Physical Fitness and Child Development
Carsedra Glass
EDUC 1005: Child Health, Safety, and Nutrition
Professor Eissler
10/01/17
Physical fitness
is important for people of all ages, “it is an essential component of wellness and
an important element of the total diet approach to health.” (Robertson, C., 2016, pp 256) When we think of physical fitness, we think of
going to the gym or jogging 5 miles, for adults it is appropriate, however not
for children.
For children such as toddlers and
preschoolers, it’s active play and the opportunity to explore their
environment. Physical activity aids in proper weight management, healthy bones, and joints. It also helps in developing brain function,
gross motor, and fine skills as well as
concentration and thinking skills. Plus,
children that form healthy lifestyle at a young age will carry, them with them
for the rest of their lives.
According
to an article by CBS News “Kids in daycare and preschool may not be getting
enough physical activity, according to a new study.” (Haelle, T., 2015) Children
that aren’t active daily are more likely to be overweight and have weaker
muscles and bones. They also experience lack of concentration due to lack of
physical activity. The same article from CBS News it stated: “Overall, the children spent 73 percent of their time
sedentary, with only 13 percent of time spent on the light activity and 14 percent of the time on moderate to vigorous
physical activity.” (Haelle, T., 2015) Young children need to be active
and robbing them of that can be detrimental to their well-being.
Children
naturally are active and love to play, and we know that it can help in the
development of children, so it is
important to make sure their activities are age appropriate to help with their growth. Between the ages of 3-4 kids are learning
things like, how to kick and catch a ball, how to hop or stand on one foot and
even climb stairs putting one-foot in front of the other. Teaching children to
play kickball, jump rope or hopscotch can help them develop those motor
skills. Being active isn’t just for the benefit of a child’s physical
development, it also helps their brain development. “Studies have been
conducted on children, and the results suggest that aerobic exercise can
make kids more focused and less impulsive.” “Studies also indicate that
fit children tend to have greater brain volume in the hippocampus, a brain
region associated with memory.” (Dewar, G., Ph.D., n.d.) As teachers or caregivers, we can help children to develop in these areas by
giving them the time to be active, making sure physical activity is part of
their everyday routine at school and encourage them to participate in physical
activity.
When it
comes to physical fitness, it helps to make sure they are age-appropriate and help in the development of those in a certain age group. For
preschoolers it is gross and fine motor skills; gross motor skills are larger
movements that use larger muscles of the body,
and fine motor skills use smaller muscles such fingers and the wrist. To help develop gross motor skills, children
can do activities like swinging on a swing which helps to develop their balance. It also involves being coordinated in shifting their weight by
moving his legs back and forth. To help a child develop fine motor skills they
can do things like playing in the sandbox; digging and mashing their hands in
the sand helps with developing movement in their fingers and pouring sand in
and out of containers helps to strengthen
their arms.
“In the
end, as the first lady, this isn’t just a
policy issue for me. This is a passion. This is my mission. I am determined to work
with folks across this country to change the way a generation of kids thinks
about food and nutrition. - Michelle Obama” As we can see encouraging a child
to be active and participate in physical
activity is key to their development and growth. It should be our mission as
teachers, caregivers, and parents to make
sure we are doing all we can to educate them and as former First Lady Michelle
Obama said change how they see food, nutrition and being active. Teaching children about nutrition and being
active isn’t only beneficial to them as they develop, it is something they can
carry with them into adulthood.
References:
Robertson, C. (2016). Safety, nutrition, and health in early
education (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning
Dewar, G., Ph.D. (n.d.). Exercise
for children: Why physical fitness benefits the brain. Retrieved September 30,
2017, from http://www.parentingscience.com/exercise-for-children.html
Haelle, T. (2015, May 18). Preschoolers not getting enough physical
activity in child care. Retrieved September 30, 2017, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/preschoolers-exercise-physical-activity-in-child-care/
Hello, Carsedra,
ReplyDeleteIn the Physical Fitness and Child Development area of your blog, you explained that adults need to ensure that children are engaged in physical activity to avoid health risks. Since funds have been cut to schools for gym and more time is taken for school testing, at my daughter's school, every hour they have what is known as “Brain breaks.” The teachers will put on a song and the kids get up from their tables and dance. My girls love it, and in my opinion, it allows kids to be kids by having fun, while also developing motor skills. I liked the brain break idea so much that on Fridays, we do our family version of brain breaks where we dance to songs to bring a fun end to a hard week. Children tend to be images of adults, so why not show them the best side by modeling healthy behaviors.
Hello Carsedra,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a good job on your blog. I love your background. It definitely shows the importance of children eating healthy and living active lives. I think you brought up a good point about children loving to be active and playing. It seems like times have really changed with children becoming more sedentary and wanting to be on their phones, computers and playing video games. This has caused children to become obese and have cardiovascular problems. It's very important that we gear children towards active lives and limit the use of technological devices. Not only have they caused children to become more overweight but it also has helped aid in bullying. Children are killing themselves on facebook live because of being bullied which is awful and so sad. I definitely feel technological is a double edged sword and it has to be monitored extensively when children are involved.
Carsedra,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your posts. You pointed out some very good points. If I was new to the field of education and working with young children, your post is the one I would go to. My children are the opposite of sedentary! Luckily they are able to go outside in school and daycare helps them alot. As I am not always available to take them outside, I make every attempt to do so.