Children marching into the school oval with their teachers, getting ready for the sports day.
Calvin had his very first sports day at school this morning. The early childhood education teachers (for 4 and 5 year olds) have done such a fantastic job in organising this event and training the young children to run, skip, jump and hop (for the last 2 months)! These big motor skills were supposed to help them develop into bright healthy children. There were also races that involved lots of focusing such as the side step and egg and spoon race. Calvin has not been confident with skipping all this while — I was told yesterday by Mrs D. The boy refused to do it unless the teacher hold his hand and guide him along. I am thankful to his teacher for willing to go this far to encourage him.
 Mrs S holding Calvin’s hand to guide him through the skipping race.
The teachers have also been emphasising to the children that the sports day is not about coming in first, it is all about having fun, trying hard and finishing the tasks. Being the nervous mum that I am, I have also been repeating this to Calvin for the past week to prepare him mentally that winning is not important. I was especially concerned as this boy has been showing his competitiveness side lately. Well, good news is that there was no tears today. 🙂
I took today off from work just so that I can attend my little boy’s very first sports day. I am so glad that I did. I even volunteered to help at one of the tabloid games station — Sack Jumping.
The day started with the children going through 10 tabloid game stations. There were soccer goals, sack jumping, flags etc. Ten groups of children of size about six each rotated through the stations. The action started with a blow of a whistle and ended with another whistle blow. The school principal was the whistle blower. He was very involved with today’s events — cheering the kids on, hosting the events etc. It was good of him to take time off to support the early childhood education program. I think the parents appreciated his efforts, including myself of course.
 Calvin in action: Left: Sack Jumping. Right: Running.
At my station, the children were divided into 2 teams. I handled one team while another parent handled the other. Each child from the team took turns to put on the sack, pull up the handles and hop like a kangaroo to a cone, go round it and return to the team. It was tough, I have to say. Most of the children could do the action very well, while some refused to hop and some just gave up … well, we were dealing with 4-5 year olds you see and they had their moments. Lots of encouragement and reassurance helped.
The children went back to their classrooms after the games for a break and morning tea break. They have done such a good job in listening and following instructions. Traditional races were next.
The children returned to the oval after a well deserved break. They were lined up in rows behind marked lines on the lawn. The race started with running. I was at the finishing point watching my little boy and his moment of pride. He ran really really fast towards the finishing line and me! I was so proud of him. He was concerned he did not come in first, and so I reminded him that it did not matter and that he was really fast. That seemed to have made him happy. All the children were given ribbons that were pinned onto their shirt when they finished the tasks required, no matter how long they took to complete the tasks. This really encouraged the children for the effort that they have put in. I find this very encouraging and positive.
This is the friends race where they held hands with a friend and run together to the finishing line.
After the children have completed their races, the siblings finally had their turn to race! Well, our Mr Athan was in day care today and so he missed out. I am sure he would enjoy the race. There was also a 3-legged race for the parents!! Of course I took part. 🙂 As Robin did not come due to work, I partnered with a friend. No, we did not win, but we had a lot of fun. Calvin watched me and cheered me on, and he told me “mum, you did not win”. To which I replied, “it is OK because I had fun”.
Here’s the happy boy with all the ribbons he has achieved pinned on his shirt.
The sports day was declared a success by the principal! He reiterated the importance of early childhood education and the importance of having sports program integrated into it. He thanked the teachers and parents and children after which we were all invited to a hotdog lunch. Calvin was starving by then, he could hardly wait for another moment to receive his hotdog and roll. He even ate my share! After lunch, he even had energy to play with his friends at the playground. Amazing. I was exhausted by then!
A surprise awaited Calvin after we left school. The husband met up with us and brought us to a ice-cream place for a treat! Calvin could not wait to tell his dad all about his ribbons and how fast he ran. The father could not be any more proud and happy to see his boy so excited about his achievements.
 Calvin and Robin having their favourite ice-cream.
What a nice way to end the day!