by Carol Spartano, Support Teacher

Everywhere you look these days you read about the benefits of physical activity on our physical and mental health. A longitudinal study by the Cooper Clinic indicates that being physically fit may reduce serious and minor illnesses by almost one-half. On the flip side, obesity has been on the rise over the past 20 years (doubled for young children and tripled for adolescents), due in part to a decrease in physical activity. For this reason, it is imperative that we as parents and educators of young children begin to tailor our school and home activities to promote active play and gross motor development.

According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the Council of Physical Education, physical education should be an important aspect of each preschooler’s education; incorporating a minimum of 2 hours of physical activity each day over the course of school and home (both structured and unstructured). Children should have the opportunity to be taught a range of movement skills and given time to practice these in a variety of settings and activities. Free play alone was found to be typically insufficient for preschoolers to become skillful movers. At the preschool level it is important to promote enjoyment and skill for a range physical activities, in order to lead to confidence and competence in later years. Early childhood is the best period for acquisition of fundamental movement skills such as spatial awareness, eye hand coordination, gait patterns, balance, ball skills, use of equipment, and agility. There is even data that suggests that increased movement levels and physical competence increases levels of academic success!

At Jowonio we are developing a curriculum for physical fitness and gross motor development, to be taught in our new gym and playground spaces. We decided to move away from the free play model of our gym time, in which bikes and climbers remained available for children to use each day, but without instruction or variation of materials and tasks. Instead, we now planfully rotate materials and activities in the gym each week. There are typically 5-6 centers set up each week, targeting a variety of fine and gross motor skills. Thematic pretend play and language is often embedded within the gym options (e.g. firefighter, winter, opposites in an obstacle course) as an extension of the activities. Choice-boards based on weekly vocabulary are available for those who may need support to initiate play or for language development. These activities are planned based on children’s interests, the New York State Standards, and the range of skill levels our children present. We have been inspired by Renee McCall and Diane Craft, Adaptive Physical Education Teachers whose books, Moving with a Purpose and Purposeful Play, have many terrific ideas for planning activities for preschoolers.

Each classroom participates in gym time for 30 minutes each day. Class begins with a warm-up exercise (e.g. dance to music, games) to ready their muscles and begin gross motor play in an organized fashion. A demonstration of how to use and participate in the centers is then followed by an opportunity to explore and practice the skills on their own with teacher facilitation and adaptations for learning styles/skills. Music is used throughout the gym time to signal starting and stopping of activities, as well as rhythm within activities. Safety is thought-out in the planning for the gym and reinforced by teachers and therapists. The gym class ends with a cool down activity such as yoga exercises, to ready the group to move on to other classroom activities.

Other opportunities for motor play are incorporated throughout each school day. Motor activities in the classroom are set up for play times and group activities; songs, dance and games are played within circle times; structured fine and gross motor experiences are offered in the Secret Garden, home for our occupational and physical therapists; and active games/climbing and free exploration occur on the playground and nature trail. Classrooms also use Brain Gym and Yoga to provide both centering and stimulation of body and brain. By incorporating opportunities for exercise into the daily routines and expectations at Jowonio, we are modeling for children a healthy habit of activity. Let’s celebrate fitness for life!

References
McCall, Renee and Craft, Diane. (2000). Moving with a Purpose: Developing Programs for Preschoolers of All Abilities. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics.

McCall, Renee and Craft, Diane. (2004). Purposeful Play: Early Childhood Movement Activities on a Budget. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics.

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