Abstracts
Abstract
Early years are a critical time in the healthy development of young children. It is essential for children to develop healthy bonds with family members to increase well-being. Colonialism has resulted in the loss of many Indigenous activities, intergenerational teachings and relationship-building strategies that encourage wholistic health-promoting behaviours. Research focused on physical activity behaviours among early years children has had limited success. To address these challenges, the Western concept of physical literacy that applies a wholistic approach to physical activity by focusing on physical, social, emotional, and spiritual wellness can align with many Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing.
Purpose: Our multi-cultural team embarks on a journey to co-create, and expand a physical literacy enriched and culturally rooted initiative designed to promote wholistic wellness.
Methodology: Etuaptmumk (Two-eyed Seeing) guides the team through braiding Indigenous Ways of Knowing,Being and Doing in early childhood wellness and land- and nature-based games alongside Western knowledge of developing physical literacy and promoting risky/adventurous play. We apply a pre-mid-post design for the meaningful evaluation of the Nature’s Way-Our Way initiative.
Impact: Partnering with communities, we aim to produce 40-45 activity cards to promote physical literacy and wholistic health in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
Keywords:
- Physical literacy,
- child development,
- early intervention,
- Indigenous research,
- two-eyed seeing
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Appendices
Biographical notes
Amanda Froehlich Chow (corresponding author) is the co-founder of the Nature’s Way-Our Way resources and a proud mom of four children, bringing lived experience as a parent of early years children. She brings strength in community-based participatory research and Indigenous research methodologies, child health and rural and remote health research. Email: a.fc@usask.ca
Elder Kathy Wahpepah is a member of Winnebago (HoChunk) Tribe of Nebraska, Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma and Carry-The-Kettle Nakoda Nation (Cegakin). She is a Knowledge Holder and principal applicant, who has been the lead Elder and cultural liaison guiding the foundational groundwork informing the proposed project.
M. Louise Humbert is a Professor in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, and a co-founder of the Nature’s Way-Our Way resources. Dr. Humbert leads the Saskatchewan Physical Literacy team (SPLIT). Her research focuses on community-based strategies to develop physical literacy among children and youth.
Natalie Houser is an assistant Professor in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan. Her current research is focused on physical literacy enriched pedagogy and creating physical literacy enriched movement opportunities for children of all ages and abilities in different contexts, including supporting those with neurodiviersity.
Mariana Brussoni is Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership and a Faculty member in the School of Population and Public Health, and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. She is a leader in the area of risky play and leads the Play Outside UBC Lab.
Marta Erlandson is an Associate Professor in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research program covers growth and development and musculoskeletal health across the life span. Marta has extensive experience implementing community-based physical literacy interventions.
Amanda Gannon is the research coordinator for the project entitled Nature’s Way-Our Way: Engaging in Traditional Indigenous Ways of Being as a Wholistic Path for Promoting Wellness and Protecting Against the Onset of Chronic Disease Among Early Years Children. She is also a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan.
Ashley Larmour is a research assistant for the project entitled Nature’s Way-Our Way: Engaging in Traditional Indigenous Ways of Being as a Wholistic Path for Promoting Wellness and Protecting Against the Onset of Chronic Disease Among Early Years Children. She is also a first year Occupational Therapy student at the Unviersity of Alberta.
Erica Stevenson is a proud member of Muskoday First Nation (Plains Cree) and a mom of two incredible children. She works for Saskatoon Tribal Council as Manager of the Early Childhood Development Program. Erica, was a founding member of the Nature’s Way-Our Way resource development team.
Kathryn Riley is an Assistant Professor of Physical Education & movement, Health & wellbeing, and Outdoor & Place-based Education in the Faculty of Education, at the University of Manitoba. Kathryn’s research seeks to advance relational and sustainable solidarities with Land/Country/Place.
Fatima Ali is a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan in the School of Public Health. Fatima’s research is guided by the principle of Etuaptmunk (Two-eyed seeing) and focuses on wholistic and land-based physical literacy of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children aged 3-5 residing in rural and remote regions.
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