Youth Movement Confidence: Why It Matters and How to Build It

Ask most adults about exercise and you will hear about results: weight, speed, how they look. Ask a child, and the answer is simpler. Do I like it? Am I any good at it? Will I be embarrassed?

Those feelings shape whether a child keeps moving. That is what movement confidence is about, and it is worth thinking about early.

This is general education, not medical or developmental advice. If you have a concern about your child’s health or development, speak to your GP.

What movement confidence is

Movement confidence is how willing and capable a child feels to try physical activity. It shows up as:

• joining in rather than hanging back
• having a go at something new
• trying again after it goes wrong
• feeling comfortable in their own body while they move

It is closely related to what many educators call physical literacy: the skills, confidence and understanding that let a person move well and enjoy it. It is not the same as being sporty, and a child can have it without ever playing a team sport.

Why it matters

A child who feels capable is more likely to join in. A child who joins in gets more practice. More practice builds skill, which builds more confidence. That loop matters because the habits and attitudes children form early about movement can stay with them.

The reverse can also happen. A child who feels clumsy, slow or watched may start to avoid movement, and the less they do, the less capable they feel.

It is worth being clear about the limits. Confidence is not a guarantee of anything, children develop at very different rates, and no programme can promise a particular outcome. The goal is a positive relationship with movement, not a result.

What it is not

• Not a sport programme. It does not depend on winning or being the fastest.
• Not about how children look. Appearance has no place in it.
• Not a test. There is no pass or fail.
• Not a replacement for medical care. If a child has a health condition, a doctor’s advice comes first.

How parents can help at home

You do not need equipment or a plan. A few things help:

• Praise effort and trying, rather than results. “You kept going” is more useful than “you’re the best”.
• Keep it playful. Games, obstacle courses, dancing, a walk with a challenge. Fun first.
• Let them choose some of what they do. Choice builds ownership.
• Move with them. Children copy what they see. Your own relationship with movement matters.
• Avoid comparing them with siblings or friends.
• Make room for rest, and listen when something hurts.
• Be patient. Confidence builds slowly, through many small wins.

What a good youth programme looks like

Whatever you choose for your child, it is reasonable to ask:

1. Who is running the sessions, and are they police vetted?
2. What qualifications and first aid training do the coaches hold?
3. How are sessions supervised, and how do you handle a child who is hurt or upset?
4. What will my child actually do in a session?
5. How do you communicate with parents?
6. What is your policy on photos of children?
7. How will you know whether the programme is working?

A programme you trust will be glad to answer. If you have questions about how EMPOWER sessions are run, ask us and we will answer them directly.

How an EMPOWER session runs

EMPOWER is Everest’s youth programme. It was designed by Molly Macpherson, a Level 4 Personal Trainer who is first aid certified, and it brings structured, age-appropriate movement and wellbeing learning to children through places they already go, such as schools, after-school care and community settings.

A session has a settling start, a movement skill block, a strength or game challenge, a wellbeing learning point and a reflective close. Children practise moving well, building confidence through challenge, working with others and looking after themselves.

Everest staff are police vetted. EMPOWER does not publish identifiable images of children without confirmed consent.

The first EMPOWER pilot

EMPOWER’s first pilot is in partnership with Busy Bumbles, a before and after-school care provider with 20 locations across the South Island. It runs on Wednesday afternoons from 21 October to 25 November 2026, with 75 children across a six-week block.

The pilot will measure attendance, engagement, movement confidence, wellbeing knowledge, and parent and staff feedback.

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Want to know more, or be part of what comes next? Read about youth fitness in Canterbury and the full EMPOWER programme, see how Everest measures impact, or register interest. Schools, providers and partners are welcome to get in touch.