Section 5: Physical Fitness
As you have been learning, your knowledge about the nutritional and fitness needs of children will have the greatest impact when you can share this knowledge in order to help children and their families grow in awareness of and commitment to healthy behaviors and lifestyles. For your blog section this week, prepare a 2-page fact sheet to inform both early childhood professionals and families about the essential aspects of physical fitness for preschool-age children. Use the following guidelines:
Write an introductory paragraph or at least five bullet points that explain why physical fitness is so important for young children. Include at least three developmental skills that children are learning at this age, and describe how physical activities can help children toward mastery of these skills. Be sure to cite evidence from the learning resources or, if desired, use other resources to support your claims.
- Explain what can happen when children do not engage in healthy fitness activities. Be sure to consider the impact on children of being overweight or obese, including implications for health and self-esteem.
- Indicate how adults can help children develop good fitness habits. Describe at least two activities, such as specific games or movements, which are appropriate and enjoyable for children of this age. At least one of the activities should involve gross-motor (locomotor) skills, and another should involve fine-motor (manipulative) skills. Remember, the activities you recommend should be developmentally appropriate, which includes noncompetitive.
- Based on your readings, include at least one inspirational, thought-provoking quote that captures your attitude and/or philosophy about fostering children's healthy growth and development.
- For your fact sheet, draw on the information in the fitness articles from this week's Required Resources and your own research to provide evidence about the positive impact that physical activity has on children's health, both now and in the future. Be sure to cite your sources[MAV1] .
“Physical activity is an essential component for wellness.” (Robertson, page 272) The health and wellness of our children should be one of the most important things parents should consider while raising them. It is also important for educators to work physical activity into the regularly scheduled routine of the classroom to ensure health and wellness.
Children at a preschool age are learning many different skills at a rather rapid pace. They are using their bodies from their heads to their toes to accomplish different tasks. “Running, hopping, walking, skipping, climbing, and jumping are motor activities that come naturally to young children. They enjoy practicing these new abilities.” (Robertson, page 274) Children are using their feet and legs to accomplish most of these tasks. It is important for young children to practice these skills because these skills will be beneficial and useful to them during later years. Preschoolers are also learning how to do several fine motor skills at this age like holding a pencil correctly and tying their shoes. These fine motor skills are going to prove to be harder for the children to master, but they too are skills that are needed throughout life.
”Teachers may have to guide some children into participating in more physical activities.” (Robertson, page 276) Some children can be hesitant to participate in physical activity because they are not exposed to physical activity at home or they may be concerned about failing. It is important to present different physical activities so that children are learning and testing different skills, but also to give different children the opportunity to be better than other classmates.
There are several different results from lack of physical activity in a child’s daily schedule. They can be overweight or obese. Children can also develop slower than others, or show a lack of bone growth or strength if they are not working their bones and muscles on a regular basis. Lack of physical fitness can also lead to depression, low self-esteem and self-image or unhappiness in young children. Children could have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, or other medical issues if their lifestyles lack in exercise.
Adults can help children develop a good physical activity schedule by setting a positive example and modeling the lifestyle they wish for their children to have. Children are more likely to participate in physical activity if a parent or close friend is involved in the activity with them. (Robertson) Adults can participate in activities like youth sports with the children by being a coach or team helper, or even by practicing with the child at home. Adults can also demonstrate a healthy lifestyle to children if they eat right and share their healthy eating. An adult who is eating their fruits and vegetables is a better role model then a parent or teacher eating potato chips while telling the child to eat fruits and veggies.
There are a lot of fun activities that adults and children can do together to promote healthy living and physical fitness. Playing a game of pick-up basketball or kickball is a fun gross motor activity that will also expose everyone to activity that maintains a healthy lifestyle. Another activity that adults and children could do together would be relay races. These are fun for children and they try to beat their parents and are active participants. There are also fine motor activities that you can involve children in to help maintain physical activity. Children love to do sorting activities with tiny objects. Parents and children can also perform puppet shows or sing active songs for physical activity. When a parent or adult is involved in an activity with a child, the child is more likely to participate and more excited about the activity.
“The United States is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of children who are overweight and a significant decline in children’s overall physical activity” (Goran 2001). This quote stuck out to me while reading one of our resources for the week. I think it stuck in my brain because it relates directly to me in the education field, but also to me who one days hope to have a family of my own and wants to raise them properly but also healthy. I know that changes need to be made in society in order for the obesity rate to go down and for our children’s physical activity level to go up. As educators, we need to be making positive steps to changing children’s lives by implementing daily physical activity and routines to help them lead a healthy and successful life.
Sources:
Goodway, J. D., & Robinson, L. E. (2006, March). SKIPing toward an active start: Promoting physical activity in preschoolers. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/GoodwayBTJ.pdf
Robertson, Cathie. Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed.) Pages 254-289.
Klein, Kathy. Director of Fitness, Y of Central Maryland – Ellicott City Branch.
[MAV1]You have a good start to your blob here. Are you going to add this last question for the final blog????
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