Care-experienced children and young people are likely to experience early adversities that place them at increased risk of developing physical and mental health difficulties. Physical activity can help address the varied needs and interests of care-experienced children and young people and become a tool to manage mental health and well-being…

Research documenting the effects of trauma in early childhood describes the profound and long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect on the developing brain and the subsequent deficits in critical cognitive and social development. While educators have increasingly endeavoured to understand this impact and become more 'trauma-informed' in…

Purpose: The development of a physical literacy definition and standards framework suitable for implementation in Australia. Method: Modified Delphi methodology. Results: Consensus was established on four defining statements: Core--Physical literacy is lifelong holistic learning acquired and applied in movement and physical activity contexts;…

While working as director of counselors in training at Camp Mishawaka in northern Minnesota, the author observed that while sailing, children were beginning to understand their surroundings and becoming aware of where they stood in nature. By spending time connecting to their physical location, children develop a relationship with the subconscious…

Background: Parenting a child with a developmental disability presents a variety of long-term physical and emotional challenges. When exploring parent wellbeing, the disability field is dominated by a deficit model despite parents reportedly demonstrating coping and resilience. The current study is embedded in a salutogenic theory (Antonovsky,…

Recently the adoption of mindfulness or contemplative based approaches has escalated across many sectors, including in education. Proponents argue that mindfulness based teaching programs improve students' life skills, provide emotional balance, reduce stress and enhance classroom climate. To date though there is little evaluation or knowledge of…

The objective of this project was to assess changes in physical activity, social isolation and loneliness of Lifeball participants as a result of participation in Lifeball. Lifeball is a team game based on walking, ball passing and goal shooting. Newly enrolled Lifeball players (n = 95) aged 50 years and over were recruited from Lifeball clubs in…