SportsKidz presents sport for the new generation

● A dynamic new weekend school opening this October aims to introduce children aged three to 16 to a variety of sporting activities, teaching them the benefits of an active lifestyle as well as important life skills

Research studies report that children’s daily screen-time is on the rise, and as a result, they are spending less and less time outdoors. As a knock-on effect, this is preventing them from engaging in more traditional childhood activities such as playing sports, interacting with friends, and exploring their creativity.

This worrying connection between the increase of sedentary screen-time and rising child obesity rates globally has helped inspire a new concept for Malta. SportsKidz aspires to re-ignite interest in sports for a new generation, teaching children not only the fun of an active lifestyle but also, by extension, a host of valuable life skills such as teamwork, self-confidence and problem solving.

“At SportsKidz, our mission is to make sports accessible to young people again, to keep them healthy, active and interested,” explains SportsKidz founder Edward Mercieca. “Our programme avoids the over-training and over-competitive components of sports specialisation. Instead, with a strong emphasis on having fun, children of all abilities are introduced to different types of sports at their own pace, as well as a variety of exercises and team-building activities.”

At SportsKidz, children can also hope to gain more than just a love of sports. Studies have shown that children who have less screen-time and more opportunities to exercise outdoors have reduced stress levels, deeper sleep and enhanced mood. Likewise, they will enjoy a lowered risk of obesity thanks to making more well-informed food choices and generally healthier bones, muscles and posture.

Beyond offering children the social advantage of making an entirely new circle of friends outside school, SportsKidz also encourages participants to practise important life skills. “SportsKidz is committed to the concept of ‘Training for Life’, which uses sports as a medium to encourage a child’s personal development, boosts their self-esteem and improves their confidence. They will also learn essential skills that will serve them later in life such as communication, teamwork, fair play, respect, and how to cope with competition.”

The SportsKidz programme – which runs at the weekend and complements regular schooling – is designed to ensure that a child need not be ‘into sports’ to enjoy taking part. With multiple sports being played throughout the programme, including handball, badminton, athletics, taekwondo and gymnastics, children can gain experience in each one, working different muscles and maintaining their interest by breaking up the routine of traditional sports training.

SportsKidz focuses on very specific age groups of children to make the most of their developmental and learning possibilities. With classes capped at 17 pupils each and divided according to age, the length of each weekly class depends on the age of the children in each group. The youngest group of toddlers and preschoolers between three and five years of age have one-and-a half-hours of physical activity, since they are better suited to less organised games such as running, jumping and throwing.

Those aged six and over have classes lasting three hours, which are further divided into three separate age groups of six to eight years of age, nine to 11 years and 12+. These weekly three-hour classes are structured into three sections, starting with an hour of traditional team sports such as handball, then an hour of individual sports such as martial arts, before the final hour of team-building activities.

The SportsKidz school year will run alongside the normal academic year, divided into three terms and supplementing school hours. Starting from 5 October, SportsKidz classes run on Fridays from 5 to 8pm at Santa Theresa Secondary School, Triq B. Bontadini, Mriehel, on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm at the National Sports School, Triq Jum Pembroke, Pembroke, and from 2.30 to 5.30pm at Mosta Secondary School Zokrija, Triq il- Biedja, Mosta. For more information about the SportsKidz programme and to register participants, go to www.sportskidz.com.mt or call 7942 2054