Children's sport is too complicated - this is what really works to get active, writes Eve Muirhead

The challenge is making it easy, enjoyable and accessible for every child, wherever they're growing up. Physical activity levels among primary school children remain a concern in the UK, with children in disadvantaged areas even more affected.

So, this Friday I spent my morning in a primary school in St Helens to mark one year of parkrun primary and help announce parkrun's ambition to get more schools signed up, and more families along to junior parkrun on a Sunday morning.

I'm a regular parkrunner myself, so I know how important it is to get children moving in a way that's fun and welcoming. I started curling at nine, tagging along to the rink with my dad, and by nineteen I was skipping Great Britain's team at my first Olympics. None of that happens without the version of me that first fell in love with simply being active.

The parkrun primary programme links schools up with their local junior parkrun, making it simple for kids to get outside and take part. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or cheer - it doesn't matter. It's all about children spending time outdoors, being active with their family, and the benefits it brings.

And it works, at scale. In the first 12 months of the programme, around 2,500 primary schools have signed up. That's around 1 in 9 primary schools across the UK. Team GB is getting behind it too, because sport at the top and activity in the playground are more closely linked than people think. With 40% of parkrun primary schools in areas with high levels of deprivation, the initiative plays a key role in addressing growing inequalities in physical activity and health.

What parkrun primary gets right is removing the biggest barrier to exercise. It gives schools a free, easy, ready-made route to get children outside, without needing extra funding or specialist coaching. It makes life easy for children, parents, and schools.

In St Helens, you could see it working. The children were excited to be outside with their friends, which is the whole point. It isn't about times or medals. It's about children discovering that moving their bodies can be fun and that they're part of something bigger than themselves.

I know what it takes to compete at the top level of sport, and I’ve had lots of great experiences along the way. But every single one of those moments traces back to the same thing this programme is trying to give children in St Helens: a first step that felt like fun, not pressure. That's what I hope more children can discover through junior parkrun and parkrun primary.

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Eve Muirhead is a Scottish curler, and one of Britain's most successful winter Olympians.

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