I am father to a 5 year old, a 2.5 year old and a 2 month old. I have seen first hand how sports, preschool, library story times, music and outdoor activities have helped my kids grow.
My oldest son is a great reader. His language skills have been aided by routine trips to the library and our bilingual household. My wife is Czech and we speak both languages at home. Yet, he has always been physically cautious and socially shy. He has resisted our attempts to get him involved in sports. He loves to play, but won't accept a coach. We got him involved in a preschool instead and he loves it. He is making friends and is already an attentive student.
His little brother, perhaps strengthened by his big brother's support, has a fearless personality. He jumps into situations where his brother would hang back. He is flourishing at gymnastics and readily follows his coach. His brother loves reading to him and his language skills are growing at a similar rate.
Their mother paints and draws. Gradually, playing with ink and paint is becoming true expression for them.
Both are afraid to learn swimming, but my love of fishing is getting them in the water.
What I've learned from this, and can teach to your audience, is that multiple sources exist for opening a child's mind and developing their body. Different tools work for different kids.
And above all patience is required, but when it works, it is beautiful. I've written about this for Bright Hub. Let's talk about this further.