Children dashed through obstacle courses, balanced eggs on spoons and raced down the track at Queen’s Park on Thursday, as education officials used day two of the inaugural Micro Games 2026 to stress the importance of identifying and tracking athletic development from the earliest years.
Education officer with responsibility for early childhood in the Ministry of Education Transformation, Shioma Francis-Porte, said the event was designed not only for fun but also to monitor children’s physical growth over time.
Shioma Francis-Porte an education officer with responsibility for early childhood in the Ministry of Education Transformation. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)
“It is May, so it’s Child Month. And it was important to highlight these children’s fine and gross motor development,” she said.
“And as Minister [Chad Blackman] said yesterday, it is a precursor to NAPSAC. So we want to be able to showcase what they can do at this stage and also follow them, you know, track their development over the years and see how they perform at NAPSAC and subsequently VSAC.”
The schools participating on day two included Maria Holder Nursery School on Government Hill, Eden Lodge Nursery and nurseries of the Social Empowerment Agency (SEA). Children were divided into four mixed teams: Perky Pelicans, Leaping Ladybugs, Happy Hummingbirds and Bouncy Butterflies.
Leaping Ladybugs running the 25 metre dash. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY)
From morning into the afternoon, youngsters rotated through a series of activities including Lace It and Race It, Over Under and Through, ABC Toss, Number Jump, egg spoon and hop races before taking part in the 25 metre dash.
“After the 25 metre, we will have the parent race,” Francis-Porte added with a smile, noting that Thursday’s final day would begin earlier and include “the full gamut of activities we have planned for the children” along with a closing ceremony.
While medals were distributed throughout the event, it was made clear there were no winners or losers.
“Each child is a winner here. We are not having a competition at this stage, early childhood. We wouldn’t want the children competing against each other like that. This is for fun, enjoyment, inclusion, and also just to note their development,” she said.
“So there’s no competition at this time. So each child participates, each child gets a medal.”
Children also received gift bags filled with snacks approved under the school nutrition policy alongside activity booklets, crayons and play items aimed at encouraging healthy lifestyles beyond the games.
“The gift bags contain snacks that are on the school nutrition policy list because we’re really pushing a healthy lifestyle. So not just the physical aspect,” Francis-Porte explained.
(LE)
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