Why Tiny Tots P.E. Teaches Physical Education and Not Sport.

As Nursery managers, you’re dedicated to nurturing children’s development across all areas, including Physical Development. At Tiny Tots P.E., we share your commitment to fostering healthy, happy, and active children. However, you may notice something unique about our approach: we don’t teach specific sports to children in Early Years. Instead, we focus on building a solid foundation of physical skills. Here’s why.

The Foundation of Physical Literacy

Children in the Early Years (aged 0-5) is a critical stage of developing physical literacy which is the essential movement skills that form the foundation for an active lifestyle. These include balance, coordination, agility, spatial awareness, and strength. Without these core abilities, children will struggle to perform the more complex movements required in sports later in life (S.Behan et al, 2019).

Imagine teaching a child to kick a football without first ensuring they can balance confidently on one leg. Or introducing basketball without their ability to track and catch a moving ball. I am not saying that specific sports cannot be delivered to this age group because any physical activity is a good thing! However, the enjoyment level for some may not be the same if they are unable to successfully complete the task. Specific sports demand a combination of advanced skills that some children in the Early Years are just not developmentally ready to perform.

Why General Physical Skills Come First

Rather than focusing on the rules or techniques of particular sports, our programme emphasises activities that develop fundamental motor skills like running, jumping, throwing, catching, and balancing. These are the building blocks that underpin every sport (Gallahue, Ozmun, & Goodway, 2019).

For example:

• Throwing and Catching: Before learning cricket or basketball, children need to master the basics of throwing with precision and catching with accuracy. Activities like beanbag tosses or balloon games under an overarching child friendly theme helps develop these skills in an age-appropriate, playful way.

• Balance and Coordination: Before attempting gymnastics, children must learn to balance on one foot, move with agility, and coordinate their hand-eye movements. Obstacle courses, crawling tunnels, and balance beams make this fun and engaging.

• Spatial Awareness: Team sports like football require an understanding of how to move in relation to others. Games such as follow-the-leader or moving to music build this sense of spatial awareness without overwhelming children with rules or competition.

Developmental Readiness Matters

Another reason we don’t teach specific sports is the variability in children’s developmental readiness. Early Years children grow and develop at vastly different rates. Expecting them ALL to grasp the complex rules and techniques of organised sports can lead to frustration or disinterest (L. Purcell, 2005).

Instead, we focus on using a fun theme to keep the children engaged, not praising or seeing success as completing the skill but the process and effort of trying it. Our goal is for children to enjoy movement, build confidence, and explore their capabilities in a non-competitive, pressure-free environment. This ensures that when they are developmentally ready for sports, they approach them with enthusiasm and the physical foundation to succeed.

Setting Children Up for a Lifetime of Enjoying Sports

By prioritising general physical skills over specific sports, Tiny Tots P.E. aims to foster a love of movement that lasts a lifetime. Research shows that children who develop strong physical literacy are more likely to stay active and enjoy participating in sports as they grow older (Sport England, 2023).

For Nursery managers, this means a win-win: children who are physically, socially, and emotionally prepared for the challenges ahead—both on and off the field.

Supporting You, Supporting Them

We know you want the best for the children in your care, and we’re here to support you with engaging, evidence-based activities that align with their developmental needs. Together, we can give them the strongest possible start on their journey toward a healthy and active life.

For more insights or to discuss how Tiny Tots P.E. can support your nursery, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s build strong foundations together!

References

Behan, S., Belton, S., Peers, C., O’Connor, N. E., & Issartel, J. (2019). Moving Well-Being Well: Investigating the maturation of fundamental movement skill proficiency across sex in Irish children aged five to twelve. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(22), 2604–2612. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2019.1651144

Goodway, J. D., Ozmun, J. C., & Gallahue, D. L. (2019). Understanding motor development: infants, children, adolescents, adults: Infants, Children, Adolescents, Adults. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Purcell, L. (2005). Sport readiness in children and youth. Paediatrics & Child Health, 10(6), 343–344. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/10.6.343

Hollingsworth, B. T. (n.d.). Latest Active Lives figures show importance of physical literacy | Sport England. Sport England. https://www.sportengland.org/blogs/latest-active-lives- figures-show-importance-physical-literacy