To reflect upon opportunities for the children in your care to exercise
Aim
To reflect upon opportunities for the children in your care to exercise.
Evidence and reflection
Concerns around childhood obesity are well documented. Opportunities for physical exercise are key to ensuring children are well. This is in addition to the need for physical activity to support children’s development.
Review the opportunities children in your setting have for exercise include, for example, free play time, scheduled time in the garden/play ground, music and movement. These opportunities will vary greatly between settings often depending on the ages of the children. Are there sufficient opportunities to support healthy physical growth and ensure children develop a positive image of movement and exercise? Are there ways in which the opportunities could be extended to ensure all children are engaged in these activities?
Extension
Now, observe 2 or 3 different children over the course of a day or week. Do some children engage much more in movement than others? If so, can you identify reasons why some may engage more than others? Are their ways in which young children can be supported to develop their gross motor skills and engage in exercise in a more deliberate manner?
