Early childhood study brings active play into Montreal daycares

A Montreal daycare is trying a pilot project called 'active play' that experts say is helping with brain development.

A new pilot project in Montreal is using something simple — movement — to help preschoolers build lifelong skills before they even step foot in a classroom.

At the Pré-maternelle de la petite italie in the Little Italy neighbourhood, children are running, jumping, stretching, and laughing as part of a project that researchers hope will strengthen both body and brain during the most critical stage of development.

“About 90 per cent of brain development happens before age six,” said Sylvana Côté, a professor at Université de Montréal’s School of Public Health and a researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine. “When children start school, they should already have acquired several basic skills in order to really benefit from everything school has to offer.”

Côté is leading the research project, which aims to help young children develop motor, cognitive, and social skills through structured active play. Educators are supported over 14 weeks to integrate movement into daily routines, even in spaces that may lack ideal infrastructure.

“Our goal is to give educators simple, effective tools,” said Côté. “We offer a portfolio of active games that can be done anywhere, in any weather — even if the daycare doesn’t have a backyard or is far from a park.”

The project is currently running its pilot in two Montreal daycares, with a planned expansion to 60 centres involving about 2,000 children over the next two years. The goal is to measure not just how much children move, but how their abilities and attitudes toward physical activity change over time.

The long-term aims include improving kids’ coordination, balance, and posture, but the broader ambition is to build confidence, enjoyment of movement, and a foundation for lifelong health.

“We do what we like to do, it’s a cycle,” said Côté. “Learning to enjoy movement because we know how to do these movements, that’s one of the greatest pleasures in life.”

She said these skills shouldn’t be taken for granted.

“A little practice and support can make a big difference in how much children enjoy physical activity.”

At the Little Italy daycare, educator Marilyn Harper said the impact on children was almost immediate.

“They’re very into it; every morning they ask what we’re going to play,” said Harper, who’s worked at the centre for nine years and has a three-year-old daughter enrolled there.

“It’s very special to bring this to them and to see the emotions when they’re playing more, especially with all their friends.”

She said the project is also allowing her to broaden her toolkit as an educator.

“Before, kids would mostly be left to play on their own, but now I have specific things to work on with them, like posture and balance,” said Harper. “And I can already see they’re more attentive and active.”

The focus isn’t just on movement for movement’s sake.

According to Côté, active play also teaches children how to manage emotions and navigate social situations by setting boundaries.

“They learn how to communicate their frustrations,” she said. “Even if someone is their friend, they can say, ‘This time, I need my space.’ Those kinds of social skills are really useful for life.”

At home, parents have noticed changes too.

Geneviève Woods, a mother of four — two of whom attend the daycare — said her younger children have been more engaged and independent since the program started.

“It’s such a challenge being able to fulfill their needs on a daily basis — like how they want me to play with them all the time, but meanwhile I have to prepare snacks and everything,” she said.

“Now, I see them playing games together, and it’s not coming from me telling them how to do it. I can just meet them there, and my older kids also join in because it looks fun.”

Woods said the program gave her new ideas and models to engage with her kids, and brought a boost in energy and happiness across the board.

“At the end of the day, I see them and their educators being happier,” she said. “It brings something really positive and for parents, it’s also helped us spend more quality time with them.”

To track the impact, children in the study wear actimeters — devices that measure physical activity — for a week at the beginning and end of the program. Researchers will also observe school readiness and assess basic motor skills, with final results expected in two years.

But for Côté, the mission is already clear: “We want to give the kids a strong start.”