Developing Physical Literacy in Kids [Podcast Series]
[:54] Dr. Bantham introduces her guest, Clare McSweeney
Clare McSweeney is CEO & Founder at Kuul Play.
[1:08] Kuul Play origin story
“And through that I, yeah, I realized how much the landscape had changed, and how much catch up work we have to do to support educators, and particularly children, in moving more, moving better, and enjoying it.”
[3:17] Addressing decreasing PE minutes
“If we take in the US, for example, three quarters of states have just basic requirements for PE. And there may be a lack of equipment, resources, time, opportunities in the day to be active. And so, I think if we don't have policies in place where PE is recognized as valuable, an important part of the school day, it's very hard then for even the most well intentioned administrator or educator to be able to deliver that within a very busy schedule.”
[7:34] Kuul Play platform
“So we have an easy plug and play solution. It's a digital program that's aligned with the PE standards. And it really supports educators or instructors in a school setting for phys ed or after school in delivering inclusive structured quality physical literacy experiences for K through six students. And fundamentally, we prioritize movement and play time off the screen.”
[11:39] Inclusive, child-centered approach
“So the best way, I suppose, that I can explain that is, how do we do it, we support children as a collective to explore movement. And it's fun, and it's enjoyable. And they explore how movement feels, and it builds their confidence and their motivation.”
[17:11] Educator support
“All of those educators, all of the instructors that are delivering Kuul Play, they're the true champions, because they are the people that are, yes, we're giving them a resource, we're providing the training and the support before they begin the program—they get professional development—but they are the ones that are at the coalface.”
[18:57] Boots-on-the-ground perspective on youth physical activity
“We are definitely seeing less opportunities to be active. If we talk about specifically in the school setting, I alluded to some of the statistics around the amount of PE that's timetabled or scheduled. There is a massive variation.”
[25:18] Physical literacy development
“We're looking at empowering a child to become more proficient in moving in time and in space, and manipulating objects like a ball. And then using these movement skills to be able to progress and move better for daily living.”
“And when we talk about physical literacy development, really, there's no endpoint or no destination, there's no top score in it, which is quite different to most things in education. So your physical literacy journey is continued throughout life, it's over the life course and you can continually improve.”
