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Supporting physical development in early childhood
Supporting physical development in early childhood

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3 Why physical activity is important for young children

‘We learn more physical skills in our first five years than at any other time in our lives. Therefore, it’s important that young children have lots of time to practise and develop these skills.’ (British Heart Foundation, 2012, p. 13)

Listen to Audio 1 where this week’s author Ben Langdown describes why physical activity is important to young children. Then study the infographic in Figure 5, which defines physical literacy and the associated benefits of physical activity for years 0-5.

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Transcript: Audio 1

BEN LANGDOWN:
Physical literacy is an important concept that has attracted a lot of research and attention in recent years. Being physically literate allows children to take part in sport or physical activity with a degree of competence when they're older, hopefully leading to confidence, motivation, and a desire to continue participating in physical activity, sport, or fitness pursuits throughout their life. Although research tells us that movement skills are an important part of physical literacy, being able to interpret and interact with the physical environment, develop social interactions, and develop underpinning knowledge of the values of physical activity for health and wellbeing are also important components.
We know that now is an important time to foster a movement culture into the lives of children through the environments in which they engage. Physical activity is as important for a baby as it is for toddlers, children, adolescents, and on into adulthood. Young children love to be as active as possible, moving around freely.
For babies, the benefit comes from unrestricted floor-based activities, helping them to develop the physical strength necessary for lifting their heads, rolling, and on into crawling. This leads to good posture, stability, spatial awareness, and the development of movement patterns. Alongside this, floor-based movement helps them to maintain a healthy weight, develop their senses, and early language and communication through social interactions with parents, carers, siblings, and other children.
For toddlers and preschool children, it's important to continue fostering their love of physical activity, as the benefits here can be seen through the development of fundamental movement skills and the building blocks for movement, which are transferable to other physical activity, sport, and fitness pursuits throughout life. In response to physical activity, a child's bones and muscles will get stronger. Their heart and lungs will adapt, increasing fitness levels. Plus, they will be able to develop socially and emotionally through interactions with others and their environment. In fact, there is research showing that physical activity can support the development of brain structures, communication skills, increases in self-confidence, motivation, and the retention of information. Above all, fostering an environment in which physical activity is encouraged and a core valued aspect of the day-to-day structure will help children form positive associations with physical activity, hopefully leading to immediate and long-term health benefits and physically active lives.
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An infographic to show the meaning and benefits of physical literacy
Figure 5 Defining physical literacy and associated benefits
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This infographic defines physical literacy and the associated benefits. At the top of the infographic there is a box that states physical components and a definition underneath that states: “Development of Movement through ‘Positive Movement Experiences’: Need to learn the fundamentals and build a diverse set of movements through the development of:”. There are then various physical components that an athlete needs to learn to become physically competent. These are:

A printable download of this infographic is available in the Further resources section at the end of this week.

  • Body and spatial awareness
  • Ability to sequence movements
  • Ability to select movements for each task and context
  • Ability to apply a strategy to adapt and modify movements based on the task and context and this can be broken into the social context (i.e. participating in a team or as an individual) and environment in which the movements take place (i.e. performing movements on land, in the air, in water, on snow, or on ice).

Each of these has an arrow connecting them to the term ‘physical competence’. From physical competence there are two arrows that join to the physical and performance benefits of being physically competent. These are:

  • Increased strength, flexibility, mobility, endurance, agility
  • Increased ability to problem solve and be creative in sport and fitness contexts.

There are also five psychosocial benefits connected by arrows that result from being physically competent. These are:

  • Increased cognitive function
  • Increased confidence
  • Increased motivation to participate
  • Increased ability to communicate and express feelings and emotions. An arrow also connects from the social context of the movements (i.e. is it performed in a team or individual context) to this psychosocial benefit.
  • Decreased levels of anxiety towards physical activity.

From the increased motivation to participate there are further benefits that are connected by arrows. These include the high-level physical benefits of increased participation across the lifespan. This then leads to the following physical benefits:

  • Increased understanding of how to get fit and stay healthy
  • Decreased health and injury risks
  • Increased fitness

And to one further psychosocial benefit of increased mental health, e.g. self-esteem and happiness.

Figure 5 Defining physical literacy and associated benefits

Now have a go at Activity 2.

Activity 2

Consider what you listened to in Audio 1, what you took from viewing Figure 5 Defining physical literacy and associated benefits and the quotation from the British Heart Foundation above.

Make a list of three ways, that are relevant to your engagement with children, in which you could infuse/apply the benefits of physical activity for young children into your context. What reflections may you pass on to others, i.e. the children themselves or the adults supporting physical development?

You may also choose to reflect on what relevant changes you have seen in any early years settings you have been involved with over the years (e.g. the levels of physical activity, changes in confidence of children and practitioners to engage in physical activity, etc.).

Finally, add any further reflections that directly answer the question – why is it important to support the development of fundamental movement skills?

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