Clare Devlin, Early Education Associate What aspects of physical development should we focus on within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and other early years curricula? In this article, I explore the importance of physicality at this crucial point in a child’s development. The article explores two key aspects, “moving and handling” and “self-care”. It […]
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 equipment, encourage children to use it in new and challenging ways (eg walk up the slide, hang upside down from the monkey bars). For all of these actions, the Outdoors […]
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 and Active project team: Use the stairs whenever you can. Start by encouraging children to use the stairs in the home or in flats, shops and when out and about. If […]
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 […]
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 had little or no money to spend on improvements to their play landscapes, so it was necessary to adopt an alternative approach to getting children physically active. That approach was […]
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 more likely it is that children will be drawn to explore it with their whole bodies. The Outdoors and Active project settings typify the range of outdoor spaces children have […]
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 working through an action research project in order to identify the best ways to get their children moving and in touch with their own bodies. Here’s how you could do […]
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 to be more active in the park, in their gardens or even just out and about on daily walks. They tested different kinds of containers for the kits and observed […]
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