Physical Education Initiatives For Early Childhood Learners

In early childhood education, children find in their own body and movement the main way to get in touch with the reality that surrounds them and, therefore, acquire knowledge about the environment in which they grow and develop. Undoubtedly, the progressive discovery of the body itself as a source of feelings and sensations, as well as exploring the different possibilities of action and bodily functions, constitutes necessary experiences on which children's thinking is built. Furthermore, the affective relationships established in psychomotor education situations, and particularly through play, are essential for the emotional development of children. Physical Education Initiatives for Early Childhood Learners offers globalized educational practices, didactic approaches, and proposals for intervention around motor development in the children ages 0-6 years. The book specifically explores laterality, coordination, relaxation, rhythm, etc. and how these are achieved through games, music, and motor stories. This book is ideal for early childhood educators, physical education teachers, administrators, daycares, preschools, early childhood learning centers, researchers, academicians, and students interested in physical education’s role in early child development.

Children under the age of 8 love to move—be it run, hop, jump, wriggle, squiggle, skip, or tumble. Now, with Early Steps Physical Education Curriculum: Theory and Practice for Children Under 8, you can turn that natural energy and enthusiasm into solid social learning and a lifelong love for healthy and active lifestyles. Four top educators from Scandinavia, Greece, Cyprus, and the United Kingdom help you understand ways to promote children’s learning and enhance their intrinsic motivation to be physically active. The authors explore pertinent topics for teachers: • Child-centred teaching methods • Behavior of effective teachers • How to develop intrinsic motivation through physical education • Curriculum standards with goals and objectives describing what children have learned after lessons are implemented The authors also present the complete physical education curriculum, including 48 lesson plans, for children up to the age of 8. You receive social interaction lesson plans, healthy behavior lesson plans, and evaluation methods. Each lesson plan has specific goals and objective to be achieved, offers specific points of emphasis to consider as you implement the lesson, and comes with ideas for modifying it according to the children’s needs. These ready-to-use lesson plans provide an instant framework for creating a new program or updating and fortifying your existing program. Early Steps Physical Education Curriculum offers a top-notch curriculum, well-researched information and instruction, and engaging and fun games that help children develop social skills and acquire a basic knowledge of what it means to be healthy and active as they continue to grow. It’s a great resource for teachers, students, child-care professionals, and all those who work with preschool children or who train those who will work with preschoolers.

5 Stars! Doody's Book Review Creative, challenging, and interesting physical education lessons in pre-schools and elementary schools are essential. Movement Discovery: Physical Education for Children is designed to change traditional thinking in physical education and bring a breath of fresh air to movement lessons. Written to help early childhood and elementary school teachers value simple, strenuous, and enjoyable activity, this text provides the foundation they'll need to give such experiences to young children. This text includes: background information to provide an understanding of why programs are as they are information about child development and skill development to give guidance to teachers material to start an on-going Movement Discovery program that capitalizes on the innate human urge to discover ones' physical capacities and enjoy them Movement Discovery encourages teachers to provide challenging yet gratifying physical education lessons. If students can derive satisfaction in their increase in skill, and if these skills have a link with their future education and the world in which they live, there is a good possibility that activity will continue throughout life.

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

This book focuses on improving well-being among young children. It provides a theoretical base explaining why physical activity is important, and offers practical strategies for increasing health and well-being in early childhood settings. It takes ancient wisdom on the mind and body connection, applies it to the youngest children, and supports it with current empirical and international evidence—all with an eye toward improving wellness across the lifespan. The many topics discussed in the book include children’s motor skills, movement, interaction, physical literacy, the use of video games, dog ownership, developmental delays, as well as strategies to improve physical activities in the classroom and broader contexts. In recent years, children’s health has become a priority worldwide. Topics such as “screen time” “sedentary behavior” and “childhood obesity” have become important issues everywhere- in the news, in schools, in community and commercials settings, and among health care providers. Limiting sedentary behavior, increasing physical activity, and maintaining a nutritious diet are three fundamental needs during early childhood. Preschool years are a time when children begin to explore the world around them, and develop more vivid understandings of their surroundings. As this book shows, the early years may be the best time to teach wellness concepts and assist young children in establishing healthy lifestyle habits.

Schoolwide Physical Activity: A Comprehensive Guide to Designing and Conducting Programs offers K-12 teachers and administrators the tools to plan and administer programs that go beyond PE class. These activities are integrated in the classroom, on playgrounds, in before- and after-school programs, in intramural programs, and in community programs.

Building Effective Physical Education Programs is a unique text focused on designing and delivering school physical education programs. The text succeeds in helping pre-service, novice, and more experienced teachers to understand the essential components necessary to create and deliver impactful physical education programs within their school or organization. Through its use of engaging learning experiences found in each chapter, this text is ideal for use across various physical education teacher courses and teacher professional development programs. Written for an international audience, Building Effective Physical Education Programs acknowledges both the similarities and differences of physical education programs from country to country. International case studies are included to further illustrate worldwide practices. This text is appropriate for the student who is interested in the field of physical education as well as the seasoned professional with years of experience. Key Features: Learning Experience boxes help readers apply knowledge gained from the text to real-world practice by utilizing activities and critical-thinking questions to drive comprehension. An international perspective on physical education provides a global viewpoint and gives students a broad context for different program types A focus on current trends and issues makes this text relevant and timely Ancillaries provide instructors with the tools to implement a successful physical education teacher education course. Instructor resources include: Instructor's Manual, Test Bank and PowerPoint presentations Student resources include: Companion website and Student Study Guide

More than 100 movement activities for early elementary children Physical education is a critical part of every early childhood curriculum. Children need to move to channel their energies in creative, beneficial ways and to learn habits for lifelong health and fitness. Early Elementary Children Moving & Learning provides more than 100 developmentally appropriate activities that contribute to a well-rounded curriculum in any classroom or program. The book contains An updated introduction reflecting new research and trends in early childhood health and fitness and information on how movement benefits children’s learning and development More than 100 activities that fall under five categories: openers and closers, basic movement, cooperative activities, educational gymnastics, and rhythm and dance Extension ideas and adaptations to use with children who have special needs Curriculum connections for each activity and explanations about how activities are aligned with and meet early learning standards from NAEYC and AAHPERD Original music to add joy and energy to the activities