Some physical fun for the children of Witkoppen Primary School

CRAIGAVON – Physical activity may be fun, but it's also an important tool for physical and mental development in children. Grade Rs from Witkoppen Primary School recently learned this on a visit to the Kids Gym.

October 22, 2019

Robyn Kirk 2 minutes read

The children engaged in a full hour of activity, including obstacle courses, jumping on a trampoline and taking a turn on child-sized gym equipment. Photo: Robyn Kirk

It was a fun day of physical activity for 60 Grade Rs from Witkoppen Primary School on 9 October.

The very excited children were invited to the Kids Gym, located at the Cedar Square Shopping Centre on Cedar Road, as the business launched a physical literacy educational programme in Johannesburg in collaboration with public benefit organisation Physical Literacy for Children (PLC).

This programme has been successfully run in Cape Town for the past 18 months with children that have special needs and aims to encourage physical literacy which is a critical component of learning. The Witkoppen learners got to enjoy a visit to the gym filled with fun and important physical literacy lessons on the day and also received snacks, branded socks and a T-shirt on their visit.

A total of 60 children from Witkoppen Primary School were invited on the day.
*Photo: Robyn Kirk*

“The kids are so happy to be here,” explained Pauline Redswana, one of the Grade R teachers who accompanied the children on the day.

“This is the first time that they’ve ever got to use a bus for a school trip,” added Violet Seagi, who also teaches a Grade R class at the school and who also joined in on the field trip.

But the day was not only about fun but also about proper childhood development. Physical literacy is a critical component of learning, and a lack of it can severely impede and compromise educational outcomes and the achievement of developmental milestones. Physical movement is important for muscle tone, posture, gross and fine motor skills, coordination and concentration.

“Generally kids do learn certain skills on their own, but they do need to be taught some things,” explained Janet Mitchell of the PLC. “These children are already underprivileged, but growing up in the informal settlement means that they may not have access to safe places to play.

Violet Seagi and Pauline Redswana, who teach two of the Grade R classes at Witkoppen Primary School, enjoy some refreshments as the children get active. Photo: Robyn Kirk

“The work we do with them is the foundation, not only of a healthy body but also a healthy mind. Exercise like this makes them not only physically strong but mentally strong.”

She added that support from the public for the PLC means that they can continue this important work with children who might not have access to supervised physical literacy sessions to improve physical and academic competency that they may not otherwise have access to.