Tania Swift - Learning through Movement and Active Play in the Early Years: A Practical Resource for Professionals and Teachers

LEARNING THROUGH
MOVEMENT AND
ACTIVE PLAY IN THE
EARLY YEARS

A Practical Resource for
Professionals and Teachers

TANIA SWIFT

Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

A few years ago, I was delivering one of my training courses for teachers in England and, while explaining what children will learn from making and playing with a paper fortune teller in pairs mathematics (shapes and numbers), language (writing on the fortune teller), communication (working in pairs), physical development (the forfeits were physical movements) and I could go on and on it suddenly dawned on me that I was not teaching them new, ground-breaking, mind-boggling ideas, I was teaching them what children have naturally done for generations. As children we just played with fortune tellers, climbed trees, cycled around every day (I am from South Africa and so probably could do more than those of you in countries that are not so blessed with sunny climes) and generally were outside most of the time playing.

In all honesty, irrespective of what country you are in, what curriculum you should adhere to, if any, the climate of the country or cultural beliefs they are brought up with, young children should be able to move and explore for a large part of each day. Movement and physical activity is part of being alive; it helps keep us healthy, contributes towards good mental health and creates opportunities to learn through experience, experiment and exploration.

As children spend more time indoors in front of screens, being driven about and generally moving away from a natural lifestyle and at the same time governments and decision makers place more and more value on academia and much less value on physical development and activity, we need to provide reasons and research to explain what we have been doing and what has worked for centuries.

This book will explore how movement and active play underpins and supports physical development, brain development, learning, social and emotional development and a positive attitude towards physical activity and learning.

There are many schools of thought about education and how children should learn; generally, however, people who professionally care for young children agree that play and physical activity is important for children. Furthermore, the impact of physical activity on brain development has become common knowledge for most professionals. However, it is one thing to know that something is good for children but another to know how to provide the best opportunities for development and learning in a mostly child-directed environment, supported by enjoyable planned sessions and lessons. We need to look at what has worked in the past and then build on this with the newfound knowledge that modern research and our own experiences have taught us.

Society values childrens academic achievement and much pressure is placed on practitioners and parents to get children reading, writing and counting at a young age. Unfortunately, less importance is currently placed on childrens physical development. In addition to the obvious effects we are seeing in the rise in childhood obesity, this somewhat blinkered view also has the potential to hamper cognitive development. Physical activity not only impacts on social skill development, language, communication, mathematics and self-esteem but children also develop their cognitive skills through play. Such unrealistic expectations are placed on children by governments and other policy makers that it can sometimes seem difficult to find the time to allow children to just naturally develop. It is therefore important to realise how much children are learning while playing, moving and taking part in planned physical education lessons.

SCHOOL READINESS

School readiness is when a child has reached a stage in their development where they are able to learn effectively. For a child to be school ready they need to have had many opportunities to play, explore, be active, discover their own abilities, be challenged and develop positive relationships with their peers. They will need to have developed in four areas:

physical, including motor development and health

emotional and social

cognitive

language.

If a child has not developed sufficiently by the time they start formal education they will struggle to sit at a desk, concentrate, write, cope emotionally, take part in physical activities and communicate, all of which can have a negative impact on their academic achievement, social engagement and experience of school life.

ENGAGING CHILDREN

The research and findings of neuroscience and of many theorists, such as Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget, into child learning and development show that children learn best when they are fully engaged. When children are enjoying what they are doing, when they are being challenged within their capability, when they are exploring and experiencing new and different things and different environments, they will be fully engaged. Being fully engaged in this manner not only provides the best conditions for learning, but also helps to develop higher order thinking, which children will need to be able to achieve in school and later life.

When caring for young children we should therefore create an environment that enables and encourages them to explore and engage in new experiences (see for more information). We also need to provide engaging activities that link to their changing interests and abilities, that are creative and engage their imagination, and that are repetitive but include small changes that challenge them.

WHY MOVEMENT AND ACTIVE PLAY?

A child sitting still is a child limiting their exploration, discovery and learning. When they are running around with their fellow superheroes, moving to music, jumping over a stream or building a den, they are learning. They are discovering what they can do, how they are similar and different to their peers, distances, how things fit together, amounts of objects needed, how to communicate in a group, rhythm of language, and so much more.

Children will only do, and learn to do, what they want to do; if they find something boring, uninteresting or too challenging they may not engage and if they do, they may not learn much and may find it upsetting or stressful, meaning the whole experience could have a negative impact on the childs learning rather than having a positive outcome.

When young children play and are physically active, they are working: they are learning new skills, developing their brain and discovering the world around them. When children play they are discovering, collecting and gathering new information and ideas and applying this information. They are also developing and mastering new and old physical, mental, emotional and cognitive skills.

Active play is a combination of fine and gross motor activities that impacts childrens physical health and development, their social and intellectual development and develops their brain. When children are partaking in active play, either through self-directed or adult-led activities, they will be engaged, learning and developing. Passive play, where children are not partaking in the activity but watching and learning from others does not provide the learning opportunities or experience that children need to develop fully, so get them moving and engaging.

Young children should be on the move most of the day. They should be pottering, where they will be discovering much about the world around them and also about what they can do. When not pottering or resting, they should be running, jumping, spinning and getting their heart rate up regularly during the day. Children should be moving in all types of ways, both in ways that they choose themselves and in ways that are led by adults, ensuring they develop all the skills they need. There are many skills children need to develop (see the early years physical skills section in : Physical Development), which should eventually lead to children becoming proficient at the fundamental movement skills. In order for children to develop, and eventually master, these skills they need regular instructional time and support from adults who care for them. This is where structured active play and physical activities are important for young children.