Baby Moves Blog

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Olympic Blog ~ Inspire a Generation

I don't know about you, but we've been fascinated by the Olympics and Paralympics since that fantastic opening ceremony all those weeks ago. (By the way, Sue says a big well done to Danny Boyle, there are now two famous people from Radcliffe, Manchester, if Danny is one of them who is the other one, Sue?)

Watching the parade yesterday, like many other people, we were filled with pride and joy at what all those athletes had achieved, all their hard work, dedication and sacrifice, of themselves and their families.

There has been a lot of talk in the media about legacy, and the motto "Inspire a Generation" has been seen everywhere. What does this look like in practice? How can we inspire a generation? I have read and heard such a lot about school sports, bringing back competitiveness in high schools, and the facilities in communities for grass roof sports. All this is very important, but are we missing something? Where does this begin?

Last December, Baby Moves was privileged to take part in the family football events for the Sports Personality of the Year Awards in Media City, Salford. Many families booked onto the Baby Moves workshops thinking "How can they play football with very small babies?" Well, we did!

The beginning of football, archery, tennis (Well done Andy Murray), athletics, cycling and all the other many Olympic and Paralympic events starts with encouraging babies to enjoy the freedom of moving their bodies. Being on their tummy strengthens neck, back and arm muscles, crawling gives a baby an awareness of the space around them, and moving their body to music brings a sense of enjoyment, self confidence and self esteem. All this may not result in the baby joining team GB in the velodrome or athletics stadium, but it will result in a more healthy and happy generation to come.

So come on, let's get active and inspire a generation!
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