Movement education

Synonyms in the broadest sense

Exercise kindergarten, exercise in preschool age, exercise coordination

introduction

The following information is used for movement development in infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Movement at this age must be clearly differentiated from movement in childhood. Movement education primarily pursues the goal of independence and encouragement of the child's social behavior. The focus is on self-competence, professional competence and social competence. The following didactic principles must be taken into account:

• Child appropriateness
• openness
• Voluntariness
• Choices
• Experience-oriented
• Self-activity

In addition to developing coordinative skills, the toddlers should gather body experience, self-awareness, sensory experience, social experience and material experience.

Methodology and dealing with young children

The tasks must always be set in a child-friendly manner. The children must not get the feeling that they are overwhelmed with the task.
Independent experimentation must lead to a solution so that the children get the feeling that they have solved the task themselves. It is fundamentally about correcting and improving, superficially about the perception of the environment and the targeted training of cooperation with children playing along.
Particularly recommended are movement landscapes in which the toddlers can express their creativity and imagination. Independence, initiative and cooperative behavior are specially trained. The toddlers should always bring their own ideas into the movement landscape. The mediation method should primarily take place in the care of children of this age.Instructive and instructive behavior only if children explicitly want to learn a skill. This results in the following principles for the design of physical education:

1. Measure the news content of the movement
2. Provoke adaptation phenomena
3. Change of tasks and levels of difficulty
4. Take advantage of the favorable conditions
5. Link the game to the goal
6. Plan and prepare openly, but leave scope for the children's ideas and wishes
7. Trying out and guided practice should take place alternately

If possible, the placement should always take place in age-heterogeneous class groups so that younger children can learn from older ones and older children help the younger ones. In addition, older children are relieved of competitive pressure. An authoritarian or laissez-fair style of upbringing should be avoided at all costs. A socially integrative style of upbringing, on the other hand, encourages children's creativity. The educator should approach the children with respect and consideration. Non-judgmental and non-directing behavior is a prerequisite for raising small children.

You may also be interested in this topic: Movement theory

Physical Education in Early Childhood Development

Children in their early childhood development in particular benefit from physical education.
Motor skills and fine motor skills are learned over several years, so it is important to assess the level of development and promote it accordingly. In addition to motor skills, children also develop their sensory abilities in early childhood; they benefit from exercises that address different areas, such as seeing, hearing and feeling.
Pediatricians can determine any developmental disorders, both motor and neurological abnormalities, based on age and development status in early childhood. There are indications as to which skills have already been learned at a certain age, but this is also an individual process depending on disposition and support.

You may also be interested in this topic: U examinations

Social and Cognitive Development

Understanding the rules, social sensitivity as well as frustration tolerance, cooperation and consideration are among the basic social qualifications that should be achieved in physical education.
However, the educator encounters a number of age-specific problems in social education. Infants under the age of 3 accept anyone who plays with them. Small children do not make friends themselves until they are 3 years old. At the age of 3-4 years, children cannot yet put themselves in the shoes of others. Feelings are recognized, but the reason is not. Only from the age of 6 are children able to foresee the feelings and reactions of others and to adapt their own actions accordingly.
The educator should consider the following points in the education. Children should not be guided in their decision-making, but care must be taken that the children's behavior is fair and appropriate. Intervention should be recognized and not done too quickly, the children must be given the chance to solve problems independently in order to acquire social skills such as empathy and consideration.

Motorical development

From birth, toddlers have innate reflexes. In the first year of life (infancy), targeted grasping, an upright posture and independent locomotion develop. This is the age at which children learn best.
The direction of development is progressing cephalocaudal and proximo-distal. In the 2nd to 3rd years of life, the basic forms of movement running and walking are developed. Sensory stimuli are perceived in a differentiated manner. However, the movements are still hypertonic muscle tension (uneconomical) marked. In the pre-school age (4-6 years of age) the basic forms of movement are refined, movements can be combined for the first time. The attention span increases, the thirst for knowledge, play and exercise increase.

More on this: Motor learning

The importance of gambling

In movement education, a distinction is made between the following games.

• Movement games (learn while having fun)
• Game plot from the children's experience area (bring your own experience)
• Games with tactile perception (promote language development)
• Common game situation (verbal or non-verbal)
• Discussion of the rules of the game (pronunciation, vocabulary expansion, grammar)
• Language games (encourage speaking)
• Children's song games (combining music, movement and language)

The aspect of the game is the end in itself of the game with numerous positive side effects. Children learn while playing, but still play for joy. It's about getting to know new situations. Creativity and imagination are stimulated and encouraged.

BUHLER and SCHENK-DANZIGER differentiate between:

1. Functional games (0-2 years, discover your own body)
2. Construction games (2-4 years, creating, planning, combining products)
3. Fiction and illusion games (2-4 years, stimulate the imagination)
4. Role play (4-6 years, adventure and fantasy roles, performing game)
5. Rules games (from the age of 5, fixed rules, order, continuity, social behavior)

Movement education in kindergarten

Movement education plays an important role in kindergarten. This also includes promoting motivation to exercise. Children should strengthen their motor skills and enjoy movement, which can prevent the development of obesity in adulthood. Through physical education, the child gets to know his or her own body and environment, and group activities promote social skills.

There are various projects and initiatives to promote physical activity in preschoolers. Child-friendly exercise spaces, at best daily exercise times and the use of qualified teachers are fundamental. In addition to the educators, the parents should also observe and encourage children's exercise behavior. In addition to physical education, healthy eating habits should also be learned. Behaviors learned in early childhood significantly shape adult life.

Read more on the topic: Motor learning

Movement education in daycare

In a day-care center where the children spend a large part of their day, emphasis should be placed on physical education. Common exercise times, games under supervision and group activities promote individual exercise behavior and strengthen social skills. Motor skills are developed, children experience movement as a fun activity through playful elements and remain motivated.

Movement education in physiotherapy

Movement education is a central component of the theoretical and practical training of physiotherapists. In addition to special movement education in the context of physiotherapy, the content also includes rhythmic and musical aspects. The movement education in physiotherapy is tailored to the target group, mostly patients in rehabilitation. The (re) learning of everyday functions is a main goal here.

Read more on the topic: physical therapy

Typical exercises

There are numerous exercises and ideas for movement education. It is important to find age-appropriate exercises for the group. It is particularly important for children to create an environment that is easy to move around and, above all, safe, and educators should also be trained in first aid. A warm-up unit must be installed in advance. Above all, physical education should be varied and motivating.

Classic units of physical education include running games, catching games and teeing off games. Elements such as balls or balloons can also be used. In addition to strengthening gross and fine motor skills, the development of sensory skills also plays a role. For example, a drum or a bell can be used in the game. Dance games encourage tact. The sense of touch can be explored, for example, with differently filled bags that are touched. Balance exercises, for example with the wobble board, promote the sense of position and movement.