Our children had a ball (literally!) with the Soccajoeys program last term! Ten thirty-minute sessions ran each week, with ten preschool children participating in each session.
“The Soccajoeys coaches are amazing,” says our Senior Occupational Therapist Justine. “They learned the children’s names really quickly, and they were responsive to individual children’s needs, such as enabling our autistic children to take breaks when they needed to.” There was a genuine spirit of inclusion, with the sessions tailored to meet the children’s diverse needs, and one child’s parents were welcomed into the program to join their child’s weekly session to support his participation. Our Educators and Allied Health therapists also attended the sessions to give children who needed it one-to-one support.
As well as learning basic soccer skills, the program supports children’s development across many areas including their social, cognitive, problem solving and language skills. As they practiced the warm up drills and soccer exercises the children were listening to and following directions, and they quickly learned to wait for their coach’s whistle to start the next activity. Cheering on their peers as they took to the nets was a program highlight for the children!
“The coaches really focussed on helping the children to build their confidence while having fun and learning new skills,” says Justine.
We are looking forward to running this fantastic program again in 2025
Contact us
If you have any questions or would like more information, please email us at childrensservices@theinfantshome.org.au.