Inter-Circulars
At West Ridge Early Education Centre, we believe in fostering a love for physical activity while supporting every aspect of a child’s development.
Warrior Athletes Program
We’re excited to introduce Empowered Play, a movement-based program designed especially for the early years! Through fun, purposeful play, children build confidence, strength, and social connection-all while laying the foundation for lifelong physical and emotional well-being.
At its heart, Empowered Play is about helping children move in ways that feel good and support their development. Each session is thoughtfully designed to meet children where they are, encouraging curiosity, resilience, and a love of movement that helps them thrive both now and as they grow.
We use specialized children’s coaching techniques that are tailored to how young children learn and grow, helping them build physical skills, emotional awareness, and social confidence in age-appropriate ways. While our programming is informed by early learning frameworks like How Does Learning Happen? and the ELECT document, our focus is on creating playful, meaningful experiences that truly support each child’s unique journey.
Empowered Play also uplifts educators, creating a supportive space where everyone feels inspired and connected to each child’s joyful movement journey.
We use physical activity to help kids develop the tools they need to face everyday challenges with confidence, strength, and compassion… and have a whole lot of fun doing it!
-Coach Kris
Thanks to the unwavering generosity of our families, local businesses, and support through provincial grants, we are thrilled to now offer the Empowered Play Program free of charge to all families.
Building on the principles of the Empowered Play Physical Literacy Pyramid, we introduce the foundational building blocks for physical literacy.
At the core of this approach are the 9 Perceptual Motor Skills (PMS)—the essential base for developing all physical skills
Empowered Play is an early years movement program designed to promote physical literacy, strength, and overall fitness, empowering children with the skills they need to foster a lifelong love of sports and recreational activities. By building competence and confidence in movement, children gain the tools they need to excel in sports, embrace active lifestyles, and face challenges with resilience.
Body
The program is designed to get every child excited about physical literacy, strength and overall fitness.
Mind
Being an exceptional human goes beyond being physically strong. Every level of the program incorporates appropriate mindfulness and character-building activities to develop confident, strong and compassionate humans.
Why Does This Matter?
At WREEC, we strongly believe in the importance of physically active play and the profound benefits it has on a child’s development. Active play isn’t just about physical health—it also nurtures cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Research from Active for Life highlights how active play significantly improves executive function, language and communication skills, and emotional self-regulation.
A Dual Opportunity: Benefits for Children and Staff
Through our Empowered Play program, children will engage in activities designed to master Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS)—the building blocks for physical activity. These skills, including running, jumping, skipping, hopping, throwing, and catching, are essential for:
- Developing more advanced sports performance
- Establishing lifelong active habits
- Supporting functional movements for daily living
When children master these skills, they naturally want to move more. Increased competence leads to increased confidence—not just in athletic participation but across all aspects of their lives.
But the benefits don’t stop there! This program also provides a unique professional development opportunity for our staff. Through hands-on training with Coach Kris, our educators learn how to guide children in enhancing their Perceptual Motor Skills through movement exploration while introducing and refining Fundamental Movement Skills.
We’re beyond excited to offer this innovative program and can’t wait to see the lasting positive impact it will have on our children, families, and staff.
Together we are shaping strong minds through strong bodies!
Resources
Mindfulness Practices: Nurturing Calm and Focus
In addition to the physical and active elements of our inter-curricular offerings, WREEC is proud to integrate mindfulness practices into our daily routines. Mindfulness has proven benefits for both children and educators, helping to create a calmer, more focused, and emotionally balanced learning environment.
Our Mindfulness program encourages appropriate strategies that can be used in practical ways to help children respond to their emotions. A wide range of practices including mindfulness with movement and play, mindfulness in transition, and mindfulness to help children rest and relax.
For children, mindfulness activities are designed to:
- Build self-awareness and emotional regulation
- Enhance their ability to focus and concentrate
- Encourage gratitude, kindness, and compassion
These practices are seamlessly woven into classroom activities through guided breathing exercises, short meditations, calming movement sessions (like yoga or stretching), and reflective moments that help children express their emotions in healthy, constructive ways.
For our educators, mindfulness is equally transformative. We provide training and resources to help our staff incorporate self-care and mindfulness into their day, ensuring they can approach each interaction with patience, empathy, and resilience. Techniques such as mindful breathing, mediation, gratitude check in, and grounding exercises equip our team to better manage the challenges of their role while maintaining a sense of balance and well-being.
Together, our commitment to mindfulness benefits the entire community, fostering an atmosphere where children and educators alike feel supported, connected, and ready to thrive.
Mindfulness + Movement = Holistic Development
By pairing the Warrior Athletes Program with intentional mindfulness practices, we are taking a comprehensive approach to child development. We’re excited to watch our children grow physically, emotionally, and mentally, equipped with the tools they need to succeed in every aspect of life.