Young participants take part in a new practical gymnastics experience at the Sharjah Women’s Sports Olympic Centre
Sharjah Women’s Sports will organize the Early Childhood Sports 2nd Festival on Saturday, September 19, 2026, as part of its Early Childhood Sports initiative for children aged four to seven. The initiative uses gymnastics as a foundation for developing essential motor skills. The festival will be held at the Sharjah Women’s Sports Olympic Centre from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The festival represents a practical stage within the initiative, giving participants an opportunity to demonstrate the gymnastics skills they have developed through regular training and allowing their progress to be observed in areas such as balance, coordination, movement control, and concentration.
The experience also gives the young participants an opportunity to perform in an environment different from their regular training sessions, helping build confidence and encouraging positive engagement with sport without reducing the experience to results and rankings.
The Early Childhood Sports initiative is one of Sharjah Women’s Sports’ development projects aimed at building a sporting foundation from the earliest years. Through a specialized gymnastics program, it addresses children’s physical, motor, and cognitive needs and introduces skills progressively within a safe and encouraging environment that combines movement, learning, and fun.
Gymnastics was selected as the core sport for this age group because of its role in developing balance, flexibility, motor coordination, and body control. It also supports motor-cognitive enrichment by connecting movement with thinking and response, helping establish a physical and motor foundation that can benefit children across a range of sports and activities in the future.
Sheikha Al Khatri, Head of the Technical Monitoring Unit at Sharjah Women’s Sports, said the second festival is a natural extension of the work carried out during regular training sessions.
“We see the festival as part of the child’s learning and training experience rather than as a separate competitive event,” she said. “It gives us an opportunity to observe what participants have developed over the past period in an environment different from their daily training, while also giving each child the chance to try her skills with confidence and enjoy seeing how far she has progressed.”
She added:
“As we move into the second edition, we are building on what was achieved in the first experience and continuing to monitor participants’ progress gradually, while maintaining the project’s focus on sound motor development and creating a positive relationship with sport from the earliest years.”
The second edition follows the Early Childhood Sports 1st Festival, which brought together 68 participants from training centers in Sharjah, Al Dhaid, and Kalba. During the first festival, participants demonstrated a range of gymnastics skills, including floor exercises, balance beam activities, and simplified exercises on the parallel bars and vaulting horse.
Sharjah Women’s Sports also places strong emphasis on the role of parents as partners in their daughters’ sporting experience, encouraging them to follow training sessions, attend festivals, and share in different stages of their children’s progress.
Their involvement helps strengthen children’s motivation and continuity in sport, while giving families a closer opportunity to observe their development and celebrate each step of progress, supporting the development of a positive and lasting relationship with sport from an early age.
Through the Early Childhood Sports initiative, Sharjah Women’s Sports continues to develop a sporting experience tailored to the characteristics of this age group, placing sound motor development at the heart of its approach to support children’s growth and strengthen their connection with sport as a way of life from an early age.
