The Youth Sport Trust has always recognised the importance of starting early in providing opportunities for young children to be active.
Start to play replaces the Youth Sport Trust's TOP Tots and TOP Start programmes. Aimed at those engaging with children between 0 and 5 years old, Start to play provides a number of fun resources to encourage play and physical activity opportunities for young children, their parents, guardians and carers.
Start to play comprises:
- A comprehensive bag of innovative play equipment
- A series of Fizz and Friends Come Out to Play story books. Through eight books (four books for each age range of 0-2 years old and 2-5 years old), the inspirational stories show Fizz and his friends playing, having fun and learning a number of key physical activities – moving, balancing and co-ordinating!
- Each book contains five activity/game cards which provide fun ideas and activities for the children, parents, guardians and carers to play and have fun with Fizz and his friends!
- An audio cd of the storybooks narrated by Denise Lewis, the Youth Sport Trusts ambassador for Early Years
- The 5-A-Day activity bag contains colourful and innovative equipment and resources, which aims to make connections between physical activity and a healthy diet. Encouraging children to eat five portions of fruit and vegatables a day and staying active for life.
- The Participation Award wall chart and explanatory booklet which acts as a monitoring tool to record and reward young people’s physical activity.
“The Youth Sport Trust Start to play programme has fantastic tools and opportunities which show that play has the great potential to help all children to grow into healthy, active young people, improving their confidence and the way they interact with others”. Denise Lewis OBE, Youth Sport Trust Early Years Ambassador and Olympic Gold medallist.
The Start to play programme supports the key outcomes and goals in the framework for the new Early Years Foundation Stage standards and guidance. Through play, the principles in the guidance can be achieved: Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication; Language and Literacy; Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy: Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Physical Development; Creative Development.
As part of Start to play, we are also developing Playzone which is an early year’s outdoor play programme. It is now designed to provide creative and innovative outdoor play opportunities for children within early years settings such as nurseries, pre-school and children’s centres. Playzone provides the opportunity to change and develop their outdoor play space. Start to play resources and equipment can also used in the Playzone playground.
“Now the children ask everyday when are we going in the garden which they never did before,” Early Years Assistant, Woodcot.
“They’re definitely more active. It’s quite interesting when we put the dressing up on there (the stage) and the boogie box up with it you always get the children who are more upfront than others up there, and I’ve noticed a lot of the quieter ones will come to join in as well,” Pre-School Nursery Manager
"Children have the advantage of having constant access to the outdoor area which has recently been extended and refurbished to provide them with a spacious and attractive space where they take part in activities that cover all areas of learning." Page 3: Ofsted Inspection Report on Woodcot Community Pre-School, 27th September 2007.
Denise Lewis is the ambassador for the early years programme. Being a former athlete and currently a mum to two young children, Denise recognises the importance of young children being active, enjoying themselves and learning through play.
Play is the magic ingredient of childhood, and the Youth Sport Trust Start to play programme will ensure that every child has the opportunity to play and have fun!
Click here to download a programme information sheet
Training
Training is not compulsory for Start to play and trainers already familiar with the previous TOP Tots and TOP Start will be able to use the new Start to play resources and equipment to support their existing training.
If you require training, a number of training opportunities take place throughout the school year.
If you would like to register your interest for Start to play training, please contact the School Support Unit on: 01509 226600.
How to access Start to play
The Start to play full package of equipment and resources can be ordered through YSTdirect or www.bishopsport.co.uk at a cost of £199.95 plus VAT. However the individual resources/books can be purchased separately. Please go to YSTdirect for more information.
Books and resources are available from: YSTdirect
Start to play Parent Pack - comprising comprise fun equipment, games and activity cards which will be aimed at parents engaging with their children through play - is also available from: YSTdirect
Early years settings should order their bag of equipment directly from our supplier – Bishop Sport and Leisure via their website www.bishopsport.co.uk or by telephoning 01753 648666 and quote product SE1047.