Physical Education is an essential Value Addition to Early Intervention programs in the development of motor and social skills in children with intellectual and multiple disabilities. The Early Intervention years are known as the “Golden Age “of motor development. During these years important skills like running, jumping, throwing and catching are developed. As a part of Physical Education, MNC organizes the Annual sports Day every February. This year it was organized virtually. The event took place over a week during the last few days of February. The children performed the activities at home with the help of the parents and the judges seated at MNC, watched them virtually, timed them and declared the winners.
Each group birth to 2, 2 to 4 and 4 to 6 was allotted time on turns and the child was given the opportunity to take part in the activities at the home environment. The parents and siblings were responsible for joining the Google meet and arranging the event as a special educator would, on the sports meet day, and all of us at MNC and other well wishers, invitees who joined the Google meet watched it.
It was a novel and new idea of conducting the sports meet over the internet and we had our apprehensions if the family and the child will be able to perform the activity. But all credit to the parents who not only arranged for the materials of the contest but also gave the child a briefing earlier so that on line performance was done wasting time.
Mr. Manushya Puthran, Tamil Poet, Writer and Publisher was the Chief Guest who joined us virtually on the closing day that is 26th Feb and addressed the parents and teachers virtually. He was all praise for the parents who took part in the virtual sports with enthusiasm though it must have been difficult for them to coordinate it. This patience and perseverance was reflected in all aspects of their caring for their special children and that is the strength of the mother that gives hope to the child. He wanted to see inclusion in the society for them and wished all who were working towards it all the very best.
The celebration came to an end with everyone participating in the virtual national anthem.
