A new training course is looking to equip professionals working with very young children with the skills to confidently deliver physical activity programmes to children as young as two years old.

Targeting Early Years’ practitioners, teachers and childminders, Active IQ Level 3 Award in Supporting Physical Development and Physical Activity in the Early Years will be delivered in partnership by training providers YSD i-Academy and Active IQ.

The course has been designed to provide learners with the knowledge and skills they’ll need to deliver “fun and meaningful” physical activity to children aged two to five-years-old.

It also aims to provide a sustainable approach to physical literacy and address the social and emotional wellbeing of young children in readiness for school.

Jenny Patrickson, managing director of Active IQ, said the course has been designed to help instructors install in children a love of physical exercise – and by doing so help tackle childhood obesity.

“The need for high-quality training among people who work with young children has never been greater, with a lot of talk about combatting childhood obesity”, she said. “By equipping early years teachers and trainers to deliver fun and meaningful activities, we hope to help YSD i-academy to start to turn the tide with this new qualification.”