Photo: Stephanie O'Brien with Carmen Bullock 4 years old dropping in at Lake Louise, Alberta Gliding Start

Key Concepts

Physical activity should be a fun part of a child’s life every day and is essential for healthy child development.

Active play is critical at this stage to build meaningful connections within the brain and between the brain and the child’s muscles.

Children should aim to ski as often as possible with parents and in a formalized setting with a trained or certified ski instructor or coach. 

Children should be provided with opportunities to explore their physical and mental limitations in safe environments.

Activities should help children feel competent and comfortable with participating in a fun environment, which includes challenging activities and games.

For children with a disability, access to age and disability-appropriate adapted equipment is an essential contributor to successfully being physically active.

Children should participate in physical activity daily with an emphasis on having fun.

REFERENCES:

ACA LTAD Training and Competition Focus Matrix

ACA LTAD Training and Competition Volume Matrix

ACA LTAD  SX Progression Matrix

ACA LTAD Para-Alpine Progression Matrix

Sport For Life Active Start

Sport for Life - Long Term Development in Sport & Physical Activity 3.0 Higgs, Colin & Way, Richard & Harber, Vicki, Jurbala, Paul, Bayli, Istvan. (2019). Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0. Canadian Sport for Life. ISBN: 978-1-927921-62-3.

Long Term Athlete Development Information for Parents presented by the Coaching Association of Canada

Developing Physical Literacy: A guide for parents of children ages 0 to 12

Actively Engaging Women and Girls

Sport for Life No Accidental Champions: LTAD for Athletes
with a Disability (2nd Edition)

Sport for Life for all Newcomers to Canada

Sport for Life Aboriginal Long–Term Participant Development Pathway 1.1