-
Explain the function and benefits of outside play.
iStockphoto / Thinkstock
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
- Describe the rationale for promoting physical wellness and fitness in the curriculum.
- Explain the function and benefits of outside play.
- Describe appropriate curricular activities and strategies for promoting the development of gross motor skills.
- Describe appropriate curricular activities and strategies for promoting the development of fine motor skills.
- Describe appropriate curricular activities and strategies for promoting health and safety education.
Introduction
Yesterday on the playground you noticed that while some of the children seem to have an inexhaustible supply of energy for climbing and running, there is clearly a small group who are not interested in moving at all and spend most of their time sitting or lying on the ground waiting to go back inside. Also, Lottie does not want to play any games with a ball, because she says the kids make fun of her clumsiness. Further, you have had conversations about food connected with your visits to a couple of restaurants in your neighborhood study and learned that many of children do not have healthy diets and are already overweight for their age and size.
You do know that Lottie loves to dance, acting as the DJ, and she has organized a dance party in the afternoon, choosing music for the CD or MP3 player and dancing in front of the mirror. In the classroom, you’ve also noticed that you have several children without much experience using either writing tools or scissors, and you are a bit worried about that, as they are frustrated and don’t want to practice, draw, or write. Your program doesn’t have any itinerant teachers for physical education, music, or art, so you know you are entirely responsible for addressing those areas of the curriculum.
How can you lead your children towards an active, healthy lifestyle and development of the motor skills they will need for first grade? In this chapter, the focus is early learning standards for physical growth and health, and physical education.
From the Field
Critical Thinking Question
- Sometimes physical development and activities are regarded as a lower priority than “academic” curriculum. What approach would you take to advocate for equal emphasis?