Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is crucial in everyone’s life, but is especially crucial in a child’s life during the early childhood years. The importance of physical fitness for young children includes the following in order to:

• Instill healthy fitness habits at a young age.
• Encourage development and growth.
• Practice new movement skills.
• Increase movement skill level.
• Prevent obesity.

There are many skills children are learning during the early childhood years. Some of those skills include running, jumping, climbing, throwing/catching a ball, and riding a tricycle. Practicing those skills can only lead to increased skill level. Physical activities such as an obstacle course and ball toss help children practice some of these skills and increase their skill level (Goodway & Robinson, 2006).

Lack of Physical Activity Consequences
Many things can go wrong if children do not engage in physical activity. For instance, development and growth can become delayed. I have a child in my classroom that is three years old. At home, he has been kept in a playpen or his car seat throughout his infancy and toddlerhood, and he still sits in a high chair at mealtimes. Because of the lack of physical activity during infancy and toddlerhood, he is very clumsy, and has very little gross motor skills. He was enrolled in my classroom in November. Upon the initial assessment of his skills, he was unable to hop in place, run without stumbling/falling, or work a simple puzzle. With the help of the other children and staff in the classroom, we have been able to teach him to hop in place, and he can now work a six-piece peg puzzle. I still have difficulty with him staying in his seat at mealtimes, due to the recent information that he still sits in a high chair at home. I am striving to educate his parents on the importance of physical activities and working with him at home at mealtimes.

Obesity/Overweight
Another health aspect that can go wrong in the absence of physical fitness activities includes obesity/overweight. It can lead to cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Obese children are also more likely to become obese adults. Low self-esteem is another aspect of obesity and being overweight that can hinder a child’s performance in school relationships with peers and adults (Childhood Overweight and Obesity, 2008). I have another child in my classroom that is overweight. Upon enrollment in my classroom, he was very shy, had very little self-help skills, and limited gross motor skills. He was enrolled in my classroom in March 2008. Now, he is the fastest tricycle rider in my class, he is completely potty-trained, and he will carry on a conversation with me. He is still overweight, but the implementation of physical activity in his lifestyle has transformed him into a pleasant, active, and independent child.

Family Involvement
Families can help children develop good fitness habits by incorporating well-balanced meals and frequent physical activities throughout the week. For example, my family strives to eat well-balanced meals and snacks. Our physical activities as a family are implemented at least two times a week. Activities in which we participate include throwing and catching a baseball, badminton, hiking/walking trails, and bike-riding. During the summer, we work in the garden, swim, and walk/run around our local walking track.

Teacher Involvement
Teachers can help children develop good fitness habits by incorporating nutrition activities and music and movement activities in the curriculum. We also strive to teach the children new skills. An activity the children in my classroom are working on or have already mastered includes the game “Duck, Duck, Goose.” The children not only learn the concepts of taking turns and one-to-one correspondence, but also gain gross motor skills by running in a circle. The second activity includes snipping or cutting with scissors. I begin fine-motor skills such as tearing paper in order for children to move onto the skill of snipping with scissors. Some of the children have already mastered this skill, others can only snip paper, while others do not know the proper way to hold scissors, depending on the age and skill level of the child.

Personal Attitude/Philosophy
I used this quote in one of my General Education courses, and again in a Sociology course. I refer to this quote again as an inspiration that captures my attitude and philosophy in fostering children’s healthy growth and development. “It takes a whole village to raise a healthy child” (Schilling & McOmber, 2006). No one person can take the credit for raising a child. Teachers, parents, siblings, grandparents, and other people in a child’s environment contribute to raising that child.

Positive Impact of Physical Activity
The positive impact that physical activity has on children’s health includes the following points:

• Physical activity helps foster development and growth, and improves skill level.
• Physical activity can lead to a more active, sociable lifestyle, resulting a positive relationships and high self-esteem.
• Physical activity patterns developed in childhood can last through adulthood. (Goodway & Robinson, 2006).
• Physical fitness, along with good nutrition habits can help “reduce health risk” (Team Nutrition Iowa, 2009). It can help prevent health problems, such as obesity/overweight and cardiovascular disease.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008, November). Childhood overweight and obesity. Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/

Goodway, J. D., & Robinson, L. E. (2006, March). SKIPing toward an active start: Promoting physical activity in preschoolers. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved March 31, 2009 from http://www.journal.naeyc.org/btj/200605/GoodwayBTJ.asp

Robertson, C. (2007). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. (3rd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

Schilling, T., & McOmber, K. A. (2006, May). Tots in action on and beyond the playground. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved March 31, 2009 from http://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200605/SchillingBTJ.pdf

Team Nutrition Iowa. (2009). Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children. Retrieved March 25, 2009 from http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/hsmrs/Iowa/Physical_Activities_%20Healthy_Snacks.pdf