Why is physical development important to early childhood: Physical Development – Early Years Matters

Physical Development – Early Years Matters

1. Moving & Handling
2. Health & Self-Care

Why Physical Development is a Prime Area

• There has been considerable concern over the last few years about an increase in children’s sedentary behaviour and a reduction in their physical activity.
• Physical development has been described as ‘experience-expectant’ learning which means that the brain is wired in expectation of this development. If it doesn’t happen early it is more difficult to establish later on.
• Babies and young children undergo rapid and wide-ranging physical and psychological developments in their early years which contribute to their future health and well-being.
• Physical development contributes to cognitive development – as children move and explore the world they learn about the properties of objects and their own capabilities.
• In the early years children are establishing patterns of activity which will affect their whole future. If activity and healthy eating are established early on good habits tend to remain.
• Physical development can help with the maintenance of a healthy weight and the development of strong bones, muscles and heart.
• It is widely believed that physical development can also help with the development of personal and social skills such as self-confidence, interaction, taking turns, getting along with others and so on.

How Can We Support this Area?

• Encourage children to engage in and talk about the things they enjoy doing such as walking, skipping, climbing, rolling and jumping (gross motor activities).
• Encourage children to engage in  and talk about the things they enjoy doing such as threading, cutting, pressing, grasping, pinching (fine motor activities).
• Use words in context which allow children to consider their physical movements – eg: ‘you are lifting one foot and hopping on the other’ or ‘I saw you bending from your waist to lift up the watering can’. Focus on each child’s strengths and identify next steps for their physical development.

Enabling Environment for PD

Moving & Handling

• Ensure that there are opportunities for free-flow between outdoor and indoor areas to increase activity and reduce sedentary behaviour.
• Provide activities that support fine motor development such as threading beads, sewing cards/cloth, painting and exploring colour, mark-making of all kinds, building with Lego or small blocks, pinching, rolling and cutting dough or clay.
• Provide activities that develop stability – stop and start games such as statues; games such as being rabbits or snakes so that children balance their weight on different parts of the body.
• Plan activities that encourage locomotor skills – such as galloping, running, climbing, cycling, hopping, skipping.
• Give children opportunities to develop object-control skills including catching, rolling and throwing skills – provide bean bags and buckets or hoops for throwing into; offer a range of balls of different weight, size and bounciness!
• Provide bats, skittles and any other resources to encourage movement and accuracy in catching and throwing.

Health & Self-Care

• Display steps for hand washing signage clearly and refer to it and model the hand-wash sequence.
• Provide tissues at an accessible level close to an enclosed bin – display reminders about hygiene for nose-blowing and coughing.
• Use displays to show the range of foods to be eaten and to identify how different foods help growth and development.
• Grow edible plants such as strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce and potatoes and prepare and eat them in the setting.
• Encourage children to care for their teeth; talk about the things that are good for oral health and the things that people do to encourage their teeth to remain healthy.
• Use puppets to model aspects of health and self-care.
• Encourage children to feel proud of achievements in health and self-care.

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Physical Activity in Early Childhood

Physical activities should be integrated into young children’s lives to create a foundation of movement and activity which will be carried with them throughout the rest of their lives.

Physical activities is essential for a child’s development. It helps lay the foundation for an active and healthy life.

What Does Physical Activity For Young Children Mean?

Seated activities such as watching television or playing computer games for hours and hours and restrictive movement in strollers are bad for the child’s development. These activities are not physical activities. It definitely does not include physical activities for adults such as exercising or going to the gym. For young children physical activity means the opportunity to move around and play with other children.

Children tend to be more active when they are outdoors rather than when they are indoors. While they do seem to be engage in various physical activities indoors as well, they are mostly light-intensity activities.

Why Do They Need To Be Active?

It is during early childhood that children are more willing to try new activities. Physical activities promotes healthy growth and development. It helps build a healthier body composition, stronger bones and muscles. It also improves the child’s cardiovascular fitness. Physical activities helps in the development of better motor skills and in concentration and thinking skills.

Physical activities should be integrated into young children’s lives to create a foundation of movement and activity which will be carried with them throughout the rest of their lives. Children who have higher levels of physical activity during their childhood are likely to be more active even after they mature. This is important for better health and well-being.

Physical activities from a young age have various benefits which reach far beyond only physical development. A child can physically, mentally, socially and emotionally develop by taking part in physical activities. The increasing use of technology and classrooms and daycares focusing on mental activities rather than physical activities have led to the reduction of children’s movement and physical activity.

A school or daycare which gives some time to physical activity as well would benefit the child. Increased movement and physical activity does create healthy habits and has numerous benefits for the child. It helps improve confidence, self-esteem and also in developing healthier social, cognitive, and emotional skills. It also helps in building strength, self-confidence, concentration, and coordination from an early age.

A Lack Of Physical Activity In Early Childhood

A lack of physical activity in early childhood could bring many health problems. A few of such problems could be excess body fat, weight gain, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases and bone health problems. The health benefits of physical activities outweigh the negatives. Children who do take part in physical activities tend to have fewer chronic health problems. They are less prone to getting sick. They have a significantly reduced risk for various diseases which also includes heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, depression and mental illness.

So if your child is not taking part in any physical activity right now then you should ensure that he/she does take part in one. This would help them lead a better life now and in the future.

Why the early development of a child is important

The rhythm of the life of an adult, a modern person does not always allow you to devote enough time to your child. Not every parent has a sufficient level of knowledge in the field of the development of the baby, the methods of his upbringing and education. When a child has difficulties associated with cognitive or mental activity at primary school or senior preschool age, mothers and fathers frantically begin to look for reasons for this. Turning to specialists, they want to hear the answer why this happened. And they hear him as a reproach that the child was not sufficiently engaged, that in the first months of his life he did not acquire the skills that he needed. There is no need to blame moms and dads, because no one taught them this.

Razvitie provides parents with an opportunity to visit interesting, developing trainings and classes with their child. Increasing their competence in the field of child psychology and pedagogy, fathers and mothers make an invaluable contribution to the future of their child.

Early child development: benefits and features

Every mother wants the best for her child. On an instinctive level, she provides his comfort: clothes, feeds, hugs, etc. From the very birth of a small miracle, parents put high hopes on him. They figure out who he will become when he grows up, what school he will study at, when he goes on his first date. Even the smallest achievement of the crumbs delights loving parents. They are looking forward to when he starts to hold his head, then, when he rolls over on his side, he starts to sit, crawl, walk and call for mom. Being touched by the development of the child, you can miss important sensitive periods when you can start learning that promotes early development.

Our grandmothers smile ironically when they hear the phrase “early development”. They believe that what is laid down by nature will happen by itself, it is not necessary to “torment” the child from an early age, to conduct developmental classes with him. But current science says otherwise. World discoveries, achievements in various research expeditions and other elements of evolution have changed the world around us. In order for the child to be as comfortable and safe as possible in it, it is important to engage in his development from an early age.

Many mistakenly believe that the early development of a child is a strict observance of the rules and the systematic conduct of classes. No, this is a completely natural process of his upbringing, in which parents act as assistants for adaptation in the world around him. A child from the first days of life begins to develop everything that surrounds him, affects it. Therefore, mothers and fathers must understand that the development of a child is not the concentration of efforts of an adult. Adults may provide additional help to advance the developmental process, rather than fully orchestrate it. Even when the child lies himself in the crib and looks at the mobile, he develops. He leads his eyes for toys, pulls his hands to them, rejoices at the melody he hears.

Early childhood is an intense period of development. To make it as effective as possible in this period, you need to stimulate the child, motivate him to be active. Brain cells develop in proportion to the received external stimuli. Therefore, it is important to organize the space around the child, plan his regimen correctly, and give him enough attention.

Early development means organizing the right space around the child. Toys, pictures, furniture and appliances that surround the baby should help him in understanding the world around him. This approach to education allows you to grow a mentally and physically healthy person who is ready to live in modern society, develop and improve.

To create a developing space for a child, you need to pay attention to:

1. Home environment. In the first months of a child’s life, the main place of his location is the crib. Therefore, its choice should be given special attention. Protective borders should be neutral, soothing shades with images of animals, cartoon characters, flowers, etc. If they have convex elements from various fabrics, the child will be able to tactilely get acquainted with different types of surfaces, develop motor skills. Above the bed you can install mobiles, hang toys with moving parts. But it is important to securely fasten such products so that they do not fall on the baby.
2. Toys. Toys must be appropriate for the age of the child, only in this way they will bring real benefits. Create a play space around the child, according to his needs. He should have access to toys that are relevant to him now. They should be nearby so that, if desired, the baby can take them. But this rule applies only to a part of the toys, namely those that do not require special concentration of attention: cubes, balls, a pyramid, teddy bears, etc. Toys that do not require special attention, such as bingo and puzzles, should be available to parents.
3. Communication. Through communication, the child learns the world around him. Mom and dad are his guides to society. Their conversation, hugs and strokes are the most important factors of harmonious development. At first, the baby cannot respond to your gentle appeals, but after that he will gladly begin to “gurgle”, “coo” and “babble” in response to you. Tell him everything that you feel, how beautiful the nature around is, how you love him, how you were waiting for his birth, how a bird carries a wand in a nest, and the sun tickles his cheeks. Each word is an incredible contribution to its development.
4. Physical development. The health of the child primarily depends on his physical development. We are talking about fine and gross motor skills, observing the regime of activity and rest, proper nutrition, walking in the fresh air, outdoor games.

Every child is unique. His development is an individual path that he can effectively go through only with you. The earlier contact is established with the baby, the later it will be easier for you to understand him, hear about his needs, and help in difficult life situations. Listen with your heart to the child, love him and set a worthy example.

Early child development is a set of actions aimed at adapting a small person to the modern world. Regardless of the chosen method of development and training, it is worth paying attention to the following factors:

• Adaptation of the brain. Early preschool age is characterized by the flexibility of the child’s psyche. Nature is so conceived that during this period the baby needs to learn as much as possible about the world in which he lives. He learns to walk, speak, manipulates objects, water, sand, engages in research activities, tries on various behaviors, improves all acquired skills and learns new ones. Depending on the level of maturation, the brain performs feasible functions. Every day the amount of acquired knowledge and skills is growing. The more you talk to your child, the more information about the world he receives.
• Temperament. The child develops comprehensively, including emotionally. When choosing a way to teach him, it is worth considering the characteristics of the child’s temperament. If this is a choleric person, then he will almost always be active, anxious, loud. He will often change his mood and desire to engage in a particular activity. An occupation with such a child should be saturated with various activities, it cannot be protected from communication with children. Melancholics are more closed, somewhat detached from reality. It is important to encourage any of their activity in a timely manner. Phlegmatic people are calm, secretive. Such a child needs to be constantly interested, to awaken emotions in him. Sanguine people are pronounced leaders who easily find a common language with their peers, quickly organize a collective game. When teaching a baby with this kind of temperament, it is important to motivate him to perseverance.
• Aesthetic education. For the full development of the child, it is extremely important to pay attention to his aesthetic education. We are talking about the disclosure of creative abilities, talent, the formation of a sense of beauty, love for nature. It is important for kids to include classical music, sounds of nature, children’s songs to listen to. They must hear poems, learn them by heart, immerse themselves in the world of fairy tales and stories. This is the development of fantasy, memory, thinking, the rhythmic side of speech.
• Fine motor skills and creativity. It is important for a child to draw, sculpt from plasticine, dough, cut out of paper. Such activities develop fine motor skills, thinking, imagination, creativity.

The early development of a child may include musical, creative, logorhythmic activities. This is getting to know the world around you by using effective learning methods in accordance with the age of the child.

Between the ages of two and three, a child learns to be independent. During this period, it is important not to interfere with him, but to encourage efforts and achievements. Advice from psychologists for parents of children 2-3 years old:

• Do not interfere with the manifestation of independence. If a child wants to put on a jacket on their own, let them do it, even if you are late for kindergarten.
• Don’t limit your social circle. Every person around the child is important to him. Let him wave to his neighbors, thank the seller in the store, shout out the name of a girlfriend from a neighboring apartment.
• Explain in detail everything he does not understand. Everything in this world is new for him, he wants to learn, so give him such an opportunity. Even if you have to repeat the same thing ten times, repeat calmly and confidently.
• Leave the choice. Let him choose a toy, clothes or dish for dinner. He wants and needs to feel important.

Methods for early child development

There are many methods by which early child development can be organized. Each of them is aimed at improving a particular skill or skill, the development of mental processes.

The most popular methods of early development:

1. Maria Montessori method. Classes according to the Montessori program consist of simple physical exercises: articulatory gymnastics, finger games. Lesson on the development of creativity: drawing, application, modeling. The peculiarity of the method lies in the attitude of the teacher to the organization of the learning space. The role of an adult is to provide the child with everything necessary for development: toys, didactic material, fabrics with different textures, etc. The child himself chooses the type of activity, teachers or parents create all the conditions for this and act as assistants, not mentors. The benefit of this type of training is that the child becomes more attentive, disciplined, independent, observant. Fine motor skills, articulation apparatus develop.
2. Nikolay Zaitsev. The essence of the technique is in an unusual way to teach a child to read. Zaitsev took syllables as particles of speech as the basis of his system. He wrote syllables on the cubes, due to which the child learns to read. And he learns to count by studying the numbers in the number series. During the lesson, the child is offered to sing syllables, clap them, jump or run. For teaching mathematics, Zaitsev created special tables with which you can perform arithmetic operations. Such training not only helps the child quickly learn to read and count, but also develops memory and thinking.
3. Glen Doman. Created for the harmonious physical and intellectual development of the child. The essence of the learning system is in working with cards, where individual words or sets of dots are written, denoting numbers. Doman believed that a child should learn to read and count not from the age of 6, but from infancy. The kid is shown cards in class, motivated to play actively. A child who was trained according to the Doman system has a good memory, quickly analyzes the situation, is well developed mentally and physically.
4. Waldorf method. Often referred to as the Steiner system. This is an equal opportunity pedagogy. The basis of the system: the philosophical trend of anthroposophy. The child is taught aesthetic and practical skills, increases the level of knowledge about the environment. The difference of this system is in the absence of purposeful intellectual development of the child. The founders of the method are inclined to the fact that a child should not be prematurely taken away from his fairy-tale world, deprived of childhood. According to their recommendations, the child should attend creative rather than intellectual classes at preschool age.

Don’t teach your child to read too early. A reading session is recommended when all the molars have grown. Up to this point, it is necessary to deal with his physical and emotional development.

Classes according to this system develop the personality, the child cannot be forced, he must be interested. Classes are held in a group of no more than 10 children of different ages. Each child has the right to decide for himself whether he wants to complete the task during the training or not, if he does not want, no one scolds him.

This system of education includes adapted, democratic activities that are ideal for a child with a humanitarian mindset. At the lesson, the level of knowledge of the child is not assessed, so he boldly expresses his opinion, is not afraid of the teacher.

1. Nikitin system. From an early age, the child is given tasks related to physical education. The system is based on the principle of “physical education + other activities”. A child can combine any activity with sports. Children can attend classes for as long as they want. The role of teachers and parents is not to interfere, but to gently help, without violating the freedom of action of the child. Nikitins believed that if a child is interested in something, then he needs it at the moment.

The key point in this system is sport. From the first days of life, a child is hardened, attracted to physical activity. In his room, a special place for physical education must be equipped. A child from the first days of life should understand that sport is an integral part of his life.

The system involves teaching a child at home. The approach to development is complex. Math classes, for example, are combined with exercises. Thanks to this technique, the child can learn to organize his time, regulate the daily routine.

It is up to the parents to decide which method of early development for their child to choose. Each of the above systems has a lot of advantages and is aimed at teaching kids. When choosing, it is worth considering the individual characteristics of the child, the pace of his development, creative manifestations, family values ​​and views on education. Education should bring joy to the child, he should explore the world with interest, and not with fear of making mistakes. Therefore, psychologists say that no matter what method of early child development becomes the basis of family education, do not forget that a child is a person, he has the right to a personal opinion. Classes should be interesting, take place in a playful way, the child should not be forced to them by force.

Studying all the methods of early development presented today, one interesting pattern can be noted. They all say that a child cannot be forced to do anything by force. All his actions must be justified by his desire. The emphasis is on the development of creative abilities, the ability to make independent decisions. Classes are held exclusively in a playful, unobtrusive form. For a child, they look like ordinary moments that do not knock him out of the general rhythm.

Thanks to this approach, the child grows up healthy, mentally balanced, self-confident and self-confident. He evaluates his potential, can cope with any life situation, analyze options for action.

The company “Razvitie” will help you find a common language with your child, improve family relationships, and learn how to interact with society. If you wish your child happiness, want him to become successful and happy, we are waiting for you at our trainings, workshops and consultations. Our experts will tell you about the secrets of harmonious relationships in the family, help you learn to understand your baby. Remember that the fate of the child primarily depends on you. Make the right investment in its development and be sure that in the future it will be very grateful to you.

Sports and physical development of the child from early childhood

Physical activity is very important for children. But you should not understand this as if the child is obliged to choose a particular sport for himself. First of all, the child must acquire physical maturity and mobility, in order to subsequently choose a certain sports discipline for himself.

Until the age of 8, a child shows his motor activity in a playful way. At the same time, such activity develops the motor, cognitive and social abilities of the young organism. Often this becomes a solid base for the subsequent passion for a particular sport.

Why does a child need sports and when to start getting to know him? .

By the age of 8, a child may lose interest in sports activities, but this does not mean that training should be mandatory. In the age range of 8-10 years, you can fruitfully engage in a separate type of sports program. At this age, motor functions in a child develop rapidly.

At the age of 11-15, the child first of all needs to monitor and develop his physical form. It is possible to talk about building strength in this period only conditionally, because against the background of an unusually rapid growth of a young organism in the puberty period, there is a constant fluctuation in the ratio of load and muscle strength. Due to fluctuations in physical activity, unstable and uneven physical development of the body can be noted. Therefore, many experts in this age range advise to captivate the child with playing sports where endurance develops (handball, football, etc.).

Strength training for children

Specialized gyms and gyms can offer strength training. The main thing is that the child receives moderate loads. Strength exercises are focused on the normalization of physical health and the correction of possible posture defects.

It is undesirable for children to participate in strength training, where the main goal is to work with maximum weight machines. During the growth period of the child, such exercises can do more harm than good.

Features of training for adults and children are very different, as a growing body requires special conditions for training. This is important to consider for parents whose children attend fitness rooms. It is desirable that the institution has a qualified instructor or children’s trainer.

Strength training can be started from the age of 10, but here their program should be diluted with a set of endurance exercises. Some doctors believe that active strength training can only be included in the training program from the age of 15. But everything is individual, depending on the characteristics of a particular child, the program of training sessions and the availability of an experienced instructor.

But remember, it is very important to take care of your child’s health, especially when he is actively involved in sports. We recommend that you undergo a scheduled examination in the direction of orthopedics. Timely professional help will keep your child’s posture and feet healthy and prepare them for the challenges of adulthood.