Sports Arena: Building Grit, Grace & Growth

"It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativeness, and the playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding of his capacities and talents"

Playing outside is a vital part of childhood that helps children develop physical strength, coordination, a feeling of sportsmanship, team spirit, self discipline, balance, focus, management and fostering the skills of group dynamics . It provides opportunities for children to learn and develop and various skills like:

• Social Skills - when they play with other children they learn to communicate, share, collaborate and empathise with others
• Imagination and creativity - outside play is often open-ended and children need to be creative about what and how games are played
• Sense of self - as they master new skills and play with other children they improve their competence and confidence in their own physical and social abilities
• Sense of connection - a sense of connection to place, to peers and to their local community and environment
• Self care skills - managing physical and social challenges helps children to learn about keeping themselves safe

To support these broad learning outcomes, the play area space in Shalom Hills International School provides areas for active, free, social, imaginative, creative, exploratory and natural play. By inviting children to use their own initiative, explore possibilities and take chances we provide them with opportunities to learn.

Games like tennis, badminton, basketball, cricket, skating, chess, yoga form an integral part of the sports curriculum of the school. At Shalom Hills, we provide an array of sporting arenas:

• Basketball court
• Football court
• Tennis court
• Volley Ball court
• Table Tennis
• Skating

Students are allowed to use these facilities in their Physical Eduaction period and under expert supervision. Utmost care is taken of the safety and fitness of each student. They are encouraged to take part in games on a regular basis. Shalom Hills organizes games and sporting events from time to time. Students represent the school in various tournaments at different inter-school and state levels. Numerous prizes and accolades have been won by the Shalom students in various sporting events.

"In Shalom Hills a playground provides a non-prescriptive environment where children can play and develop skills at their own pace"