Physical Development
Quite simply an inactive child's brain does not develop as well as an active child's brain, so expect your child to be busy. As with all development it is about knowing what your child can do now, and what I'd like them to be able to do next. This comes from training on children's physical development and then ensuring your child has chances to explore rich surroundings which encourage physical development, where they can initiate their own play and follow their own motivations whether that is jumping in puddles, climbing or balancing; your child will have time to practice and refine their emerging skills through play; and alongside child-initiated play there will be planned activities, which I model, to help your child try new things, push themselves and deepen and extend their capabilities.
If your baby isn't crawling yet, I will ensure they have at least 30 minutes tummy time spread through the day and will encourage rolling from front to back/back to front, reaching, pulling, pushing, rolling and grasping by having interesting objects to look at/ reach/explore in a supervised and safe play area. Objects placed just out of reach will encourage stretching and movement, and held to the side where your baby can see them and then moved over their head to land on the other side will encourage them to roll over.
Your toddler will have at least 180 minutes of activity spread across the day, both indoors and outdoors, and your 3-4 year old will also have lots of chance to be active, with at least 1 in every three hours being moderate to vigorous physical activity.
I want your child to grow their fine motor skills and gross motor skills, as they provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being, so by the time they leave me, they will be confident in their capabilities and have a healthy attitude towards fitness and lifestyle choices, for their future in school and their whole life.
Fine motor skills refer to physical skills that involve small muscles and hand-eye coordination, and refining their movement to be more precise. They are used for holding small objects, picking things up like grasping a spoon, working with tools, doing puzzles, playing with construction toys, threading, holding a pencil and making small movements, like when drawing or writing. Gross motor skills refer to controlling large body movements which involve large muscle groups and includes core stability and posture. Children use gross motor skills to crawl, roll, climb, balance, walk, run, jump, throw and catch, kick and bat, use wheeled toys and sit still! All these need core strength and lay the foundation for your child to learn more advanced physical skills, as well as supporting other aspects of their development, like their learning (e.g. problem solving), their health and well-being (e.g. keeping a healthy body and making friends) and their ability to do self-care (e.g. toileting, getting dressed).
So how will I support your child?
By understanding how children's physical development evolves, by understanding what your child can do now, and as your child's proficiency improves, by providing them the kinds of activities to challenge and advance their skills.
My curriculum will support your child's fine motor development by:
To support your baby's fine motor skills I will give opportunities to: pull off their socks, point to pictures in books, hold a spoon, pick up small objects with a pincer grip under supervision, and enjoy messy play.
Your toddler will be busy mark making, scribbling and drawing, and enjoying lots of opportunities to build, balance, thread, feed themselves, manipulate and control a variety of materials, explore different materials and tools, and dress and undress themselves independently. They will have opportunities to carry plates, drinks etc at meal times, pour drinks and clear away, and will be encouraged to try a range of foods so they become independent eaters.
Preschoolers have opportunities for cutting, sticking, joining, practicing their grip holding pens and pencils, so they can use them with good control; using one-handed tools and equipment, for example, making snips in paper with scissors.
As your child starts to learn to use scissors or tools, I will supervise and help them learn safety rules, like walking slowly whilst carrying scissors with the blade pointing down. We will practice passing scissors with their handles facing the other person. I will model how to use tools and help your child establish a safety bubble so no child is stood in front of, or too close to the side, in case a tool slips.
My curriculum will support your child's gross motor development by:
Giving your baby and toddler opportunities to practice walking, squatting, balancing, jumping in puddles, chalking on the ground, jumping further and higher (over a puddle rather than into it, one foot to two feet, side to side).
I will be supporting your preschool child to throw, catch, bounce, go up steps and stairs, or climb up apparatus using alternate feet; to hop further, stand on one leg for longer periods and hold a pose for a game like musical statues; to gallop and then skip using alternate feet; to develop object control of bean bags, buckets, hoops, balls of different sizes, weight and bounciness; to throw and catch light things like balloons and silk scarves and hit a target; to develop their movement, balancing along a line and riding (scooters, trikes and bikes) with the aim of riding a two wheel bike without stabilisers; to use large-muscle movements to wave flags and streamers, paint and make marks; to learn sequences and patterns of movement to music; to do somersaults, roly polys and hold yoga poses; to pump a swing, and enjoy opportunities to take part in group activities so they have opportunities to collaborate to manage the challenges in hand.
Progression in physical development and it's contribution to the holistic development of your child.
I am always looking for different opportunities that all the children in my care require for their physical development, and how these can be adapted for children of different ages or with different needs.
Your child will be learning about the properties of objects and their own capabilities as they move and explore the world. Similarly, physical development can also help with the development of personal and social skills such as self-confidence, interaction, taking turns, and getting along with others.
By 18 months your baby will have lost their early reflex movements and replaced them with more mature postural reflexes which help their balance, coordination and sensory motor development. Understanding early development helps me identify issues like retention of the palmar reflex, which can lead to children having trouble with fine motor skills like writing, because they have a poor pincer grip. They may also have difficulty with speech and articulation as movements of the hands and mouth are often linked.
I will support your toddler as they learn to walk and will encourage squatting to reach toys; I will provide obstacle courses so they can explore different ways to move and travel e.g. clambering over, sliding through and slithering down obstacles. As confidence grows I will challenge your child with balancing games on chalked lines, logs or beams. Between 12-18 months your child's interest in pulling socks, shoes and their hat off and their desire to undress themselves, or to push their arm through a sleeve will be supported and celebrated. Your child is unique and will develop at their own rate, but as with most development, you can't learn to run before you can walk, and so your child won't be able to jump if they haven't learnt to first squat and push their feet down into the ground; they need time to practice getting undressed before they can start to pull trousers up and finally move to the end goal of dressing without supervision by the time they leave for school.
Strategies I use to support physical development
Your child will be introduced to games from Early Movers. Links will be shared in your child's Tapestry journal to age appropriate games for babies, toddlers and preschoolers we have played that day and which you may like to play at home. The website holds lots of information you will find useful in understanding your child's development, with terms like sensory integration, proprioception system or bilateral integration explained.
Your child will enjoy playing along with Flo and her 'Healthy Movers at home' games. Healthy Movers aims to develop children’s physical literacy in the early years, support their social and emotional development and create healthy, active learners. The links to games your child has played that day will be shared on Tapestry at the end of the day. Flo uses lots of everyday objects in her games, like pairs of rolled up socks, 4 pieces of paper or kitchen roll (her space hop game), so they are easy to play along with.
Your child will possibly come home singing Tooty Ta or another of Jack Hartmann's catchy songs. We join in with his YouTube music and movement sessions which support the seven areas of development in the EYFS. Jack's sessions help children to become more confident, competent, creative and adaptive movers.
Whilst many children have to chance to attend lots of extra curricular classes to promote physical activity, for some children there are barriers; these could be low income, poor crowded housing conditions, physical health difficulties or mental health difficulties affecting parents. Every family is unique, and I never make assumptions, because many disadvantaged children have all their learning and development needs met. How I like to work is to 'signpost' when I see good ideas and tips. The cost free everyday activities from 'Henry' are such a case. Henry is a charitable organisation working to promote and support healthier lifestyles and environments at all levels – individual, community and population.
There are many cost free ways to support your child's physical development, by taking advantage of the natural environment and our local parks, beaches and woods, where your child can experiment with how they move in, through and around their surroundings as they balance and climb. Equally you could make a fort or den at home with cushions, chairs and blankets, or an obstacle course. As your child challenges themselves, allow them to take some risks, so they become confident in what they can do and know what they are comfortable with. For children with SEND/ALN it is likely they will experience higher levels of adult supervision. It is therefore important that opportunities are still provided for them to explore their own boundaries and comfort levels. The NHS Change 4 Life Accessible Activities is a useful Signpost if your child has a SEND/ ALN.
Being healthy and keeping safe
Healthy eating is a key aspect of physical development, so you will see Signposting in your child's Tapestry journal to Change4Life - Recipes for lots of advice and resources around healthy eating. The NHS Change 4 Life site has great advise for supporting all children to move more. Like us you may like to try the 10 Minute Shake Up activities. They will keep your whole family active, and there are even some Disney inspired indoor games to play with your child. Change4 Life -
Your child will share the See and Eat downloadable e-books in small group sessions. Created by universities and health organisations, the books introduce your child to 25 different vegetables and their farm-to-fork journey. A few minutes a day looking at these ebooks, for a couple of weeks, can make all the difference when the vegetable appears on your child’s plate! Stills from the books will be shared on your child's Tapestry journal, or you may like to download your own e-books. See and eat books and activities
As part of my curriculum I will be teaching your child about staying healthy and safe. Using stories and video clips we will think about getting lost, staying safe in the sun, road safety, staying safe online, being active, not keeping secrets, choosing healthy foods, and responding to an approach from someone they don't know. These are great books to share with your child: I Can be Safe (A First Look At) - Pat Thomas,Insults Aren't Funny - Amanda Doering and Simone Jae Shin, A Bit Lost - Chris Haughton, How Are you Feeling Today Baby Bear? - Jane Evans, Big Day Out (First Time) - Jess Stockham. Whilst I've linked to Amazon for you to be able to see the content, remember your local library, which is were I source most books shared with your child. I will use some screen time with your child, depending on their age, as it is a valuable teaching tool. We use Cross the Road Safely with Ziggy and Friends for instance.