North Tyneside families get active through charity Step Outdoors programme
North Tyneside families have been getting busy outdoors thanks to a new community led project from a local health and well-being charity.
North East charity, Rise set up a pilot community family programme called Step Outdoors, due to the need and demand from their nursery and school offer.
The programme gives pre-school children and their families the chance to try a range of different, fun activities which helps families get active in nature, build new skills and create new family friendships across their communities.
The Step Outdoors family programme, made possible by a £2,000 grant from North East employer the Banks Group, delivered a series of themed outdoor sessions for pre-schoolers and their families over the winter months.
Each session was linked to nature and aligned with the early year’s curriculum, giving children the chance to build skills, confidence and new friendships in a safe outdoor environment.
After welcoming over 50 attendees and volunteers to the sessions, feedback from both parents and children have been exceptional.
All participating parents (100%) reported that Step Outdoors supported improvements in their child's physical development, communication skills, and personal, social and emotional development - all essential foundations for school readiness.
Parents also reported significant benefits for themselves, including improved confidence to engage in outdoor play, new ideas for low-cost and nature-based activities, and reduced isolation through meeting other local families.
Rise works closely with organisations across the health, education, community, transport, housing and other sectors to show how movement and physical activity can tackle inequalities across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham.
Lindsay Peach, trusts and foundations manager at Rise, says: “Physical activity is not just important for health.
“It underpins all learning in the early years, as well as being vital for school readiness, but statistics have shown that a staggering 91% of children under five do not meet the Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity recommendations.
“Step Outdoors aims to address these inequalities through active outdoor informal education, giving local families the chance to get active in lots of different fun ways while also building parents’ confidence and skills for active learning at home.”