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Physical activity as a powerful and positive social outlet Sheppard, a lacrosse player, decides to start up a team to provide his students with physical activity and a positive social outlet. It takes some convincing—“I don’t like to run,” one boy tells Sheppard—but the Kugluktuk Grizzlies are born. At practices, Sheppard shows them how to … Continued

In Winnipeg, early childhood educators and caregivers are learning how to address a whole new dimension of infant and toddler development: physical literacy. Recently, the Access and Engagement & Physical Literacy working committees from the Winnipeg Community Sport Policy saw the need to promote physical literacy as a means to combat health risks for children … Continued

Dr. John Cairney wears many hats. He’s a professor in the kinesiology and physical education faculty at the University of Toronto, as well as director of the Infant and Child Health Lab at both U of T and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. He’s also the chair of Sport for Life’s research group for physical … Continued

Ready, Aim, Kick! to the rescue One particularly difficult day, we tried an activity called Ready, Aim, Kick! (see Activity #6) from the APPLE Seeds program. This robust program introduces physical literacy skills in a sequential way within everyday play. Ready, Aim, Kick! involves playing kicking games using targets and a variety of materials, including pylons, … Continued

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines on “physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under five years of age.” Specifically, it provides recommendations for sedentary screen time, suggesting no more than one hour per day for children ages two to four. The guidelines were developed by a WHO panel of experts … Continued

A mom shares her experience with postpartum depression and offers tips for other new parents experiencing what she did.

“Back when we were kids…” Do you ever catch yourself telling stories to children about how play used to be? The freedom and friendships of the outdoors, and playing all day until the lights came on, were staples of childhood. It seems like forever since that kind of free play lived in neighbourhoods, and according … Continued

As a teacher, do you want to help children develop physical literacy? Would you like an easy shortcut for creating your own lesson plans to do so? Luckily, there’s a range of excellent free resources available at Active for Life. One of the most useful is Active for Life’s (AfL) interactive online Lesson Plan Builder. While AfL’s pre-made … Continued

From a sporting standpoint, the thing I enjoy most about coaching girls is the fact that they listen. They listen because they want to get it right. Getting it right is important because they want to be socially accepted, and in their early years of participation, social acceptance is their number one reason for getting … Continued

Here’s one activity my kids loved when I was teaching them letter recognition. And it’s been adapted for toddlers through to preschool. Hop A Letter If the weather is good, bust out the sidewalk chalk. If not, get out the painter’s tape and move the coffee table. Choose six to eight letters and letter combos, … Continued

Did you know that by age 14, girls are dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys? Did you know that when matched for age and maturation, they are three to six times more likely than boys to sustain non-impact ACL injuries? And did you know that the main reason most girls play … Continued

Here’s a list of fun and active ways you and your family can get your silly on this April Fool’s Day.

Hey, Project Active Family participants! It’s been a few weeks since we officially wrapped up Project Active Family, but I’m happy to report that our small-but-mighty community continues to live on in all kinds of unofficial ways. Each time I dive into my social media feed, I see a variety of wonderfully inspiring photos featuring … Continued

As educators, it’s important to ensure children are introduced to physical literacy. Providing a variety of movement opportunities in as many different environments as possible inspires children to be active now and hopefully for life. In February, staff at École élémentaire publique Jeanne-Sauvé in Orleans, Ont. along with P.E. teachers from three other schools in … Continued

About once a year a sharp pang of regret hits me. It’s most likely to strike on one of two occasions: in the winter after a big snowfall or out on the lake at a summer cottage. The two situations are vastly different, yet both stir up similar feelings of regret, embarrassment, and frustration. So, … Continued

Quebec made men’s hockey history at the Canada Games in Red Deer, winning gold against Ontario. Quebec’s last gold medal dated back to 1987. In the second week of the Games, the women’s team also made it to the final, winning silver after losing against the home team. Team Quebec’s performances can be attributed to … Continued

Of my three children, two of them love competition, working up a sweat, and getting out of breath. My daughter on the other hand? Not so much. And that’s probably one of the reasons she says that she “hates” her physical-education (PE) class. Hate is a big word. There are reasons why she’s not enjoying … Continued

Exciting new things are happening in libraries around the world. They’re no longer just spaces where people go to read and study. Now, libraries are hosting everyone from babies to seniors with free and inclusive programming. From story time to chess clubs, music lessons to job searching, dancing to computer lessons, and knitting to teen … Continued

Meet Woody Belfort. An athlete who spreads joy all around. We’ve featured athletes that give back to society through charities. But Woody Belfort is an athlete who gives back in a different way.   Woody is a wheelchair basketball player on team Québec at the 2019 Canada Games in Red Deer Alberta. And Woody loves … Continued

Featuring 19 sports, over 150 events and a major arts and cultural festival, the 2019 Canada Winter Games will welcome up to 3,600 athletes, managers and coaches and more than 20,000 visitors. Meet Calgary artistic gymnast Elijah Thompson. Elijah carried the flag on behalf of Team Alberta into the opening ceremonies at the Enmax Centrium. … Continued

It’s challenging for families to find time to be active together, so Active for Life and ParticipACTION are making it easier. Families will find Recipe for an Active Year an excellent source of ideas for family activities throughout the four seasons. Most people think physical activity is just about losing weight and looking good at the … Continued

Early results from groundbreaking research hoping to understand the effects of screen time on kids’ brains are now available. The verdict? Children’s brains are growing older, faster. Basically, MRI scans of kids “who use smartphones, tablets, and video games more than seven hours a day” (Cooper, 2018) show premature thinning of the brain’s cortex, according … Continued

“In Happy Parents Happy Kids, Ann Douglas has written the quintessential handbook for parenting in the digital age. She’s covered every conceivable angle and topic, and gives practical, compassionate, non-judgmental, and research-based advice. Buy a copy (or two) for every expecting, new, or veteran parent you know.” —Richard Monette and the Active for Life team … Continued

Fast is fast. And Kendall Coyne Schofield is certainly fast. Making history as the first woman to ever compete at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition, Coyne Schofield demonstrated her speed and skating ability in the Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater event. She placed seventh of eight skaters, which included event champion Connor McDavid, who edged her … Continued