SUNY Oneonta Exercise Science Initiative Connects Campus and Community

Forty-three SUNY Oneonta students traded the classroom for real-world, firsthand experience in motor development through a new program called Developing Red Dragons.

During the spring 2025 semester, SUNY Oneonta Exercise Science students gained hands-on experience working with children ages 3-16 as part of a new initiative in their Human Growth and Motor Development course, which builds on the success of the Little Red Dragons program launched in fall 2022.

The course focuses on the developmental changes people undergo throughout life. Students explore factors that impact motor development, stages of movement and why individuals grow and develop differently. Developing Red Dragons serves as a precursor to Little Red Dragons, allowing students to observe children in real-world environments before designing their own sports and exercise workshops later in the curriculum.

"It's one thing for me to describe how someone with small hands may struggle to use a normal-sized fork, but to see it with their own eyes sinks in the content," said Assistant Professor of Sport and Exercise Science Katherine Griffes. "One student told me now that anytime he sees his nephew or nieces, he can't help but notice the class concepts because he is used to looking for them. That's a huge win in my book, that students are more aware of the developmental aspects of life that are happening right under our noses all of the time."

Read the full story: https://suny.oneonta.edu/news-events/exercise-science-initiative-connects-campus-and-community