Dr. Sophie Phillips

Bio:

Post-Doctoral Associate in the Child Health and Physical Activity Lab at Western University

Sophie’s research focuses on examining 24-hour movement behaviour (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep) during the early years, including measurement, associations with health and development, and interventions to improve these behaviours. She has a particular interest in examining sedentary behaviour and screen time activities on early life mental health. Her work seeks to improve child health and development from the earliest years through supporting families and educators in instilling healthy movement behaviours for children during these formative years. 

Workshop Description: Physical literacy in early childhood (aged 0-5 years) lays the foundation for a lifetime of physical activity, movement, and overall health. The development of physical literacy is essential not only for supporting physical activity, motor skills, and physical growth, but, in turn, can also support cognitive, social, and emotional development. Fostering physical literacy early in life, through supportive public health systems and intentional practices in early learning environments, can help ensure children develop the building blocks necessary for positive associations towards movement that promote lifelong health and wellbeing. This session will focus on discussing the construct of physical literacy, its importance for young children’s physical activity and motor skill development, and ways in which physical literacy and physical activity can be facilitated during early childhood. This will include an overview of our current research examining approaches to encourage and support physical activity and healthy movement in early childhood.