Critical Thinking Question

1. Sometimes physical development and activities are regarded as a lower priority than “academic” curriculum. What approach would you take to advocate for equal emphasis?

8.1 Promoting Physical Skills, Fitness, and Well-Being

As early childhood educators, we want our curriculum to both encourage physical activity and help children learn why it is important to be active, safe, and healthy. One of the most important habits for young children to engage in is the regular exercise that comes with being physically active. This is key to their health for several reasons, not the least of which is that it helps combat the inclination towards a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with obesity and a host of chronic health problems. Research attests to higher incidence of early onset obesity and increasingly sedentary lifestyles among children and teenagers (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2011; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). These figures are highest among poor African American and Latino/Hispanic populations. Also alarming is evidence in those reported statistics that poor eating/exercise patterns established among young children tend to persist over the life span.

According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), the organization responsible for national physical education standards, children need both physical activity and physical education to build and maintain strong healthy bodies (NASPE, 2012). Physical activity refers to body movements that require energy expenditure beyond what is required during rest; it is important for lifelong health; for controlling weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels; and for reducing the risk of debilitating diseases such as diabetes. Physical education, in contrast, refers to intentional instruction focused on development and care of the body. Physical activity and physical education promote physical fitness, which is a set of factors that includes strength, endurance, flexibility, and performance. These are all important for overall health (Gallahue & Ozmun, 2006).

Although many schools have cut back on physical education in favor of more instructional time for academic subjects, there is increasing evidence of positive correlations between physical fitness, cognitive development, and academic achievement (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2013; Prosser & Jiang, 2008; Tomporowski, Davis, Miller, & Naglieri, 2007). In a review of multiple studies published over the past fifteen years in academic journals, Smith and Lounsberry (2009) synthesized research findings about the relationship between physical activity and academic achievement. Among their conclusions:

1. Engagement in physical activity is associated with academic achievement.
2. When children engage in physical activity, cognitive performance improves significantly.
3. Physical fitness levels correlate positively to performance on standardized achievement tests.
4. Many of the physical and social benefits of physical activity are associated with success in school.
5. Children who spend between 14 and 26 percent of the school day in physical activity, including physical education, learn more rapidly.

Therefore the goal of physical education, according to the NASPE web site, “is to develop physically educated individuals who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity” (2012). Luckily, toddlers and preschoolers are naturally predisposed to spend significant parts of their day walking, running, climbing, jumping, and generally being as physically active as their small bodies will allow.

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