Most sport friendly kindergarten wanted!
Children's shoe brand Elefanten offers Euro 15,000 cash prize
Germany's children are exercising less and less. However, sport and exercise are an important condition for the entire development of the young ones. Therefore, on the occasion of its 80th birthday, the children's brand Elefanten launches a national competition looking for Germany's most sport friendly kindergarten. With immediate effect, kindergarten teachers can register their kindergartens until 30th June under www.elefanten.de. The Elefanten prize is endowed with total prize funds of Euro 15,000.
Essen, 6th February 2008. "Sport and exercise promote children's strength, perseverance and coordination", says Professor Dr. Wolfgang Tietze of the Free University of Berlin. He is teaching at the Chair of Pedagogy for young children and has ascertained that athletic children achieve better academic results than their couch potato counterparts do. The problem: many families no longer motivate their children to play sports - often a lack of time is the reason, because nowadays more and more women have jobs. "This means that kindergartens often provide the first possibilities to involve children in sports in a playful manner", explains Sabine Stell of the Federal Institute for Sports Science in Berlin.
750,000 day-nursery places for under 3-year olds
The importance of kindergartens and day-nurseries will become even greater over the coming years: Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Minister for Family Affairs, intents to have created a total of 750,000 day-nursery places for under 3-year olds by 2013. According to her information, 35 percent of all children under three would then be looked after by kindergarten teachers, who would have to assume new roles and responsibilities.
There are already numerous kindergartens and day nurseries that have not only recognized the problem but are trying to get children more and more involved in playing sports. This is exactly the point where the Elefanten Award for sport friendly kindergartens comes in. The best projects should become an incentive and example for many others and promote new methods and approaches. The ten best kindergartens from all applicants will be invited to attend the final in Düsseldorf, where they will have the opportunity of presenting their sports activities themselves. At the end, members of a competent jury will decide on the winners.
What is this competition about? The initial assessments will concern concepts and ideas for sports and exercises, their practical implementation, however, is also important. For example, have teachers and parents bought or built sports equipment at their own initiative? Another important factor is the commitment of teachers to sport and whether and how they to improve their knowledge or whether they have gathered their experience in sports clubs. In the end, however, it is not only professionalism that counts but in particular creativity. "Fun, enjoyment and joint activities take priority over athletic performances", explains Ulrich Effing of Elefanten.
The lack of sportiness in children is primarily the result of not enough practice. A current representative forsa study conducted in January 2008 shows that 63 percent of all children spend at least 30 minutes per day watching television or playing on their computers. And 15 percent of the children even spent at least two hours or more with their electronic devices.
Further information about the competition as well as application forms are available on the internet under www.elefanten.de.
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