Keyword: Physical Development
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Dental Health for Babies and Young Children
Strong baby teeth are essential to a child’s health. Families can help promote healthy dental care habits and prevent childhood tooth decay.
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Are You Being a Monkey?
In this video, we see the beginning stages of a friendship connection as we watch 3-year-old Aaron try to engage his peer, John, age 5. Children begin by observing each other and playing side by side. In time, friendships become more complex. Younger children are often very interested in the activities of older children.
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Pass the Ball Versus Pass the Remote: Supporting Preschoolers’ Physical Activity
Nationally we have witnessed increased rates of childhood obesity and the use of technology by young children, which has resulted in less time engaged in physical activity.
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Physical Development and Health
This section of guidelines describes how infants and toddlers learn to move their bodies, take in their world through their senses, and carry out self-care routines. This section also explains how physical skills progress through development as young children’s bodies grow stronger and more able to move purposefully and with ease during everyday play and…
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Preschoolers’ Nutrition and Fitness
This list contains a variety of resources associated with nutrition and fitness for preschoolers.
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Preventing Childhood Obesity
This list contains a variety of resources which can aid teachers, parents, and caregivers in the prevention of obesity in young children.
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You Made It
This video takes place in the gross motor room of a university laboratory child care and preschool. This room is used for gross-motor activities by all classrooms in the center during inclement weather. Max (21 months) is trying to get up the climber, and the teacher helps him get to the top.
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Pea Pod Rockers
Max (21 months) and Kenyon (27 months) are near the pea pod rockers, attempting to climb onto them. The teacher steps in to assist Max in climbing onto the rocker. She offers guidance to him and is close to him as he tries to climb onto the rocker.
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Over Here
This interaction shows young children working together to build a block tower and the teacher providing them with support, both in completing the task and to minimize frustration or conflicts.
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A Big Tower
The video takes place in a toddler room of a university laboratory child care and preschool. Anna (28 months) is building a tower alone with large interlocking blocks. Kenyon (26 months) runs in and knocks over her new tower. Anna takes it in stride, and Kenyon helps her rebuild. He promptly knocks over their new…
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Toddlers and Boxes: “Hi! Hi!”
In this video, we see toddlers Hannah (20 months) and Evie (23 months) playing outdoors with a variety of cardboard boxes that are large enough for the children to fit inside.
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Roll, Evie, Roll!
Rolling from back to tummy is an important milestone for a baby. Being able to complete a roll is a challenge for a little one. It takes muscle coordination and perseverance. A baby who can roll over without help has gained a new skill—and greater independence.
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Let Baby Play
Babies can learn a lot from interacting with their parents and other family members, but they also need time to explore freely with an adult supervising.
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The Baby and the Trike
Family time at home can be an occasion for a baby to learn about things and people in the world around him. When parents make playthings available in a “child-safe” space and provide unhurried time for exploring, babies can use trial and error to solve problems and find out more about what they can do…
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Dual Language Use During Choice Time
This video shows 5-year-old Imelda interacting in English with an adult visitor and singing in Spanish during choice time in her half-day bilingual classroom.
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Two on a Trike
Prompting young children with words to use to solve social problems is an effective teaching tool.
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One Morning in the Block Area
Many preschool programs make block play an option during choice time. In this video, three children play in the block area in a prekindergarten classroom.
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One Morning at the Construction Table
When children build something, they often address physics problems related to keeping the structure together.
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Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley: Learning Through an Action Song
In this video, we see a group of children singing the folksong, “Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow” during a large group activity.
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Keep It Moving: Playing With Hoops
This video shows children playing with hula-hoops in a large space for motor activities at an early childhood center.
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Fine Motor Skills and Safety
Automobile parts were placed in the sensory table as part of the children’s ongoing study of cars.
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Experimenting with Balance
Playgrounds are part of the early childhood classroom, and thoughtful planning of activities for the playground environment can help children build skills and meet standards.
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Climbing a Tree
Climbing a tree can be an important accomplishment.
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Scribbling as Early Steps to Reading and Writing
Young children tend to love colors and making marks with pens, pencils, crayons, and markers. An easy home activity is setting up a “coloring or writing” space with markers, paper, tablets, and even old magazines.
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Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Get Physical
Sometimes hugging is the best physical activity.
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Teaching Children to Avoid “Stranger Danger”
How can we teach children to be wary of strangers but not to be overly fearful?
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Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Music, Sound, and Movement
Music, sound, and movement can ease the waiting time blues!
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Things to Do While You’re Waiting: Physical Activities
How can you help your child find a little freedom of movement in a confined space?
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Eyes Right! Find Amblyopia Early
Any condition that causes the brain to favor one eye and ignore the image in the other may cause amblyopia.
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Active Play Promotes Young Children’s Development
Active play provides opportunities for children to link their physical movements with the new words they are learning.
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Games for All Young Children
Play and laughter can help develop friendship while encouraging physical fitness.
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Say Yes to the Mess! Snow Time
Playing with snow can be an important winter-time experience for preschoolers.
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Say Yes to the Mess! Play with Rocks
Materials such as rocks can be important additions to a preschool’s outdoor play area.
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Physical Fitness for Preschool-Age Children
Childhood obesity has tripled in just 20 years. Preschool-age children who are inactive risk becoming overweight in the future. The U.S. Surgeon General says daily exercise is a key to being fit.
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Building Endurance: Let’s Get Physical!
Fitness is important for preschool children because health habits begin early and can influence later childhood and adult health.
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Physical Development and Health Lesson Addressing Benchmark 19.B.ECb
The children noticed the trees on the playground blowing wildly in the wind during a spring thunderstorm. Many children stood by the window and talked about how the tree branches moved in different directions. The teachers decided to plan a “tree dancing” activity during music and movement time build on the children’s observations of the…
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Math Lesson Addressing Benchmark 9.B.ECa
The children in Mrs. Silva’s class are working on a project about community helpers, guided by the question, “Who are the community helpers in our neighborhood?” At the beginning of the project, the children took a walk through their neighborhood and spotted a fire station around the corner from their school building. They asked Mrs.…
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Learning Math Through Games
Playing active games is fun for most children, and it can build a strong sense of community in a classroom.
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Physical Fitness for Toddlers
Toddlers can keep us so busy that we might think they will always be physically fit. But toddlers who get used to an inactive lifestyle are at risk for obesity later in life.
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Organized Sports and Young Children
Here are some questions to ask before you enroll your preschooler in a sports program.
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Preventing Lead Poisoning in Children
Any amount of lead is bad for your child. A little lead can do a lot of damage, especially to children under the age of 2.