time, as long as we maintain social distancing - and doing so can be easier at certain times in the day. In my own experience, I've found that local parks can be quite busy from mid-morning onwards, but are often quieter before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM. Popular walking paths tend to be quieter in the middle of the day, as dog walkers often go out in the morning or early evening.

At this age your child may struggle with the idea of social distancing, so you will have to make sure that you help to maintain this for them. Finding a large, uncrowded open space always helps, as it means fewer issues in holding social distance with other people.

In normal circumstances, I would recommend young children use climbing equipment to build core and upper body strength, which are so important for gross motor development. But right now, these are off-limits, as plastic and metal components have been shown to harbour the coronavirus for several days. Luckily, there's a corona-friendly alternative - young children usually love to climb on small walls and trees. If this is possible and you're able to supervise and support, this is a great option.

Lifting, moving and sorting objects is another great outdoor option for these times. It's critical for gross motor skills, and learning to orient oneself - young children don't always know where their body is in space, and lifting heavy objects can help them learn how to manipulate objects and orient themselves. Having access to a wheelbarrow or cart can make this more engaging for the little ones - moving stones, branches and logs is a fascinating pastime for them, and they often pursue this activity for a long time. This activity supports the development of the upper body strength and shoulder control, and later in life it becomes very important for writing skills.

If you can't get outside to move things about, ask your child to help put the shopping away. Those tins and packets are quite heavy for little arms to carry, and children love to help.

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Children aged two to three

For the little ones between two and three years, the NHS suggests 180 minutes of light activity every day. This could take many forms - walking, running, hopping, jumping, climbing or simply standing. If you have a garden, providing footballs, jump ropes and chalk to make hopscotch and other games can be a good starting point. But again, not all of us have this option.

Whether you're in your garden or making use of a local park or natural area, it always helps to give children some structure to help them stay engaged and active. Relay races, "Simon says" games, or creating your own simple obstacle courses are all ways you can support your child to be as active as possible. Simple activities such as scooting on a wagon, rolling down a hill, chasing one another about, and ball games will all develop physical strength and help you to burn off energy.

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Children aged three to four

Children at this age should have at least 180 minutes of active play each day, including 60 minutes of vigorous activity, spread throughout the day. Children under the age of five should not be inactive for long periods of the day - then again, it's a rare four-year-old who can stay still for long! As you get out and about, your child may also be able to understand the need to distance socially a little bit more, if you explain it carefully.

All the suggestions for children aged 2-3 years will still be useful and enjoyable for your 3 to 4-year-old. Plus, at this age, there are even more options. Riding a bike, playing in water, chasing games and ball games, are all good ways for this age group to get moving. You can also start to introduce more structure: Scavenger hunts, for example, introduce a competitive element into finding objects outdoors, which stimulate children's curiosity in the world around them. You could also try races to the next tree on a favourite walk, games of tag, silly walks, skipping and jumping home instead of walking.

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Inside or outside?

If it's a rainy day, you can still keep active at home. You could play with blocks and bricks, enjoy messy play, spread out on the floor and paint and use crayons on large pieces of paper, or dance, climb, build dens, or play hide and seek. Playdough and plasticine play can also help build manual dexterity and support manipulation. All of these require good motor control, and will keep everyone entertained for hours.

But especially as summer comes around, your child will want to be as active as possible, and the recent lifting of some restrictions means that they will now be able to get out more.

This will be good for mental health and well-being as well as physical health - being outdoors has proven benefits for children's mental and physical health, and it helps develop the physical skills they'll use when they head back to their child care settings. Getting children outside means they're also much more likely to be tired by bedtime, allowing parents some much-needed downtime for their own wellbeing. That's got to be a positive for everyone!

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Parent Guide to Physical Development in Early Years | Famly

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Ruth Swailes explains why physical development is so crucial in the early years of a child's life - along with ideas for children at all different ages.

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The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

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NHS: Physical Development Guidelines for Children under 5 years

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NHS: Physical Development Guidelines for Children under 5 years

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Being physically active every day is important for the healthy growth and development of babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.
For this age group, activity of any intensity should be encouraged, including light activity and more energetic physical activity.

Babies (under 1 year)

Babies should be encouraged to be active throughout the day, every day, in a variety of ways, including crawling.

If they're not yet crawling, encourage them to be physically active by reaching and grasping, pulling and pushing, moving their head, body and limbs during daily routines, and during supervised floor play.

Try to include at least 30 minutes of tummy time spread throughout the day when they're awake.

Once babies can move around, encourage them to be as active as possible in a safe and supervised play environment.

For more ideas, see how to keep your baby or toddler active.

Toddlers (aged 1 to 2)

Toddlers should be physically active every day for at least 180 minutes (3 hours). The more the better. This should be spread throughout the day, including playing outdoors.

The 180 minutes can include light activity such as standing up, moving around, rolling and playing, as well as more energetic activity like skipping, hopping, running and jumping.

Active play, such as using a climbing frame, riding a bike, playing in water, chasing games and ball games, is the best way for this age group to get moving.

Pre-schoolers (aged 3 to 4)

Pre-schoolers should spend at least 180 minutes (3 hours) a day doing a variety of physical activities spread throughout the day, including active and outdoor play. The more the better.

The 180 minutes should include at least 60 minutes (1 hour) of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.

Children under 5 should not be inactive for long periods, except when they're asleep. Watching TV, travelling by car, bus or train, or being strapped into a buggy for long periods are not good for a child's health and development.

All children under 5 who are overweight can improve their health by meeting the activity guidelines, even if their weight does not change. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, they may need to do additional activity and make dietary changes.

Find out what you can do if your child is overweight.

Physical activity ideas for under 5s

All movement counts. The more the better.

tummy time

playing with blocks and other objects

messy play

jumping

walking

dancing

swimming

playground activities

climbing

skipping

active play, like hide and seek

throwing and catching

scooting

riding a bike

outdoor activities

Physical activity guidelines for other age groups:

GOV.UK has more information, plus physical activity infographics for every age group.

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Physical activity guidelines for children (under 5 years)

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Physical activity guidelines for children under 5 years to keep them fit and healthy, including simple ways to build activity into their day.

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Every Child a Mover- Community Playthings

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Every Child a Mover- Community Playthings

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"It amazes me how quickly and how often we forget that we are embodied, that we see the world the way we do because we live in these bodies." - Sir Ken Robinson (2012)

Physical development in young children is about the emergence of a robust sense of self along with awareness of self, objects and others in the space around them. It involves the growth of good control and coordination in large and small movements, becoming able to move safely and confidently in a wide range of ways and to comfortably negotiate the environments they live in. It is also about the increasing ability to manipulate materials and objects, and becoming able to use tools with ease and enjoyment. Critically, it is about feeling good in your body, good about yourself, and secure in the world.

We experience the world and relate to it through our body and the many sensory systems within it. Increasingly we are coming to understand that language, thinking and imagination are created and defined by the physical feelings our bodies give us. Thinking arises from the sensory experiences we have, and use of the body feeds the brain with the material it needs for learning about the world: we can only think with what we experience.

Therefore, not only does physical development sit at the heart of well-being, health and good physical functioning, it also underpins an outward attitude to the world, enabling positive dispositions to exploration, interaction and enquiry - the characteristics of effective learning. And it is at the root of effective brain functioning, learning and memory.

Movement, physicality and doing have always been central to early childhood education philosophy, with pioneers such as Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori and John Dewey all emphasising its importance in young children's lives and learning. Drawing inspiration from Froebel's work in particular, movement was seen as a core component of the British Nursery School tradition. However, the depth of this understanding has been in danger of being lost over recent decades, especially in some current Government policy agendas. Although physical development has always had a place in UK national curricula, its profoundly fundamental role in child development has not been appreciated nearly enough. There has also been a considerable slide in our cultural recognition of the need for movement during the early and primary years, with huge societal changes in children's lifestyles, activity levels and expectations of how active young children should be. Interpretation of "lively" behaviour in children and their "boisterousness" has a major impact upon how the adults around them accept and tolerate what young children are naturally driven to do.

What happened to our previous understandings? Why have we not been able to hear the increasingly urgent calls from the health professions? What damage is being done by the lack of knowledge in the educational world regarding the critical role of movement and physicality in learning? How do control, coordination, confidence and safety in movement (DfE, 2014: 10) actually come about?

It is time for new understanding within the early years workforce and all professions seeking to support the well-being and education of young children. Emerging lessons from psychology, paediatrics and neuroscience tell us strongly that body and brain develop together, and research is revealing just how much moving and being active impact on all domains of child development. The recent recognition of the core developmental role of physical development that places it as a "prime area" of learning and development in the English Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), along with emphasis on active learning in current curricular approaches across the UK, does indicate that a gateway is opening which will make our education systems more effective - and our children so much happier!

"To move, to run, to find things out by new movement, to feel one's life in every limb, that is the life of early childhood." - Margaret McMillan (1930:23)

Every child a mover is intended to help practitioners increase their knowledge in an accessible way, and to find useful and enjoyable responses for provision and practice that will better support children's all-round physical and well-being and development. It aims to give readers:

a deeper understanding of the role of movement and physicality in children's lives, well-being, health, development and learning

Sound physical development takes place through basic experiences that put in place the core neurological structures in the brain and body needed for balance, body awareness and coordination across the two sides of the brain/body. These all require movement, action and physicality - and do not develop when the child is sedentary or still.

Babies and young children cannot thrive without lots of stimulus, opportunity for as much activity and movement as possible, especially the particular movement experiences they currently need developmentally. Children in modern western lifestyles, especially in the UK and USA, find themselves restricted, constricted and controlled throughout much of their day. Practitioners must consider how active and free to move children really are in their setting, and seek to address this both indoors and outdoors.

Whilst the developmental process explored in this book are fascinating and complex, often taking many years to complete, the simple fact is that children's own bodies tell them what they need to be doing, and they are driven to do what is currently required. They are biologically "programmed" to seek the appropriate physical experiences: our job is to make these safely available for as much time as possible. In order for young children to develop well physically (and in all the areas that are dependent on being physical) they need a vast number of opportunities every single day to play, explore and experiment with their bodies, the spaces around them and the people, features, equipment and resources in their environment. This needs to happen naturally and throughout their day, in and out of everything they do, both indoors and outside.

References

DfE (2014). Statutory Framework for the Early years Foundation Stage: Setting the standard for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. Runcorn: Department for Education

McMillan, M. (1930). The Nursery School. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.

Robinson, K. (2012). TED Talk Halifax, Canada. Quoted in playgroundology.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/sir-ken-of-tedalot-on-play-and-learning/ [accessed 6.7.15]

From the introduction to Every child a mover. Published with permission. Purchase your copy here.

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Every child a mover | Movement and physical development | Community Playthings

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Physical development in young children is about the emergence of a robust sense of self and about feeling good in your body, good about yourself, and secure in the world.

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GM Early Years Physical Development Guidance Document FINAL

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The evidence base for physical development approaches impact on cognitive outcomes is rated as very limited. Nineteen studies were identified that meet the inclusion criteria of the Toolkit. Additional padlocks were lost because:

A large percentage of the studies are not randomised controlled trials. While other study designs still give important information about effectiveness of approaches, there is a risk that results are influenced by unknown factors that are not part of the intervention.

A large percentage of the studies were not independently evaluated. Evaluations conducted by organisations connected with the approach - for example, commercial providers - typically have larger impacts, which may influence the overall impact of the strand.

Low security of evidence is not the same as evidence of no impact. Many approaches may have low evidence, not because they are ineffective but because high quality research has not yet taken place. Given the very limited evidence in this area, it is important to evaluate the impact of any new physical development approaches. Early years professionals should be cautious about the claims of new interventions that do not appear to have been evaluated.

As with any evidence review, the Toolkit summarises the average impact of approaches when researched in academic studies. It is important to consider your context and apply your professional judgement when implementing an approach in your setting.

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To improve young children's physical growth, skills and health.

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Physical Development-Guidance for Early Years Providers

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Physical Development-Guidance for Early Years Providers

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Physical development - Help for early years providers - GOV.UK

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Access resources, activity ideas and advice for supporting early years children with physical development.

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Oral Health Training for EY Practitioners

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Oral Health Training for EY Practitioners

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Oral Health Training for Early Years Practitioners – Under review – Greater Manchester Training Hub

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Bury Children's Physiotherapy-Padlet. Supporting children and young people with Physiotherapy needs and their families to access resources, advice and help to manage their conditions.

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Bury Children's Physiotherapy-Padlet. Supporting children and young people with Physiotherapy needs and their families to access resources, advice and help to manage their conditions.

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Mini Motor Skills Toolkit and Activity Pack

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Mini Motor Skills Toolkit and Activity Pack

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Can be used as a Universal/targeted resource at the Information and Advice/Getting Help Stage of the Early Years PD Pathway

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Bury Children's Physiotherapy-Padlet. Supporting children and young people with Physiotherapy needs and their families to access resources, advice and help to manage their conditions.

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Bury Children's Physiotherapy-Padlet. Supporting children and young people with Physiotherapy needs and their families to access resources, advice and help to manage their conditions.

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Mini Motor Skills Toolkit and Activity Pack.

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Mini Motor Skills Toolkit and Activity Pack.

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Can be used as a Universal/targeted resource at the Information and Advice/Getting Help Stage of the Early Years PD Pathway

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Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework

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Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework

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Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework

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The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.

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Bury Oral Health Promotion Team leads on the implementation and maintenance of a range of evidence-based programmes to reduce both the levels of oral disease and inequalities of oral health in Bury. Bury Oral Health Promotion Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust delivers training to key workforces and relevant health professionals and carers. The Bury Oral Health Improvement Bury | The Bury Directory team has a particular focus on early years to lay the foundations for good oral health, targeting the areas and settings with the highest levels of poor oral health. For further information and display materials please click on the appropriate image below

Oral Health Training Resources

click on the picture to find information on Oral Health training and resources

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Oral Health Improvement Bury | The Bury Directory

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The paediatric Occupational Therapy team provides assessment, treatment and support to children and young people who have neurological or developmental conditions.

We provide assessments and treatment at Bury Living Well Centre and several local schools, nurseries and homes.

We accept referrals for children up to the age of 18 years, who are registered with a GP in Bury. This support is available up to 19 yours old for children attending Elms Bank Special School.

Our Occupational Therapists have additional specialist knowledge and clinical skills to enable safe and effective assessment and treatment of babies, children and young people.

We treat a wide range of conditions including developmental delay, developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia, neurological and neuromuscular in differing environments. We use a variety of assessment techniques and provide treatment advice to homes and schools.

We assess for and prescribe specialist equipment for use at home and/or in an educational setting. This includes seating, beds, sleep systems, hand splints, bathing and toileting equipment for under 5 years of age

We liase with our colleagues in Disability Services who assess for minor and major home adaptations, they also provide bathing and toileting equipment for over 5 years of age.

We work with the child, parent's, carers and a wide range of other professionals to maximise a child's functional skills and independence. We work towards maximising independence in daily living skills such as feeding and dressing and self-care.

For children and young people with special educational needs and disability we are involved in education, health and care assessments, which are based around the child and young person's needs and aspirations.

If you have any general queries, please contact us on 0161 2060668.

Please send all referrals to the Bury community-based adult and paediatric Occupational Therapy services to the Bury Single Point of Access: spoa.fax@nhs.net.

We accept self-referrals, consultant, GP, AHPs, schools, health visitors, school nursing, Educational Psychology.

If you have any questions about a referral you have sent, please phone 0300 323 3316 (option 2, then option 5).

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service :: Northern Care Alliance

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The paediatric Occupational Therapy team provides assessment, treatment and support to children and young people who have neurological or developmental conditions. We provide assessments and treatment at Bury Living Well Centre and several local schools, nurseries and homes. We accept referrals for children up to the age of 18 years, who are registered with a GP in Bury.

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Bury Multi Agency Sensory Processing Needs Toolkit

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Bury Multi Agency Sensory Processing Needs Toolkit

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The Brush Bus Scheme in Bury Pre-school and Nursery and school EYFS Settings

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Help for Early Years Providers-Oral Health

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Help for Early Years Providers-Oral Health

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Help for early years providers : Oral health

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The EYFS framework states that early years providers must promote good oral health of children who attend their setting.

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From brushing their first tooth to their first trip to the dentist, here's how to take care of your children's teeth.
A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health. Follow these tips and you can help keep your kids' teeth decay-free.

Toothbrushing tips

It's important to use a fluoride toothpaste, as this helps prevent and control tooth decay.
Children aged up to 3 years

Start brushing your baby's teeth as soon as the first milk tooth breaks through (usually at around 6 months, but it can be earlier or later).

Parents or carers should brush the teeth.

Brush teeth twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.

Brush last thing at night before bed and on 1 other occasion.

Use children's fluoride toothpaste containing no less than 1,000ppm of fluoride (check label) unless a dentist advises family toothpaste containing between 1,350ppm and 1,500ppm fluoride.

Use only a smear of toothpaste.

Make sure children don't eat or lick toothpaste from the tube.

Children aged 3 to 6 years

Brush at least twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.

Brush last thing at night before bed and at least on 1 other occasion.

Parents or carers should brush the teeth.

Use children's fluoride toothpaste containing no less than 1,000ppm of fluoride (check label) unless a dentist advises family toothpaste containing between 1,350ppm and 1,500ppm fluoride.

Use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.

Spit out after brushing and don't rinse - if you rinse, the fluoride won't work as well.

Children aged 7 and over

Brush at least twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.

Brush last thing at night before bed and at least on 1 other occasion.

Use fluoride toothpaste containing between 1,350ppm and 1,500ppm of fluoride (check label).

Spit out after brushing and don't rinse - if you rinse, the fluoride won't work as well.

Children aged 7 and over should be able to brush their own teeth, but it's still a good idea to watch them to make sure they brush properly and for about 2 minutes.

How to help children brush their teeth properly

Guide your child's hand so they can feel the correct movement.

Use a mirror to help your child see exactly where the brush is cleaning their teeth.

Make tooth brushing as fun as possible by using an egg timer to time it for about 2 minutes.

Don't let children run around with a toothbrush in their mouth, as they may have an accident and hurt themselves.

Taking your child to the dentist

NHS dental care for children is free.

Take your child to the dentist when their first milk teeth appear. This is so they become familiar with the environment and get to know the dentist. The dentist can advise you on how to prevent decay and identify any oral health problems at an early stage. Just opening up the child's mouth for the dentist to take a look at is useful practice for the future.

When you visit the dentist, be positive about it and make the trip fun. This will stop your child worrying about future visits.

Take your child for regular dental check-ups as advised by the dentist.

Find a dentist near you

Fluoride varnish and fissure sealants

Fissure sealants can be done once your child's permanent back teeth have started to come through (usually at the age of about 6 or 7) to protect them against decay. This is where the chewing surfaces of the back teeth are covered with a special thin plastic coating to keep germs and food particles out of the grooves. The sealant can last for as long as 5 to 10 years.

Fluoride varnish can be applied to both baby teeth and adult teeth. It involves painting a varnish that contains high levels of fluoride onto the surface of the tooth every 6 months to prevent decay. Some children may need this more often. It works by strengthening tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay.

From the age of 3, children should be offered fluoride varnish application at least twice a year. Younger children may also be offered this treatment if your dentist thinks they need it.

Ask your dentist about fluoride varnish or fissure sealing.

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Find out how to look after children's teeth, including advice on brushing, toothpaste, establishing a routine and taking a child to the dentist for the first time.

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Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England

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Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England

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Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England published | Sport England

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The Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England has been published to help us understand how our relationship with sport and physical activity changes over our lifetime.

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Get help to improve your practice

Sensory food education

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The Power of Physical Literacy for Early Years-Parenta

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The Power of Physical Literacy for Early Years-Parenta

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"Physical literacy" definition: from National Library of Medicine: " disposition to capitalise on our human-embodied capability wherein the individual has the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for maintaining purposeful physical pursuits and activities throughout the life course."

In other words, as early years educators, our role is to encourage children to adopt an approach where they are motivated, confident, skilled, and knowledgeable enough to value and eventually take responsibility for staying active throughout their lives.

Building Foundations: The Power Of Early Literacy

Physical literacy doesn't just happen on its own. It is quite a lot of hard work for the body and brain to develop a vocabulary of movements. These movements are observed, copied, and learnt.

Our foundation of movement vocabulary starts in early childhood. Fundamental movement skills are required for walking, dancing, and elite sports. These skills are learnt with constant practice and repetition.

The learnt movement vocabulary is what helps children, and adults move with confidence and competence. When a child is confident and competent, with their movement vocabulary, they can move on the ground indoors and outdoors, in and on the water, and on snow and ice.

How are you as a setting demonstrating a foundation of movement vocabulary for your little ones? The resource from the Youth Sport Trust is a great reference for you and your team. https://www.youthsporttrust.org/media/xl1dyrzb/early-years-physical-literacy-framework.pdf

Providing opportunities for your little ones, no matter their needs, is vital, especially as the recent "Active Lives Children and Young People's Survey" has revealed worrying results. The survey showed that less than half of children achieve the guidelines for exercise. And a third are active for less than 30 minutes a day.

This survey shows how important it is for early years educators to find ways to encourage our little ones to enjoy physical activity as they develop their movement vocabulary. Neglecting finding ways to encourage them will have a huge impact on their future health and physical literacy outcomes.

How Can We Help Them?

We need to show children, and adults, all the different, fun, and creative ways to be active and have fun. You and your team need to model this behaviour as all their movement vocabulary is learnt from observation, copying, and repeating. By doing this, you are creating a positive experience of movement for your children, and team, that will have a huge impact on their lives.

Yes, some children don't have any interest, or physical ability, to engage in specific sport-led activities. And this is fine, as we are all different. They just haven't discovered what lights their 'fire!' so to speak... The solution is to introduce your children to as many activities as possible. Let them find, with you, what they enjoy and encourage them to develop their movement vocabulary in ways that work for them including interactive creative role-play.

Remember this goes for the adults as well. Some of you may not have had the most positive experiences of sport at school. These experiences impact your interest in, and delivery of physical activities and how you encourage your children.

To help them, we need to consider how, we as adults, can ensure we have a positive relationship with movement in our environment and how we can encourage our children to build positive relationships with all types of physical activities.

On top of all the physical benefits, movement helps to enhance cognitive functions such as attention, memory, decision-making, social, and psychological development.

Did you know? Movement grows your brain through the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) release which stimulates growth.

' Mr Myelin' is Professor George Bartzokis (1956-2014), a neuroscientist and Professor of Psychiatry.

Myelin is the insulation that tightly wraps around our nerve fibres. Each time we repeat a movement it wraps the myelin, like electrical tape to prevent any leaks, around that part of the circuitry we used in the brain to recreate the movement. Myelin increases the speed and accuracy of the signal strength in our brain i.e. the upload and download speed of our brain. Some people talk about 'muscle memory' but it is myelin. Myelin has been attributed as the key to talking, reading, learning skills, and even, being human.

Bartzokis originated the theory that the degeneration of the brain's myelin contributed to many developmental and degenerative diseases, such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's. Continued research shows the importance of myelin in the brain and how it ensures everything runs smoothly. So remember, if you don't use it, you lose it!

Myelin And Language
"Reduced myelin in key areas of the brain necessary for learning rules, speaking, and listening may impair language acquisition in children." Quantitative MRI reveals differences in striatal myelin in children with DLD Saloni Krishnan, Gabriel J Cler ... Kate E Watkins
Myelin initially builds on the sensorimotor white matter and the Heschl gyrus (the structure containing the human primary auditory cortex in the brain) and then, extends to the language-related areas. Physical literacy in the early years and its relationship with speech and language, is looked at in the article: "Myelination of language-related areas in the developing brain" by J. Pujol, et al, 2006.

Just A Little Reminder For The Adults

This diagram from the gov.uk website is a great reminder of why we all need to be active throughout our lives and the importance of creating a positive environment for children, and adults, in your setting.

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The Power Of Physical Literacy For Early Years | Parenta.com

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Discover the secrets of physical literacy and its impact on lifelong health. Dive into the essential guide for early years education.

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Building Blocks To Movement-Train the Trainer Programme.

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Building Blocks To Movement-Train the Trainer Programme.

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Active Matters-Dedicated to Early Years Physical Development

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Active Matters-Dedicated to Early Years Physical Development

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Dedicated to children’s early years physical development and activity

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Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) - working together to improve the lives of people in Greater Manchester - Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan

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Bury Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service

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Bury Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service :: Northern Care Alliance

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Our Occupational Therapists have additional specialist knowledge and clinical skills to enable safe and effective assessment and treatment of babies, children and young people.

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About this service

Paediatric physiotherapists work with babies, children and young people who have physical problems affecting their body. These problems could be due to illness, disability or injury.

Who can we see:

Children aged 0-16 years in mainstream education; and

Young people up to the age of 19 years old if they attend Elms Bank Special School.

We are based at the Bury Living Well Centre which is open from 8.00am until 4.30pm Tuesday to Thursday and 8am until 4pm Fridays.

Our service accepts referrals from:

We treat a wide range of conditions including;

Developmental delay e.g., late walking, not sitting;

neurological e.g., Cerebral Palsy ;

neuromuscular e.g., Duchene's muscular dystrophy; and

musculoskeletal e.g., back pain;

neonatal conditions e.g., plagiocephaly with head turning preference, torticollis, erbs palsy

We do not accept referrals for;

Bilateral (both sides) intoeing

Talipes if the baby is under 8 weeks old. This is because the majority of children born with positional talipes will not require any treatment to correct the foot posture. However, if the the feet are still turning in by 8 weeks old we will accept a referral from a health professional.

Falling in children under the age of 3 years

Curly toes

Flat feet.

We have included some information leaflets on some of the rejection conditions on the page for more information if required

We use treatments such as exercise therapy and massage.

We work closely with you, your parents, 's, and a wide range of other professionals like your teachers.

For children and young people with special educational needs we are involved in helping to write your (education and health care) reports. It is important to us that we include your own goals and aspirations.

We can treat you in a variety of places such as the Bury Living Well Centre, your home, school or Nursery.
Equipment
If you need help with walking and standing we can provide you with the equipment you need, such as walking frames and standing frames. If you need to speak to someone about your child's equipment including repairs or growth checks please contact the department on 0161 2060657.

We also work closely with our orthotic colleagues to provide a joint Physiotherapy and Orthotic clinic every two weeks at the Bury Living Well Centre. The contact details for the Orthotic department at Fairfield General Hospital is 0161 7782670.

For more information please contact us on 0161 206 0657 or burypaedphysio@nca..uk. These contact details are for families and professionals.
Feedback
For families attending our service it is very important to us that we give you the opportunity to feedback about our service. Feedback forms are available and can be returned via our email address burypaedphysio@nca..uk or returned to the bury Living well centre after your appointment.

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Paediatric Physiotherapy Bury Community Services

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ASQ:3 Ages and Stages Questionairre-24 months

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ASQ:3 Ages and Stages Questionairre-24 months

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Lots of good reasons to get moving!

Kids need to be active for at least 60 minutes a day, with 30 minutes of this outside of school. This should include 3 sessions a week of activity that strengthens muscles and bones, so mix it up!

Research shows that physical activity can help school-aged kids in lots of ways.

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Activities for kids - Healthier Families

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Build some physical activity into your child's day, from 10 Minute Shake Up games to sports the whole family can enjoy.

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Bury Early Years Physical Development Pathway Guidance -2025 (For Professionals and Parents/Carers of children aged 0-5 Years)

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Bury Early Years Physical Development Pathway Guidance -2025 (For Professionals and Parents/Carers of children aged 0-5 Years)

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Bury Early Years Physical Development Pathway Guidance-October 2025