| 
Physical Health and Development
Children use their senses and bodies to explore their physical
environment. They investigate and practice with intensity the motions
that lead to the mastery of fine and large motor tasks. How a child
learns to sit, walk or hold a spoon has implications for how the
child understands space, coordinates thinking and holds a pencil.
Children often describe their competence according to their physical
accomplishments.
Children enthusiastically explore how to move their bodies. Children
may need encouragement to adapt sensible health habits. They appreciate
learning how to enhance their strength, balance, muscle control
and coordination.
Young children’s future health and well-being are directly
related to strengthening their large and
small muscles, using their sensory experiences
and practicing healthy behavior.
|
|
1. Play
Children engage in play as a means to understand healthy behavior and develop their physical bodies. |
- Participate in games, outdoor play and other forms of play that enhance physical fitness.
- Use their senses to explore materials and experience activities.
- Begin to use health and safety practices.
- Initiate activities that challenge their bodies in new ways.
|
2. Gross Motor
Children increasingly move their bodies in ways that demonstrate control, balance and coordination. |
- Demonstrate increasing strength and stamina in movement activities.
- Demonstrate body and space awareness to move and stop with control over speed and direction.
- Develop coordination and balance with a variety of playground equipment.
|
3. Fine Motor
Children use their fingers and hands in ways that develop hand-eye coordination, strength, control and object manipulation. |
- Demonstrate increasing strength and stamina to perform fine motor tasks.
- Use hand-eye coordination to perform fine motor tasks with a variety of manipulative materials.
- Show increased awareness and control of tools for various learning activities.
|
4. Healthy Habits
Children begin to understand how daily activity and healthy behavior promote overall personal health and safety. |
- Demonstrate safety awareness when purposefully using materials.
- Demonstrate the increasing ability to perform self-care skills independently when eating, dressing, toileting and washing hands.
- Shows care for personal belongings.
- Begin to understand that some foods have nutritional value.
|
5. Senses
Children increase their understanding of the use of their eyes, ears, fingers, nose and mouth and how the senses work together.
|
- Discriminate between a variety of sights, smells, sounds, textures and tastes.
- Explore and learn to tolerate a wide variety of sensory input.
- Combine and use different senses depending on the activity.
|
| 
