Blog

WAHPL has recently held a fantastically successful 3 week summer school designed for students in the 2nd and 3rd years of their undergraduate studies at Hobart William Smith University in New York State, USA. The summer school focused on exploring the stunning landscape of Wales through a range of different outdoor activities whilst learning more about the unique history and culture of this fantastic country. Highlights of the summer school included canoeing on the River [...]

The Welsh Government Health, Social Care and Sport Committee recently published its report on Physical Activity of Children and Young People http://www.assembly.wales/laid%20documents/cr-ld12369/cr-ld12369-e.pdf. I am delighted that the Committee in this report have recognised the important role that early childhood plays in the development of physical literacy, and as such physical activity throughout the life-course. It is in early childhood that the important foundations are laid for later physical activity. The early years is a unique window [...]

If you have been giving your baby tummy time and plenty of opportunities for kicking and moving on the floor then you will notice increasing strength in their neck and shoulders. You will see that they are looking at toys and beginning to reach for objects. They will want to move and reach out for things and these movements will be erratic and seem random at first. This is them learning about their body and how […]

Human babies are very helpless when they are born. Most mammals are able to walk almost straight away. Humans are born at this helpless stage of development because the human brain is so large that if the baby was more developed it would be too big for the mother to give birth. So for the first year after birth a baby must learn to sit, crawl, stand and walk. This process is very complicated and […]

You may or may not have heard of physical literacy. It is an idea that is becoming more popular with governments and sports in many countries. It is based on the idea that we as humans are one whole being and not a separate body and brain. ‘Of course we are not separate’ I hear you say….’how can we be? That’s crazy!’ ….But actually that’s exactly what we do in newspapers and magazines, we treat […]