Promote young children physical activity and mivement skills Essay

1.1 Explain why physical activity is important to the short and long term health and well being of children. Physical activity is an integral part of health and well being in children.Our bodies also require physical activity in order to be healthy.Understanding and supporting physical activity, will help children have the right foundation for a healthy and happy life.Positive experiences with physical activity at a young age promotes the growth if strong bones and muscles, help to develop good posture and balance, obesity risk and chronic disease risk infection are reduced. A long-term health benefit will be that children will have a stronger immune system.Children are less likely to become overweight and will have better control of their body, children will achieve and maintain a healthy weight and they will establish healthy behaviour and increase their self-esteem and concentration. Physical inactivity is associated with health risks: weight gain, obesity, heart and bone disease, diabetes. Children who are physically active are more likely to show good social skills, they are confident and they achieve their full developmental potential. 1.2 Explain the development of movement skills in young children and how these skills affect other aspects of development. Physical activity helps children to develop and practise movements skills which includes: travel, balance and coordination and object control. Movement skills help children develop awareness of what their bodies can do, children learn how much space their body needs to take.When developing traveling skills, the child learns how to move the body from on location to another: hopping, skipping, sliding, walking. Hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination uses the eye to direct attention and hands and foot to execute a task so the brain sends out information to the muscles and helps to develop smooth and precise movements. Activities involving foot-eye coordination: kicking a ball; activities involving hand-eye coordination: throwing or catching a ball. Balance is also a very important skills and children learn to control their balance and to gain posture.Balancing activities involves the body, for example: walking on a beam will help children learn that putting one foot in front of the other help children maintain their balance; or balancing on one leg will help them to control their posture. Object control involves movements such as catching, throwing, kicking and children learn how to catch, throw and kick objects. Physical activity is linked with every other area of development. Emotional development Physical activity helps children to build up confidence and different activities such as colouring, painting, helps to express their feelings.Children feel confident, physically and emotionally when they use their body to communicate and solve problems. Social development Children who are physically active are more likely to show good social skills, empathy and self-esteem. Language development Children who are physically active develop good thinking and communication skills.Physical activity gives children the opportunity to talk about activities and develop vocabulary. Cognitive development Physical activity contributes to healthy brain development.Physical activity stimulates the connection between mind and body and is also essential for helping children to put their ideas into actions to accomplish a goal. 2.1 Prepare the environment and explain how it allows all children to develop, practise and extend their movement skills according to their age, needs and abilities. In my setting, we try to create areas of interest that encourages children to develop their movement skills.We also consider and offer children different types of activities.Environment is changed to meet the different needs of children’s ages and stages of development.The environment is organised so that it reflects children’s individual strengths, interests, abilities and needs. The environment should be rich, stimulating and challenging to give children the opportunity to explore, experiment and encourage the movement skills. It is important to make the best possible use of space and equipment so the children can enjoy the activities.All children will have equal opportunities to develop movement skills and the environment will be changed to help children practise the mivements skills.When planning physical activity we ensure that no child is excluded from play and activities are modified as necessary. 2.3 Explain the importance of natural outdoor environments for young children’s physical activity and movement skills. Natural outdoor environment has positive effects on children’s social development and motor skills development.Outdoor play is less structured so it gives children more opportunity to discover, learn about different textures, sounds and children also gain important physical skills.Children feel more free and they use their whole bodies to explore.Natural environments stimulate children’s imagination and engage their sense of curiosity. Children learn social skills by interacting with other children or even with natural materials found in the environment.Natural outdoor environment help children to question, to cooperate and solve problems. 3.1 Plan opportunities for physical activity for young children. An effective planning will help children to participate in a safe and supportive environment.To provide good opportunities for children it is important to maintain a balance between child-initiated and adult-led physical activities.Children should have opportunities to interesting resources to explore and use.Physical opportunities will be appropriate to the age, needs and stage development of children.Enough time will be allowed for children to take part in physical activities.Activities will be planned to meet the developmental needs of the children.Practitioners select age-appropriate activities and physical activities will be challenging giving the children the opportunity to explore and be physically active. 3.2 Explain how the plan: -meets the individual movement skills needs of children -includes activities that promote competence in movement skills -encourages physical play Good planning involves observing children’s strengths, interests and needs and developmental skills.Children will be given the opportunity to practice the skills, to modify, change or adding some equipment based on children’s interests and abilities. Planning is based on observations on each child’s interests and developmental progress.Children need opportunities to practise motor skills and to have interested adults to participate with them. It is also important to support children who are at different stages and provide emotional support , be flexible and provide opportunity for practise.As the child becomes more comfortable and competent with an activity, the expectations can be changed to allow for more challenges. 4.1 Explain the importance of building physical activity into everyday routines. In my setting we support children to become independent and develop movement skills by: -encourage to put on their coats -helping to do the tidying up -have children act out the words in books and songs -be an active role model by participating in physical activities -go on nature walk and learning about the environment -help practitioners during the snack time: giving them small tasks such as carry the cups or pouring their own drinks in the cups or wiping the tables.Children must be encouraged to be physically active. Active children are more likely to lead active healthy lifestyles as adults.Being physically active strengths muscles and bones and helps develop coordination and movement skills. 5.1 Assess effectiveness of planned provision in: -supporting physical activity -supporting confidence and progression in movement skills Physical activities are planned and organised every day in my setting.When children experience the joy of moving, they learn to value physical activity and are more likely to continue to be physically active when adults.It is important that practitioners show positive attitudes towards physical activity.Children also need to understand the benefits and necessity of physical activity.In my setting we discuss what happens to their bodies when they are physically active.Children are allowed to develop gross and fine motor skills in my setting.I evaluate my practice and gain feedback from my colleagues, parents and children.Communication and feedback from parents, colleagues and children is important in determining any adaptations to daily physical activity that may be necessary. 5.3 Reflect on own practice in supporting young children’s physical development and movement skills. It is important to reflect on own practice and to realise my strengths and weakness and also to take into consideration feedback from colleagues and manager. Are the resources used appropriate to interests and needs if children? Are there opportunities for children to be involved in planning and organising physical activities? How well children control their bodies? How can the spaces and resources be improved to allow children to play safely?