Leapfrog Day Nursery in Emerson’s Green, Stoke Gifford, Bradley Stoke and Portishead, are taking part in the scheme which will teach the pre-school children about health, fitness and nutrition.

The programme was developed ten years ago in the US and was introduced into the UK in 1999. It aims to teach children the basics of proper exercise, nutrition and related health issues, helping to establish positive attitudes at an early age.

Each session uses an exercise format based on stories, music and games that encourage children to think about how their bodies work and learn the names of the muscles they are using.

Linda Machin who is running the sessions, says, “Childhood obesity is a serious issue in the UK. Over the last 20 years, obesity in children has trebled, 15% of children are clinically obese and up to 69% of children are not getting the recommended an hour a day of exercise.

“Running this programme within the Nursery environment means the children are finding out, in fun ways, about being healthy. The children actively take part and after a few weeks can proudly name some muscles and talk about healthy food. The growth in their confidence and understanding is incredible.”

Operations manager for the four nurseries, Mary Jones, says, “Encouraging healthy living within and outside of the Nursery is very important to us, so this is an obvious scheme for us to be involved in.

“At Leapfrog we really pride ourselves on providing nutritionally balanced meals for the children and giving them the time and space to run around and burn off excess energy.”