Let's start at the beginning! A new year, a new community supporting children's health and wellbeing.
Superhero, superhero turn around. Superhero, superhero touch the ground.
Superhero, superhero jump up high. Superhero, superhero fly around the sky.
We hear so much these days about poor mental health, obesity, screen time, bad diet,
lack of activity, depression, anxiety and over scheduled children. What if we changed
the narrative and focused on early intervention and education? What if we went back
… right back to the early years and focused on building strong foundations for young
children and their parents. What if we had a proactive, holistic approach? What if we
invested time and effort here to make it better later on? Do you think it could
change journeys and improve outcomes? Our positive role models for children like to lead the way!
At Little Superhero Community we believe in doing just that and we are on a mission to
share our experiences of building strong foundations because we know it works. We
believe in bringing out the best in children and building very strong foundations from 8 weeks of age through to age 5 and beyond. The early years is a time for providing a wealth
of opportunities for the child to develop as a whole person. We can do this by learning
through play both structured and unstructured and our specialism is to bring out little
superhero attributes! We want to support families to build strong, confident children with high self esteem and resilience.
But what are Little Superhero attributes? We want children to find their inner
superhero. These include bravery, kindness, teamwork, partner work, creativity,
safety, listening skills, participation, ….. the list is endless! By focusing on these areas,
we bring out the characters in our children and celebrate their uniqueness. We also
need to support their resilience, their confidence, their perseverance, their self belief
and so much more. The way we are shaped in the early years can have huge impact on
how we cope in later years. Learning through play using a multi-sensory approach is
fundamental to this and what better way to play than Superhero play!
So how do we build strong foundations? We keep it simple. We go back to basics with
our children and we use a holistic approach where children can be just that, children.
It may sound traditional or even outdated to some but really a lot of it is common
sense. In days gone by there were ample opportunities for children to move and learn,
to play outside, to run, jump, climb and take risk. We need to recreate these
experiences and this is where our Little Superheroes can help. When children move it
stimulates the brain, connections are made and outcomes are improved. Although the
science behind it is complex and we do not try to explain it here … it is simple really ….
move it or lose it! By promoting an active start, we are building those strong
foundations for a happy, healthy heart, mind and body. We can't work these elements in isolation. Children need a holistic approach.
So how can little superhero dolls help children? The answer is they can’t do it alone.
We need to create the invitations to play, set the scenes, open the imaginations,
empower the minds, facilitate and let children have the freedom to explore through
active learning. Our Little Superhero dolls empower children to do just that. A
versatile resource for early years and health professionals. When used alongside play
equipment and an imaginary world where anything is possible our Little Superheroes
achieve big things! We are not results driven, we are driven by children’s innermost
motivation to engage and learn about the world around them as this is how character is
built!
What is active learning though? It is a place where children can make discoveries, they
can explore concepts, they can practice and master skills. It is a time for minds and
bodies to work together. It is huge!
Helen Dewhurst is a qualified primary school teacher. A mum of six and a nannie to her
first grandchild. She now works as an independent early year’s teacher consultant
with a specialism in early years movement and health and wellbeing. This is complemented by her experience of running children’s classes for over ten years, being a qualified British Gymnastics pre
school specialist, working with community gymnastics clubs around the UK and running a
worldwide preschool community. As a mum she has always encouraged her own children
to be active and get involved in sports. Her programme has grown from first hand
experience in all these areas and the Little Superhero programme is a product of this.
Unable to run face to face classes when the pandemic hit in 2020 she continued with
her mission to reach children around the globe by publishing her work and achieving a
Christmas No. 1 best-selling book I Spy with my Superhero Eye. A book designed to
support health and wellbeing, promote an active start in life and to help teachers and practitioners.
If you would like to know more or get involved in our Little Superhero Community as a
community leader, a parent , as a community club or as a school or
nursery setting you can find out more at www.superherosportsacademy.com and by
emailing helensprojectplay@gmail.com
We also have a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/littlesuperherocommunity and you can join our support community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/297685820601851
Helen's first book in the Little Superhero series is available on Amazon to help children across the globe be a little superhero and get the best start in life
I Spy With My Superhero Eye: Superhero Sports Academy: Amazon.co.uk: Dewhurst, Helen, Vaux,
Garry: Books. FREE author visits available by arrangement. Online and local to Preston face to face available for World Book Day and to support the curriculum www.superherosportsacademy.com
Book available here :-