Sharing Good Practice
There is also increasing pressure on
our children, to learn to read and write
before their brains and bodies are
ready. Premature academic learning
also affects their social and emotional
well being, too. Sitting still for long
periods of time is not natural for young
children. It really is true that children
learn best when they are having fun.
Intentional
movement,
especially
in early childhood, is vital for
cognitive development. Learning the
fundamental skills such as balance,
axial stability, locomotion and spatial
awareness is directly correlated to
the brain’s capacity for language
development, pattern recognition,
organisation, memory retention and
many other functions.
Motor-skill development creates the
physical structure and neural plasticity
in the brain to sequence patterns for
academic learning. The vestibular
system in the inner ear controls
balance and spatial awareness. This
corresponds to placing letters in the
correct order to form words and to put
words together to form sentences.
Movement in specific patterns, such
as in hopscotch, enhances the brain’s
ability to code symbols and for the
eyes to track visual fields.
I am really trying to stress how
important it is for children to learn and
to practice “skill-focused” movement
in the early years with an observant
and encouraging teacher. This gives
a solid foundation for physical and
academic growth. It also allows
for early detection of physical and
cognitive problem areas that can be
acted on and rectified before a child
starts school and delves into more
focused academic learning.
Daily movement ideas: Teaching:
5 5 Write a list of animal movements
that the children can do while
walking in a line. 5 5 Teach with energy and find ways to
make even the simplest movement
activity fun.
5 5 Incorporate one stretching activity
a day into your morning circle time. 5 5 Inspire your children to move well
and move together with them.
5 5 Introduce a daily balance challenge
using different body parts. 5 5 Encourage
creativity.
5 5 Get active outdoors with long rope
skipping or ball games. 5 5 Be
observant.
Challenge
the
coordinated and encourage those
who are not.
5 5 Play Simple Simon Says: an excellent
activity that is easy to do at any time.
5 5 Play Musical Movement: moving
while the music plays and a balance
when it stops.
Planning:
5 5 Take stock of your equipment.
5 5 Consider adding balls, beanbags,
hoops and ropes for each child.
5 5 Consider changing the furniture
around to provide more space for
movement.
5 5 Find some fun music tracks.
5 5 Plan movement ideas for each day.
5 5 Allow time for movement in your
daily and weekly schedules.
play
and
5 5 Use your voice to direct and inspire.
All children, no matter their age, love
to move and need to move. It is up
to the adults who share their days to
inspire them to move often, and with
joy and confidence! Please make the
commitment to get your children
moving more and then watch them
flourish as they become physically
confident, coordinated and strong.
Here is a chart to give you a
clearer understanding of the basic
fundamental movement skills and the
activities that support them. Please
do consider whether your children are
practicing activities that support each
of these types of movement.
THE FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT SKILLS
SPATIAL SKILLS
STATIC
BALANCE
STABILTY DYNAMIC
BALANCE BENDING TUMBLING TWISTING STOPPING TURNING DODGING BALANCING
SWINGING LANDING
AFTER A JUMP FOOT
STRETCHING
A Simple Solution
Implementing structured movement
opportunities throughout the day
takes a little planning and creative
thinking, but it is the single most
effective way to increase the physical
ability and fitness of young children.
Here are a few strategies and ideas to
help you add more physical activity
into your days.
pretend
LOCOMOTIVE
SKILLS MANIPULATIVE
SKILLS
GALLOPING
HOPPING PUSHING
PULLING
LIFTING
KICKING
STRIKING
THROWING
JUMPING
LEAPING
RUNNING
SKIPPING
WALKING
BOUNCING
CATCHING
DRIBBLING
ROLLING
VOLLEYING
SPATIAL
AWARENESS
POSITIONING
DIRECTIONAL
AWARENESS
GAUGING
TIMING
Darlene Koskinen is the founder and CEO of the MoovKids online physical
education curriculum. She has 30 years experience teaching physical education
to early learners, including 13 years with special needs of all ages. Originally from
Zimbabwe, Darlene now lives in Finland and has a passion to share her knowledge
of skill-focused physical education with teachers and parents of early learners.
Class Time
Term 1 Sep - Dec 2019
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