Founder of
LET’S PLAY TODAY
EXERCISE BENEFITS
- builds a strong, healthy foundation for life
- improves balance and flexibility
- increases bone density and muscle strength
- develops confidence physically
- promotes hand eye coordination
- increases self confidence and higher self-esteem
- improves concentration in school
- decreases the risk of developing diabetes type 2
- combats childhood obesity
- decreases risk of cardiovascular disease
“Kindergarten Kids in Motion is my son’s favorite class. Yvonne Kusters is a great fitness instructor!”- Dawn Noromos
WHAT CHILDREN NEED…
According to the 2005 dietary guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), all children 2 years and older should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise on most, preferably all, days of the week
WHAT WE PROVIDE…
Our creatively designed curriculum includes more than 100 fun movements – YIPPEE!!
These programs follow youth fitness standards by the American Council on Exercise and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America
YVONNE KUSTERS
In 2006, at the age of 23, Yvonne Kusters left a promising career in architecture — designing boys’ bathrooms and prison gates – and embarked on a journey of passion: inspiring people (especially children) to be healthy. Five years later, Yvonne’s mobile children’s fitness company, LET’S PLAY TODAY®, centered in Bucks County, Pennsylvania is spreading internationally. Its fundamental mission: to inspire children, fitness professionals, teachers and parents to see fitness as fun, playful, and lifelong.
Initially, Yvonne created a fitness program for preschoolers called Zig Zaggin’ Zebras. Buoyed by strong interest from parents (especially during a tough economy), by happy smiles on children’s faces, and a growing interest from other local schools, Yvonne decided to focus her attention on developing these classes. Another strong impetus for Yvonne was the alarming childhood obesity epidemic; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children, ages 8-18, spend on average 7.5 hrs/day with some form of entertainment media and 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese. By collaborating with occupational therapists, psychologists, and teachers, Yvonne developed the LET’S PLAY TODAY® curriculum even further. That original class, Zig Zaggin’ Zebras, has evolved into LET’S PLAY TODAY®, a comprehensive educational fitness program that offers educational training kits, professional development, music and play concerts, birthday parties, and active events for the community.
Yvonne attributes the early inspiration for creating her own fitness company to the active lifestyle she witnessed in the beautiful town of Boulder, Colorado, where she studied architecture and design at the University of Colorado. Boulder’s residents, living in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies, enjoyed a special blend of exercising, enjoying good health, and having fun, which resonated within Yvonne. When she wasn’t studying, Yvonne was providing exercise classes and personal training for other college women and submitting regular health tips to DIRT, a local paper in Boulder. After training adults (in groups and one-on-one) for the last 10 years, Yvonne recognized a recurring theme: many individuals avoid exercise because it’s too tiring, too overwhelming, not exciting, and not supportive. Yvonne saw the need to make a fundamental shift not only in how people viewed exercise, but also in how it was presented to them (especially to children). LET’S PLAY TODAY® represents her vision of what exercise should be; it’s about getting back to the basics – making exercise an enjoyable, imaginative, and social experience. By embracing a playful spirit, having fun, and creating good positive energy, children participating in the LET’S PLAY TODAY® classes, will develop a healthy attitude from the very beginning.
LET’S PLAY TODAY® is a completely mobile program. Yvonne and her team travel to schools,
libraries, recreational centers, and health centers — any location that caters to children. They bring equipment, such as parachutes, balls, scarves, hoops, and noodles, running various types of classes for groups ranging from parent-and-child, to preschool age children, to elementary school children. The LET’S PLAY TODAY® program is unique in that its specially-designed, age-appropriate activities blend creative thinking, sports, games, yoga, and exciting music to build a broad range of skills. In some classes, Yvonne takes children on active adventures; they pretend to fly around the room to Antarctica, jump on giant icebergs, and search for animals. The children put on imaginary ice skates and play ice hockey around the room with pool noodles (cut in half) and small balls. After balancing through an obstacle course and playing a “freeze” dance with musical instruments, the children leave with high-fives from the instructors, and a take-home activity sheet they can share with their parents. By the end of the class, the children have developed their motor skills, hand/eye coordination, imagination, and important social skills. An essential and distinct characteristic of the LET’S PLAY TODAY® program is that it is designed to involve all children in moving together at the same time, instead of waiting turns or having to sit out. This philosophy provides a motivating environment for children to thrive, explore, and lead active lives.
In 2010, as interest in LET’S PLAY TODAY® spread beyond local venues, Yvonne launched an educational training component, to enable other fitness professionals, teachers and exercise enthusiasts to implement the program in their own locations. She created an educational starter kit that includes a teaching manual, sample lesson plans, 50 videos (demonstrating the activities), handouts, and other resources. She also provides “coaching calls” to support the instructors along the way. The LET’S PLAY TODAY® program can now be found in Australia, Canada and throughout the United States and it continues to expand.
Yvonne recently teamed up with local musician, Lolly Hopwood, to form the band, Lolly Hopwood and the Let’s Play Today Bunch. Spring 2011 saw the release of their first children’s music CD, entitled Go! Go! Go!. The CD was designed to complement the LET’S PLAY TODAY® program, guiding listeners through a series of lively activities, such as popping bubbles, taking an imaginary train ride, driving along to a red light/green light song, or marching around like their favorite animals. The duo, occasionally with other local musicians, offers live concerts with a focus on health and exercise. They have played at both small and large venues, consistently delivering a dynamic high-energy show. Through their original music, storytelling, and imaginative activities, Yvonne and Lolly take children on playful adventures, even incorporating the children into the band by teaching them to create rhythms with their bodies. The group has performed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey at festivals, bookshops, libraries, toy stores, summer camps and at Senator Tomlinson’ Children’s Expo. In December 2011, Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting, PA purchased their CDs and the group did a lively show throughout the cafe and produce section of the store. Soon afterward, The Little Rock Foundation, an organization supporting blind and visually-impaired children, invited the band to perform for their annual party; this was a true highlight of the year. Yvonne and Lolly are excited for their upcoming performance at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia on January 21, 2012.
For over 10 years, Yvonne has shared her enthusiasm for health as a nationally-certified group exercise instructor, children’s fitness workshops presenter, personal trainer, and health columnist. Yvonne frequently speaks at childcare conferences, school workshops, children’s expos, and for Girl Scout troops. In 2011, she presented at the Philadelphia Convention Center for the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children, and later at Bucks County Community College for the local Bucks County chapter, and encouraged teachers to bring fitness and active play into the classroom. Additionally, Yvonne has been invited as the guest presenter for several non-profit events, including the Juvenile Diabetes Walk, Spinal Research, Relay for Life, Kisses for Kyle, and Senators Tomlinson’s and McIlhinney’s Children’s Expo. One of the most rewarding experiences for Yvonne was collaborating with Rubye’s Kids, providing fitness games to two homeless shelters in Philadelphia. Recently, Yvonne spoke on the Philadelphia Agenda Radio Show and was featured in Bucks Life Magazine (July 2011 issue) as the “The Next Great Hope.”
Yvonne plans to continue spreading the playful spirit of her company and motivating others to follow their passion – through the LET’S PLAY TODAY® training program, workshops, music concerts and community involvement. She looks forward to supporting and working with daycares and fitness centers and hopes to make connections with children’s TV programs. Developing relationships with local non-profits and children in need will also be a focus moving forward and represents a growing component of the LET’S PLAY TODAY® mission.
With the children’s fitness program and related activities, her career path might appear to be a far cry from designing prison gates. And yet, Yvonne has come to realize that she can still be an architect. The project: her own life. She creates the big picture, designs the details, and maps out the direction and flow of how it’s going to work. Right now, the dimensions seem boundless.
For More Information Visit: http://letsplaytoday.org
or call / email
Phone: (267) 342-0633 |
e-mail: info@letsplaytoday.org
LET’S PLAY TODAY® fitness programs deliver a fun and effective approach to exercise at pre-schools, elementary schools, daycare facilities, recreation LET’S PLAY TODAY® fitness programs deliver a fun and effective approach to exercise at pre-schools, elementary schools, daycare facilities, recreation centers, and health clubs throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Internationally. A mobile organization, LET’S PLAY TODAY® brings all of the equipment and excitement to the locations they serve, adding value by addressing the country’s growing health and fitness concerns. By blending educational songs with interactive games and creative, imaginative exercises, LET’S PLAY TODAY® elevates children’s love of movement, while improving their physical, social, and cognitive skills.
LET’S PLAY TODAY® has also developed an easy to follow, comprehensive training program for fitness professionals, preschools, gyms, and exercise enthusiasts who love working with children. For more information on how to join the LPT team and start teaching children’s gym classes and operate a LET’S PLAY TODAY® business please see the TRAINING page.
Parent and Child
This class makes use of musical instruments, balls, beanbags, parachutes, gymnastic equipment, and much more! Every day is a new experience, and we would love to be part of helping your child grow healthy and confident. More…
Preschool & Kindergarten
Explore far away lands, make your favorite fruit smoothie, search for treasure, and help rescue animals while jumping and moving all around. Color, number and alphabet movement games are blended with fun music that will keep them moving from start to finish. More…
Elementary School
Our action packed classes include relay races, partner drills, and team building games. We take many different sport skills, such as dribbling a basketball or kicking a soccer ball, and we blend them together in a fun obstacle course or partner relay race. Also, we use a variety of equipment for each class and have over 100 different programs that keep our classes new and exciting! More…
Summer Camps
Our age appropriate fitness classes bring a FUN, EXCITING AND ACTIVE element to any summer program. We turbo-charge our classes with sports, games, team relay races, obstacle courses, and much more in a non-competitive, safe and supportive environment.More…
Birthday Parties
If you are looking for an exciting, adventurous and fun birthday party for your child, then Let’s Play Today is the party to have! Each party will include non-stop age appropriate games such as pretend safari adventure rides, obstacle courses, and games with fun music to have them jumping from start to finish. Special themes such as Dora the Explorer, Dinosaurs etc. can be included. Washable tattoos and face painting can be designed into the party as wel
