Outdoors and Active
Outdoors and Active – an action research project commissioned by the London Borough of Newham – took practitioners from nurseries, schools, PVI settings and children’s
Toddlers need plenty of balance practice once they are up and walking. Each of the three semi-circular canals in the inner ear respond to movement in different planes. Types of movement enjoyed by toddlers and young children that help train the balance mechanism or vestibular system include:
BOING… up and down movement on the vertical axis such as being bounced on the knee, being lifted up an down in the air or tossed high in the air, bouncing on the bed, hanging upside down, climbing and jumping off, hopping, skipping and jumping, playing on a see saw, going on a bouncy castle, small trampoline or soft play shape. For more ideas, you can download the Top 10 Ways To Boing This Weekend.
WHOOOSH… to and fro movement such as being rocked side to side, rocking forwards and backwards on hands and knees, running, starting and stopping, swinging, going on a zip wire, using bikes, scooters and slides, sliding down stairs on your bottom. For more ideas, you can download the Top 10 Ways To Whoosh This Weekend.
ROLY POLY...movement where the body rotates such as being twirled around, rolling over, spinning round on your bottom, spinning around a pole, dancing, rolling down a hill and doing somersaults. For more ideas, you can download the Top 10 Ways To Roly Poly This Weekend.
It is worth mentioning that children do not get as dizzy as adults fear they will as the vestibular fluid in the inner ear is thinner. Children often want to do more than they are able to, so need support and encouragement, but protection from danger.
To download further ideas of what children and adults can do to engage toddlers in fun and creative play, you can download the practical guide.
Outdoors and Active – an action research project commissioned by the London Borough of Newham – took practitioners from nurseries, schools, PVI settings and children’s
Busy modern lives are having a dramatic impact on the health and wellbeing of our youngest children. They play outdoors less, spend more time being
Little or no equipment is needed to get children active in the park – not even the play equipment that’s probably already there! If there is play
Even everyday journeys and mundane chores can be used to encourage children to be more physically active. Here are some ideas, suggested by the Outdoors
An early task for the Outdoors and Active action researchers was to identify the barriers to taking children out and about beyond the setting. Only
Human beings are “hardwired” to take risks, from birth. Babies take their first independent breaths; they decide to try crawling and walking and then running;
Traditional fixed play equipment is not necessary for physicality; if it’s there, then great – use it. Most of the Outdoors and Active project settings
Children can have fun and be active in any kind of landscape, but there’s no doubt that the more diverse and intriguing the space, the
To audit the current provision for physical development outdoors in your school or setting, you can download our three sample audit sheets below. You should
Are children at your setting moving enough? Do they enjoy plenty of physically active outdoor play? The Newham Outdoors and Active practitioners spent eight months
Some of the childminders involved in the Outdoors and Active project thought that a kit of easy to carry, low cost resources could encourage children
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