Kids Athletics Builds More Than Sports Skills
Kids Athletics is an athletics program designed specifically for children aged 6 to 12 years, combining athletic skills with games and team-based competition. The program includes events such as Kanga's Escape, Formula One, Turbo Javelin Throw, and Forward Squat Jumps. According to the article, the program was introduced internationally in 2001 and has been implemented across World Athletics member federations, with millions of children participating worldwide. In Indonesia, Kids Athletics is also connected to the National Student Sports Olympiad (O2SN), making school-level development important for identifying young sporting talent.
For elementary school students, extracurricular sports can provide benefits beyond competition. Regular physical activity can help children develop movement skills, discipline, confidence, cooperation, and sportsmanship.
However, these benefits depend heavily on how a program is managed. A sports extracurricular activity needs appropriate training schedules, qualified coaches, adequate equipment, and a system for identifying students who have interest and potential.
The situation at SDN 1 Kapar illustrates the challenge. Although the school has organized a Kids Athletics program, data from the Murung Pudak Physical Education Teacher Working Group for 2024 showed that the school had never won an O2SN Kids Athletics competition, even at the sub-district level.
Researchers Examined the Program Through Field Evidence
Norparidi, Irawanto, and Akhmad Abdurahman used a descriptive qualitative approach to understand how the program operates in practice and why its performance has remained limited.
Rather than relying on numerical surveys, the researchers gathered information directly from people involved in the program. They conducted observations, in-depth interviews, and documentation at SDN 1 Kapar in Kapar Village, Murung Pudak Sub-district, Tabalong Regency, South Kalimantan.
The informants included the school principal, homeroom teachers, the Kids Athletics extracurricular coach, and students' parents or guardians. The researchers examined three main areas: the training schedule, participant recruitment, and the availability of facilities and infrastructure.
The collected information was then compared across different sources to check its consistency. The researchers used a qualitative analysis process involving data reduction, data presentation, and the drawing and verification of conclusions.
Training Only Once a Week Limits Progress
The first major problem identified by the study was the low frequency and weak structure of training.
Kids Athletics training at SDN 1 Kapar was conducted only once a week. The schedule was not sufficiently structured, did not establish measurable development targets for individual students, and lacked regular evaluation.
The problem was compounded by training methods that students could find repetitive. The researchers found that enthusiasm tended to decline as the program continued because students did not see clear progress.
The coach interviewed by the researchers also pointed to limited equipment and the school's narrow field as factors restricting the variety of exercises that could be offered.
Recruitment Does Not Yet Identify Athletic Potential
Another issue involves the way students enter the program.
Participation is generally open without a structured selection process. As a result, some children reportedly join because their friends participate rather than because they have a strong interest or potential in athletics.
This can become a problem when the program is expected to develop competitive athletes. Students who lack intrinsic motivation may find it difficult to maintain enthusiasm when training becomes more demanding.
The researchers therefore recommend a more structured recruitment mechanism that considers children's interest, ability, and athletic potential.
Facilities Are a Major Structural Barrier
Infrastructure emerged as another major obstacle.
The school does not have sufficient standard Kids Athletics equipment, including children's hurdles, Formula One mats, zig-zag poles, and adequate turbo javelins. The school field is also narrow, making it difficult to conduct sprinting and throwing exercises that require more space.
These limitations do not simply affect comfort during training. They restrict the range of exercises coaches can provide and make it harder for students to practice the technical skills required in competition.
The researchers also identified limited coaching experience as an important factor. Together, inadequate facilities, limited training variation, low training frequency, and insufficient coaching capacity create a systemic challenge for the program.
Students Still Gain Physical and Character Benefits
Despite these shortcomings, the study does not conclude that the Kids Athletics program is ineffective in every respect.
Students who actively participate can experience improvements in physical fitness, agility, movement coordination, and self-confidence. The program also encourages sportsmanship, discipline, hard work, and cooperation.
The problem is that these personal benefits have not yet translated into strong competitive performance. Based on the 2024 data cited in the article, SDN 1 Kapar had not won an O2SN Kids Athletics competition at the sub-district, regency, or provincial level.
This distinction is important. The program can still be valuable for children's physical and character development even when competition results remain limited.
Researchers Recommend More Training and Better Coaching
Norparidi, Irawanto, and Abdurahman recommend increasing training from once to at least twice a week, supported by a written semester training plan, individual development targets, and monthly evaluations.
They also recommend that coaches receive specialized training through organizations such as the Indonesian Athletics Association (PASI) or the education authorities. Training should cover all four Kids Athletics events while using more varied, play-based activities to maintain children's interest.
For the school, the researchers recommend gradually purchasing appropriate equipment, using larger community or sub-district fields when necessary, and allocating dedicated funding for the extracurricular program.
For parents, consistent encouragement, communication with coaches and teachers, adequate nutrition, and sufficient rest are also considered important. The Tabalong Regency Education Office is encouraged to support equipment, certified coaching, inter-school competitions, and sports extracurricular funding.
As Norparidi, Irawanto, and Abdurahman of STIA Bina Banua and UNISKA MAB emphasize through their findings, the central challenge is not the absence of potential among children but the gap between the potential of Kids Athletics and the resources and management available to develop it. Closing that gap requires coordinated support from schools, coaches, parents, and education authorities.
Author Profiles
Norparidi — STIA Bina Banua, Indonesia. The journal article does not state an academic degree or specific field of expertise.
Irawanto — Master of Public Administration, UNISKA MAB, Indonesia; corresponding author. The article does not provide a specific academic degree beyond the program affiliation or a detailed field of expertise.
Akhmad Abdurahman — STIA Bina Banua, Indonesia. The journal article does not state an academic degree or specific field of expertise.
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