Fitting Physical Fitness into the Day

by

Rae Pica

Should the physical fitness of young children be the concern of early childhood professionals? Or is it a matter for the family, and the family alone, to worry about? Given the alarming facts surrounding the childhood obesity crisis, the state of children’s fitness is clearly the responsibility of all who are involved with children. As early childhood professionals we have a duty to educate the whole (thinking, feeling, moving) child. Moreover, teachers of preschoolers can be more realistic than parents in their assessment of children’s physical activity levels (Noland et al. 1990), and preschool teachers’ prompting of children has a positive influence on those levels (McKenzie et al. 1997).

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE, 2009) recommends that:

 

• Young children should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time, except when sleeping.
• Toddlers should accumulate at least 30 minutes a day of structured physical activity and at least 60 minutes a day of unstructured physical activity.
• Preschoolers are encouraged to accumulate at least 60 minutes a day of both structured and unstructured physical activity.
• While 60 minutes a day is the suggested minimum, it is further recommended that children accumulate “up to several hours” of physical activity daily.

For the early childhood professional, the concept of “accumulation” is comforting. It means you don’t have to worry about setting aside huge blocks of time exclusively devoted to physical activity. Although it’s developmentally appropriate for children to be engaged in active play most of the time (and that would certainly make the children happy), today’s educational culture does not allow for that possibility. It’s good to know, therefore, that you can fit in “bouts” of physical activity throughout the day and still meet the national guidelines and contribute to the fight against obesity.

Encouraging Unstructured Physical Activity

Unstructured physical activity, which involves free choice on the part of the children, is typically best experienced outdoors, where the children can run and jump and expend energy. While time spent outdoors has traditionally been considered “break” time – an opportunity for children to play without interference from adults and for teachers and caregivers to relax a bit -- more and more early childhood professionals are realizing the potential of the outdoors as an extension of the indoor setting, with that time viewed as yet another opportunity to enhance children’s development. Certainly, the outdoor setting provides the perfect opportunity to enhance the children’s physical development and physical fitness.

If this is to happen, teachers and caregivers must become involved in children’s outdoor play. This is not to say that they must go to the extreme of preparing structured lesson plans for every outdoor session, but many activities begun indoors can be continued and extended outdoors, including movement activities. (Batteries in the CD player mean even music can be a part of outdoor movement experiences.) Also, during playtime, adults can and should interact naturally and informally with the children, offering guidance and suggestions to extend the children’s play.

Frost (1996) tells us the role of the teacher supporting outdoor play is that of a play leader, whom he defines as someone who interacts with the child by asking leading questions and providing guidance for certain skills. A play leader also “helps children plan where they will go to play, helps them deal with problems that come up, and talks with them about their play” (p. 27). Of course, teachers can also play with children in order to encourage more moderate to vigorous physical activity. For example, blowing bubbles for the children to catch encourages them to run and jump, contributing to both cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength and endurance.

Fitting Structured Physical Activity into the Day

Structured physical activity is organized and planned. It involves children in specific activities in which they’re expected to achieve certain results. Naturally, that makes structured physical activity more challenging to incorporate into the curriculum than unstructured movement.

It’s not unreasonable to expect that early childhood teachers will set aside a minimum of 30 minutes a day to focus on the acquisition and refinement of motor skills. Motor skills do not develop automatically from an immature to a mature level, so they must be taught and practiced just like any other skill in early childhood. While the prevailing belief may be that instruction in motor skills is less important than instruction in literacy and numeracy skills, children who are comfortable and confident with their motor skills are more likely to be physically active throughout their lives, helping to ensure a lifetime of physical fitness!

Of course, finding time for such instruction is a critical factor. Here are some simple solutions:

 

• Utilize substantial chunks of what is set aside for circle time.
• Take movement breaks throughout the day. These can incorporate moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (like walking briskly or running in place, pretending to be in a track meet), thereby contributing to cardiovascular endurance.
• Include gentle stretching that promotes both relaxation and flexibility, an important component of health-related fitness.
• Incorporate structured physical activity into your transition times, which already involve moving from one place to another!

Rae Pica is an educational consultant specializing in children’s physical activity and the author of numerous books for educators and parents. Read more of what she has to say at her blog, The Pica Perspective, and hear her interviews with experts in the fields of education, child development, play research, the neurosciences, and more at http://www.bamradionetwork.com/.