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Helping
Your Child's Physical Development
Babies and young children
learn primarily through movement and their senses how to deal with
gravity, to keep their balance, to move their body through space, about
time and sequence of events.
A child's growth is a
continuous process, a gradual sequencing from one stage of physical and
mental development to another-"Each child sits before he stands; he
babbles before he talks" (Gesell). It's a marvelous process to watch
and a marvelous opportunity for parents to foster and implement important
periods of growth.
At School
In reality, the responsibility of the parent is
twofold. Not only should proper emphasis be placed on movement and
exercise in the home but whenever possible the school's approach to
physical education should be monitored. A good P.E. program in elementary
school ideally will offer three or four periods a week of 45-60 minutes'
duration. The program need not necessarily be highly structured and should
certainly not be highly competitive. Movement is the key, and that can
include simple activities (running in place, jumping jacks) and games
(Simon Says, Twister). The P.E. program should progress developmentally
from grade to grade and should be designed to offer maximum benefit to
every child, no matter how small or Late-maturing.
A word of caution: Parents must be careful of physical
conditions that might limit a child's movements and participation. Most
schools ask, for their records, that a medical report be on file at the
school, but it is the parent's responsibility to see that the report is
accurate and up to date and that everyone on the faculty who needs to be
aware of the report knows about it.
In the Community
For youngsters who are interested in competitive
sports, almost every community offers after-school and summer sports such
as soccer, baseball, and football. But these highly organized
activities can promote stress if emphasis is placed on winning rather than
just enjoying the game. An observant parent can usually quickly tell if
the child is paying a high emotional price rather
than just having fun. And it should be noted that in some highly organized
sports, the youngsters spend more time standing around and watching than
actually participating.
The local YMCA and YWCA usually offer well-rounded pro-
grams that include fitness exercises and swimming The fitness program may
consist of carefully structured aerobics, and the swimming program is
usually designed for individual mastery rather than competition.
At Home
Parents are enormously busy people-perhaps both parents
work outside the family; perhaps there are several children in the family
with differing needs and demands; perhaps it is a one-parent family. The
activities that follow are offered with precisely those situations in
mind. They are simple, inexpensive, enjoyable, arid can be adapted for
groups (the whole family and/or friends) as well as for individual
youngsters.
Simple Motor Activities
Keep a simple record of your child's physical
development. Every year on his birthday, write down his weight and
height. Find a convenient wall space, place a ruler on the child's head,
draw a line, and date it. Children love to watch how much they have
grown. While your child is standing in place, have him count the number
of times he can go up and down on his toes.
Set aside time in the family schedule for a family
walk, perhaps just 15 minutes, or a Saturday afternoon leisurely hike
for an hour or more depending on the youngster's age and stamina. A
family walk is a great way for parents and siblings to interact and
chat-something that is often difficult to fit into the busy lifestyles
of
the nuclear family. Walks can also provide an in-depth look at
changes in Mother Nature and the community during different seasons of
the year.
And then there are the very simple motor activities:
hopping, jumping, skipping, and climbing. All are important in a child's
growth patterns. Each one calls upon various muscle groups to require
extensive use.
Remember hopscotch? All that is needed is a piece of
chalk and a couple of pebbles. If parents will recall their own
childhood, they may tap into some games that were fun and that, without
knowing it; build strong bones and muscles.
Try rolling-on a level plane or on a hill. Inside.
Outside. How many different ways can the child roll? Arms outstretched;
arms at sides; one arm stretched the other to the side, Slow rolls. Fast
rolls.
Head and neck exercises. Turn head side to side, down and up, while
standing, sitting, lying on the back and on the stomach.
Have the child walk across a fallen log or along a
narrow curb. Have him repeat the walk, holding a bulky object in one
hand, then the other hand, over his head. Repeat going backward and
sideways.
Row a boat on dry land. The child must calculate
which oat to use in order to turn a specific direction. (The parent will
have to figure this out first!)
Water activities for pool, lake, or rub (be prepared
to get splashed!). Hold a ball and ask the child to hit it with his
hands (right and left), elbows, knees, feet. If swimming lessons are
available, enroll your youngster. The earlier, the better.
Just tossing a ball from parent to child is excellent
for eye-hand coordination as well as large muscles. Don't let the
activity get boring. Vary it by asking the child to kick the ball (using
alternate feet) or batting it (with alternate hands). Ball size is
important. Large enough for a success
experience. Small enough for a challenging experience.
Don't forget beanbags-quite a different experience
from throwing or catching a ball. Let the child toss and catch it
himself-standing, sitting, lying down, alternate hands. Can he catch it
on the top of his hand? a shoulder? a knee? a foot?
Differing chairs. The child sits down and gets up
from chairs and stools of varying heights, descending and standing up
slowly and without using his hands. The lower the chair, the more
difficult the task.
Kangaroo hop. Have the child hold something (for example, a
beanbag-or if you want to make it difficult, an apple or an orange)
between his knees, then jump with feet together. Frontwards, backwards,
sideways.
Save your large bleach bottles. With the bottoms cut
off, they make nice scoops for catching games, using tight objects such
as a whiffle ball or beanbag.
Wheelbarrow. Hold the child's legs white he "walks', with his
hands along a marked route.
Find a place where the child can see his shadow. Then
see how creative you can be in directing his activities: "Make your
shadow tall, short, wide, thin, make it jump, stand on one foot, touch
its feet," etc.
Most of the activities that have been described can,
for the most part, be done inside or out. It is important that they be
done in a spirit of good fun and recreation. Once they become a chore, the
child, either subtly or overtly, will decrease his effort and the sought
after physical development will diminish. The secret probably ties in
offering a variety of activities with an attitude of good cheer. And there
may be a bonus - parents may discover that they, too, are in better shape!
Get: Guidelines For Physical Fitness From the American Academy of
Pediatrics |
