Active Imaginations
How do we improve the health prospects of children through early years physical activity?
The Chief Medical Officer recommends levels of physical activity between the key developmental ages of 2 to 4 years, which are proven to provide lasting positive health benefits for children through to adult life.
With evidence that this level was not being achieved in some areas, Public Health England and the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Directors of Public Health commissioned Eski to consult on how to create an initiative with parents and carers of children from disadvantaged communities to increase early years physical activity.
Working in partnership with local authority professionals from Kirklees Council, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Kingston upon Hull City Council, Leeds City Council and Wakefield City Council, we deployed social marketing principles and concepts for interventions. This informed the creation of a regional pilot to shape future campaigns aimed at this audience and potentially, a wider geographic footprint.
The essence of ‘Active Imaginations’ was a website, Facebook community and YouTube channel resource of simple and fun activities that would help 2-to-4-year-olds get their 180 minutes of recommended daily physical activity to help them grow healthily.
Based on the insight that young children have amazing imaginations, but parents can find it difficult to know where to start, ‘Active Imaginations’ provided an online resource of activities that are free or almost free, can be done indoors or outdoors, in open or limited space, done together or alone and for a range of different situations.
The initiative was successfully rolled out for 18-months including during the COVID-19 lockdown when options for physical activities were limited. It remained in place until a government restructure meant that Public Health England was replaced, and the website had to be taken down as part of an audit of all Change4Life related initiatives.
Eski created and developed the ‘Active Imaginations’ initiative as pilot project within the national ‘Change4Life’ programme.
