The 7th season of the Lithuanian Children Games is different in many ways, also in terms of increased  number of participants. The season of the largest national project for pre-school children began with a remote conference for teachers and educators. More than 500 educators from pre-school were welcomed by the country’s First Lady Diana Nausėdienė.

At the opening event, discussions were held on the importance of physical literacy, on the goals and objectives of this season’s Lithuanian Children Games as well as the record number of participants. This year, more than 30 thousand kindergarten children from 325 educational institutions and 47 municipalities are going to participate in the project aimed at developing physical activity and Olympic values.

This season’s Lithuanian Children Games were adapted to quarantine contitions and will consist of 3 stages. During the first stage, which will last till the end of April, the activities and lessons at educational institutions will be carried out remotely, allowing children to participate in the project by doing sports at home and in kindergartens. The first lessons prepared by experts of pre-school physical education have already been uploaded and are available on the LNOC’s Youtube channel.

During the second phase in May, considering the epidemiological situation in Lithuania, Lithuanian Children Games festivals will be held at the kindergartens. The five-month project is expected to finish in June with festivals in the biggest arenas of the country.

The First Lady of Lithuania Diana Nausėdienė, who is the Patron of the project for the second season in a row, noted the importance of educators’ profession in her welcoming speech: “I am delighted to be able to welcome all those who contribute to the development of Olympic values for children. I have utmost respect for your daily work. You are those Olympic fighters who, having experienced heavy loads and exhausting training exercises, return to being teachers again and again.”

The First Lady stated that the quarantine has even more emphasised the relevance of a healthy lifestyle and movement.

“We have a common goal – the Children Games. Our common objective is to raise a balanced individual for Lithuania. The specificities of quarantine have pointed out what is really important and significant for the community and for every individual. Both for a toddler and an adult. This is the joy of movement, this is sport, this is a healthy lifestyle. Together with the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania, you, educators, are strategic partners in the activities of national importance. Only you, the educators of pre-schools, together with sports experts and Olympians, can instil a correct and positive relationship between children and their bodies,” said Diana Nausėdienė.

Likewise, Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, Olympic champion, President of the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania, welcomed the expansion of the project and expressed her hopes to see all children in Lithuanian kindergartens being able to experience the joy of physical activity at the Games in the near future.

“I thank the First Lady Diana for her support and active involvement not only in the Lithuanian Children Games but also in the promotion of physical activity among children in general. This encourages both us and all educators to do more to ensure that children experience the joy of movement and grow up physically active. I also hope that, with the support of the first lady, we will be able to draw the attention of the public and politicians to the problem of insufficient physical activity of children.

I am very happy to see so many educators joining us. Our dream is to make sure that every child in every kindergarten can enjoy the activities of the Lithuanian Children Games, that every teacher and educator can join this community and develop together. You develop physical literacy, Olympic values, and cooperation among children. Thank you for being together,” said Daina Gudzinevičiūtė.

Lithuanian Children Games is the largest sports project in the country for pre-school children aimed at increasing children’s physical activity and developing the habit of doing sports and a positive attitude towards an active lifestyle from an early age. It also seeks to promote the idea of fair play, communication and cooperation among educators, and to introduce children to Olympic values.

The Games are based on remote physical education lessons, physical activity tasks, relay races for movement and social skills development. All tasks are aimed at the fully-fledged development of children’s physical characteristics. The participants of the Games run, jump, climb, throw, train their balance and play games that develop various movements.

The project is organised by the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania and the National Association of Preschool Physical Education Teachers.