In a bid to get Toronto kids more active, the city officially launched its Ready, Set, PLAY! physical literacy program on Thursday.
The program, which was unveiled outside City Hall with kids from city-run camps plus Paralympic gold medallist Paul Rosen, the Toronto Raptor and city sports mascot Tio the Moose, aims to teach youngsters the fundamentals of movement and sports skills.
"Physical literacy is about confidence in the fundamental movement skills in using, moving and growing our bodies," said Janie Romoff, general manager of the city’s department of parks, forestry and recreation. "We know that learning the alphabet is necessary before you learn how to read. We also know that it’s really important to learn the fundamental movement skills like running, jumping, throwing and balancing before you participate in sport and recreational activities."
The program’s unveiling comes on the heels of the Rio Olympics and just ahead of the Rio Paralympic Games, though its genesis comes from Toronto’s own multi-sport event.
"Ready, Set, PLAY! is a legacy of the 2015 Para and Pan Am Games that took place in the City of Toronto last summer," Romoff said. "We wanted to develop this program…really to inspire people to be active, to play and also to have the skills to be able to participate in sport."
The program will be fully up and running in September, when families can register children in 80 community centres across the city.
Rosen noted that the success of Canadian athletes – including local stars Penny Oleksiak and Rosie MacLennan – is due to strong physical fitness and sports programs, adding that Ready, Set, PLAY! will help the next generation bolster their physical skills.
"(Canada’s Olympic medallists) did it because they had programs like this, like Ready, Set, PLAY! that are going to give all of you an opportunity to start right now," he told the kids in attendance.
Following the announcement of the program’s launch, kids took part in a variety of activities designed to teach them the fundamentals of movement.
For more information about Ready, Set, PLAY! visit www.toronto.ca/torontofun