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Why Athletic Development is the Best Gift You Can Give Your Child (Age 5–12)
Imagine your child sprinting faster, moving with confidence, and thriving both on and off the field. That future starts now. At Multi-Sport Kids Academy, we don’t just “play sport”, we build the foundation for a lifetime of movement, health, and athletic ability. And here’s the truth: the ages of 5–12 are the most important window to do it. This isn’t just a fun after-school activity (though we guarantee your child will have a blast). It’s the most critical period in their physical development, what scientists and coaches around the world call the “Golden Window” for motor learning. |
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Why Is Athletic Development So Important?
- Builds Stronger, Fitter Bodies: Through sprinting, jumping, climbing, and balance drills, kids develop strength, coordination, speed, agility, and endurance, skills that transfer to any sport.
- Boosts Brain Development: Movement wires the brain. Physical activity improves focus, memory, and academic performance, they move better and think better.
- Develops Confidence: Mastering new physical skills builds belief, resilience, and a “can-do” attitude that lasts a lifetime.
- Reduces Injury Risk: Teaching proper movement mechanics early prevents bad habits and future injuries, especially when sports become more intense later.
- Sets a Lifelong Health Trajectory: Kids who move more stay active longer. Early exposure to athletic development reduces the risk of obesity, chronic conditions, and sedentary lifestyles later in life.
When Is the Right Time? (Spoiler: Right Now)
From ages 5–12, children’s nervous systems are at their peak plasticity, meaning they learn new physical skills rapidly. They’re developing their balance, rhythm, strength, and coordination at light speed. If this window is missed, it’s much harder to “rebuild” those patterns later.
The scary truth?
Too many kids are sitting still too long and losing out on these key growth moments. That’s why early action matters.
How We Do It: The Multi-Sport Kids Academy Way
We’ve built a program that’s fun, fast-paced, and scientifically sound.
- Max Velocity Sprinting: Speed builds coordination, power, and confidence.
- Agility & Movement Skills: We run, dodge, jump, twist, turn, crawl, all the things they’re meant to do.
- Gymnastics & Balance Drills: Rolling, cartwheels, static holds, crucial for spatial awareness and injury prevention.
- Strength & Conditioning (Age-Appropriate): We use games, partner drills and more to safely build strength.
- Varied Multi-Sport Exposure: Every week covers different challenges. The more movement patterns they master, the better they’ll be at every sport.
What this could mean for your child’s future
Enrolling your child in a quality athletic development program could be the difference between:
- A confident, capable mover… or a child who hesitates to join in.
- A teenager who excels at sport… or one who always feels one step behind.
- A lifelong love of physical activity… or years of struggle with motivation and fitness.
Don’t miss the important window
There is unfortunately, no “redo” button on childhood motor development. And we don’t say that to scare you, we say it because it really does matter.
So whether your child is sporty, shy, energetic, or hesitant, they’ll benefit. Our program is built for all kids, no matter their starting point!
Kids Fitness check!
Did you know, the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that children and young people aged 5–17 years complete at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every single day. That’s a lot of running around! 🏃♀️🏃♂️
Even more interestingly, here in NSW, public schools are required to provide a minimum of 150 minutes per week of planned moderate to vigorous activity (including weekly sport) for students in K–10. Unfortunately, many schools stick to this bare minimum like a lot in the North Sydney/ North shore area.
When you do the maths, it’s clear that most children fall well short of the Australian recommendations unless they take part in plenty of additional activities outside of school. And it really does add up!
For example, here’s my daughter’s week:
Here’s the reality in numbers:
✅ Children need 420 minutes per week (7 hours) of vigorous physical activity
🏫 State schools provide only 150 minutes per week
➡️ That leaves a gap of 270 minutes (or about 54 minutes per day) that needs to be made up through other activities
➡️ KIDS FITNESS CHECK: Add up your child's weekly minutes and see where they stand. Sometimes the result can be quite frightening! Because after all, better physical health leads to better mental health, and it really does start here!
Our solution for families:
Because of the above, we’re offering the option to book a second day of our program for only $20 per session ($200 per term). This not only helps your child get much closer to hitting the weekly target (now up to 390 minutes), but will also supercharge their athletic development toolkit, giving them more speed, skills, fitness, and confidence to thrive in any sport. And even if they don’t quite reach the full 420 minutes every single week, you can feel more reassured knowing they’re getting a huge head start compared to the average (and a lot less guilt for you as parents too)!
To book in this extra day, pop us an email at [email protected] and we will add them in.
Even more interestingly, here in NSW, public schools are required to provide a minimum of 150 minutes per week of planned moderate to vigorous activity (including weekly sport) for students in K–10. Unfortunately, many schools stick to this bare minimum like a lot in the North Sydney/ North shore area.
When you do the maths, it’s clear that most children fall well short of the Australian recommendations unless they take part in plenty of additional activities outside of school. And it really does add up!
For example, here’s my daughter’s week:
- Monday: Athletics – 95 mins
- Tuesday: Swimming – 30 mins
- Wednesday & Friday: School sport – 150 mins
- Thursday: Multi-Sport Athletic Development – 85–120 mins
Here’s the reality in numbers:
✅ Children need 420 minutes per week (7 hours) of vigorous physical activity
🏫 State schools provide only 150 minutes per week
➡️ That leaves a gap of 270 minutes (or about 54 minutes per day) that needs to be made up through other activities
➡️ KIDS FITNESS CHECK: Add up your child's weekly minutes and see where they stand. Sometimes the result can be quite frightening! Because after all, better physical health leads to better mental health, and it really does start here!
Our solution for families:
Because of the above, we’re offering the option to book a second day of our program for only $20 per session ($200 per term). This not only helps your child get much closer to hitting the weekly target (now up to 390 minutes), but will also supercharge their athletic development toolkit, giving them more speed, skills, fitness, and confidence to thrive in any sport. And even if they don’t quite reach the full 420 minutes every single week, you can feel more reassured knowing they’re getting a huge head start compared to the average (and a lot less guilt for you as parents too)!
To book in this extra day, pop us an email at [email protected] and we will add them in.