As reported in the August 2013 issue (Volume 38) of Sports Yokohama on the Yokohama City Sports Promotion Program, the Yokohama City government is conducting a variety of promotional and educational activities, with “promotion of physical strength enhancement measures for children” cited as one of the goals of the program.https://www.hamaspo.com/s-yoko/vol_s038/special01.html

And, through various programs, Yokohama City provides parents and children with opportunities to do sports.

Support for the creation of a framework for programs aimed at the enhancement of the physical strength of children

The Yokohama Sports Association hosts a school-based physical strength enhancement program for children (called Iki-iki Kids) where children acquire the habit of engaging in physical activity spontaneously on a daily basis by learning to enjoy moving their body. In this program, exercises (or games) are done with special tools and rules during breaks and after school so that even those children who are not good at sports can enjoy physical activity. Also, the program is run in collaboration with parents, local instructors, school officials, teachers, after-school care centers and other local organizations with the purpose of creating an environment where the entire local community is committed to the enhancement of the physical strength of children.

Junior sports classes and sports aversion overcoming programs offered at nearby sports centers

The sports centers in Yokohama City offer junior sports classes intended for elementary school pupils to gain in basic physical fitness and develop the nervous system while enjoying various types of exercise.
Some of these facilities also host programs where children who do not like exercise are encouraged to try different kinds of sports and have fun so that they feel less intimidated about engaging in physical activity.

List of sports centers offering regular sports aversion overcoming programs in 2013

Tsurumi SC Sports aversion overcoming program for elementary school pupils (running, throwing and jumping) Naka SC Special sports training Konan SC Program for overcoming the aversion to physical education Hodogaya SC Junior gymnastic class Tsuzuki SC Sports aversion overcoming program Totsuka SC Program for overcoming the aversion to physical education Izumi SC Gymnastic classes for kids (1) & (2) Seya SC Junior challenge (1) & (2)

* The programs are three- or four-period annual events, depending on the sports center involved. For information about the application method, event schedule and target school grades, contact the relevant sports center.
* Those sports centers that do not offer regular programs may host short-term events intended to help children improve their skills in specific types of exercise such as back-hip circle on a horizontal bar. For details, see the website of the relevant sports center.

Junior challenge programs (1) & (2) at the Seya Sports Center

The Seya Sports Center hosts two junior challenge programs – (1) for first- and second-grade pupils and (2) for third- and fourth-grade pupils – in four periods a year (10 sessions per period). In these programs, children strive to overcome their aversion to physical activity and attain their respective goals by learning the basics of body movement and trying different kinds of exercise such as back-hip circle on a horizontal bar, vaulting box and jumping rope.

Yokohama Sports Recreation Festival 2013

The Yokohama Sports Recreation Festival is going on in sports facilities across the City of Yokohama from September through November.
At Shin-Yokohama Park, the main venue of the festival, a number of events will be held on October 14, which is the Physical Fitness Day. The Yokohama Nettou Club is going to host a hands-on event in cooperation with the professional sports teams beloved by local citizens. The event will feature many attractions such as a session where everyone – young and old, men and women – can have fun with a ball, physical fitness measurement for parents and children and “Field Test & Gap” to test elementary school pupils in terms of the physical fitness factors they need in their childhood. Many other events that can be enjoyed by both children and adults will be held all day long. The events of this autumn day are ideal for you to enjoy doing sports!
To find more about the events, visit the website for the Yokohama Sports Recreation Festival: www.hamaspo.com/sprc/

The photos show some scenes from last year’s event.

Sports classes for children with disabilities – a project hosted by Yokohama Rapport

Yokohama Rapport, a sports and cultural center for the disabled, offers classes to help children with disabilities improve their sports skills. Included are soccer classes (joint project by futuro Yokohama F. Marinos, Yokohama Sports Association and Yokohama Rapport) and flying disc workshops for mentally disabled children and wheelchair basketball, track and field and table tennis classes for physically disabled children. Yokohama Rapport also hosts rehabilitation sports classes for both physically disabled children and mentally disabled children as a program that supports them in participating in society.
To find out more, call Yokohama Rapport at: 045-475-2050

To do a V sit balance, you keep your raised legs in position. This helps you improve your sense of balance and strengthen and coordinate the muscles of your entire body including abdominal, back and calf muscles. (The exercise is very effective not only for kids but for adults with a thickening waist). Sit on the floor with your knees bent, raise your feet obliquely upward with your back kept straight and hold the feet in position for about 10 seconds. Make sure your legs are kept straight (upper photo).
First, you may have your child raise his or her feet one at a time or do the V sit balance with the hands on the floor. Or you could sit across from your child and do the V sit balance together so that the bottoms of your feet touch those of the child’s feet (lower photo). Start with whatever your child can do, and practice together so that the child can hold his or her feet in position perfectly.