Tiny feet making big moves in Colac

Mini Movers is run every school holidays at Colac Corps, with children taking part in a range of high-energy, play-based activities and a variety of fun games. Image: Stock

BY LERISSE SMITH

Colac Salvos is now hosting a Mini Movers physical literacy pilot program, where bouncy, happy and energetic young children aged three to seven are ditching screens and sitting still for soccer balls, fun games, gardening gloves and healthy snacks.

“It is a great program and initiative,” says Josiah Van Niekerk, Corps Leader of Colac Corps.

“The program is all around physical literacy and getting kids active and then teaching the parents how to get their kids active. It’s a great alternative to play group.

“It gives us not only a relational way to see those families, those parents that come in here which normally don't because it’s a very middle class region, but also helps us engage with a different demographic of Colac and educates them about what services are available to them, such as Material Aid and Laundry Services.”

Behind the buzz lies an important local partnership between Colac Salvos and Leisure Networks, who oversee the physical wellbeing program for children, using sports as a fun way to improve motor skills as well as build social and emotional skills.

Children also develop life skills such as perseverance, sociability and self-esteem to support the smooth transition to primary school.

Colac Salvos run Mini Movers every school holidays, with about 15 children involved, each taking part in a range of high-energy, play-based activities and games. After a session of movement and fun, the group winds down together to finish off their session.

Then comes one of the kids’ favourite parts – the garden.

After the games slow down, children head outdoors to enjoy fresh fruit, plant seedlings and help tend to the garden beds, creating a calmer hands-on space that blends wellbeing, nature and play in equal measure.

Colac Corps is the first, other than Leisure Works, to pilot and lead the program.

“It’s working really well,” says Josiah. “Last school holidays we were booked out for the morning sessions. We are in the midst of running this as a full-scale program.”

And it’s ticking many boxes too.

“It kind of ticks off our larger goal as Colac Salvos to improve the holistic health of the individual, family and the community,” reflects Josiah.

“We want to help the child understand how they can be physically active within being relational. They’re getting exposed to a faith community as well, which helps in that way. It also opens up the doors to financial opportunities to save preventatively for local families with our Material Aid program and others … Ultimately, it opens up people being more intentionally aware about their life as holistic health.”

Already, the vision is growing.

The Salvos team is now looking at ways to expand Mini Movers into schools and kindergartens across the region, with plans to involve Physical Education students in delivering sessions and helping younger children develop movement skills from an early age.

“We’re in the midst of designing this so our trainers can work with our local schools to get the Physical Education students to know how to teach it,” says Josiah. “We will then go into the kindergartens and deliver Mini Movers with the students.”