Department of Kinesiology

KIDS:PLAY

Kids Integrated Development of Skills:
Parental Leadership and Advocacy for Youth

Mission

The mission of the Kids Integrated Development of Skills: Parental Leadership and Advocacy for Youth (KIDS:PLAY) is to involve children in physical activity and social interaction. Our goal is to develop and enhance motor skills, improve self-esteem and create new learning experiences.

Overview

The KIDS:PLAY environment is inclusive for all children to work on individual goals through intra-task variations. These variations will provide choices in order to challenge, guide and meet the individual talents, needs, and interests of the children.

Each participant's individuality will be accepted and respected by creating a supportive social environment for personal development to be achieved. Social etiquette and rules will be emphasized to create a safe, enjoyable, physical education environment by staff and volunteers. The children participating will be involved in developmentally appropriate physical education activities.

The KIDS:PLAY program also provides pre-service teachers with experience, disability awareness, training, and hands on experience working with children. The program provides parents with connections, workshops, respite and guest speakers. The program also provides the volunteers, participants and parents with new learning opportunities and community connections. It is a promoting, accepting and inclusive environment for all children.

Curriculum
CourseTitleUNITSTERM
KINE 196Service Learning in Movement Studies in Disability1.0FS

This course provides students with a service learning experience in the area of movement studies in disability. University students are placed with a child with a disability to assist the child with selected individualized activity programs. Programs are designed in conjunction with parents to meet the individual child's physical, social, emotional, and motivational needs. 2 hours field studies. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 4.0 units.

What We Offer

  • Fundamental motor skill development.
  • Motor assessments.
  • Game skill development.
  • Community recreational activities.
  • Individualized instruction.
  • Parent support.
  • Confidence and self-esteem building.
  • Parent respite.

Student Goals

Movement Skills/Knowledge: Participants will be able to:

  • Develop an awareness of the concepts of space, time and effort.
  • Develop and/or increase hand eye and foot eye manipulative skills.
  • Develop and/or increase rhythm and balance.
  • Develop and/or increase loco-motor skills such as hopping, galloping, marching and sliding

Social Development: Participants will be able to:

  • Recognize the self and others.
  • Develop communication skills with others.
  • Learn to move about in and share general space with others.
  • Understand taking turns, sharing and interacting with others.

Self-Image and Personal Development: Participants will be able to:

  • Enhance self-image through movement experiences.
  • Have opportunities to experience personal feelings of success through activity.
  • Lifetime skills for physical activity.

Parent Goals

The goals of the KIDS:PLAY program for the parents are:

  • To create new relations with other parents
    • Through meetings at KIDS:PLAY
    • Sharing interests & concerns
    • Parent to parent support
  • To provide new learning opportunities
    • Guest speakers
    • Discussion groups
  • To provide education on current issues
  • To provide community connections
    • Speakers
    • Outreach
  • Social Media
    • Help find or supply resources
  • To provide respite time for parents

Volunteer Goals

The goals of the KIDS:PLAY program for volunteers are:

  • Provide disability awareness
  • Provide disability training
  • Provide new learning opportunities
  • Provide experience teaching children with and without disabilities
  • Provide disability information
  • Create new community relations
  • Provide education on developmentally appropriate physical activity and implementation
  • Provide training and opportunities to plan activities in a physical activity setting
Kym Crosby with service dog