Healthy Practices: Physical Activity2 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education
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Create a More Inclusive Environment |
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Early childhood professionals must maintain an openness to learning about each child’s culture, key relationships, and life outside the classroom. To create a more inclusive environment and support all learners, you must assume an inclusive attitude. You are responsible for modifying physical activities for special needs students so they can participate with other children.
Physical activity is important for all children, including those children with special needs. Even in a classroom with children who do not use wheelchairs, those who do have wheelchairs can still participate in modified activities.
Warm-Ups
Ball-tossing activities work the upper body and hand-eye coordination, and they are great activities for kids that also work on social and team-building skills. Many children in wheelchairs need to work on their upper body strength; another great idea is to put poly spots on the ground and ask children to hop or run to each spot, and children in wheelchairs can push their chairs to each spot. Weightlifting exercises can also improve the upper body muscle coordination and strength.
Ball-tossing activities work the upper body and hand-eye coordination, and they are great activities for kids that also work on social and team-building skills. Many children in wheelchairs need to work on their upper body strength; another great idea is to put poly spots on the ground and ask children to hop or run to each spot, and children in wheelchairs can push their chairs to each spot. Weightlifting exercises can also improve the upper body muscle coordination and strength.
Seated Dancing
Dancing can be an aerobic and social exercise. You can teach coordinated dance steps such as moving forward, backwards, and from side to side. You can also do “sitting down” dances that might also involve a lot of upper body movements. You can even try musical games such as musical chairs; place cards on the ground and move around to the music. When the music stops, kids must move the chair over a card; each round, take a card away just as you would take a chair away.
Dancing can be an aerobic and social exercise. You can teach coordinated dance steps such as moving forward, backwards, and from side to side. You can also do “sitting down” dances that might also involve a lot of upper body movements. You can even try musical games such as musical chairs; place cards on the ground and move around to the music. When the music stops, kids must move the chair over a card; each round, take a card away just as you would take a chair away.
Yoga
Yoga is a practice that balances the mind and body. Though yoga is generally thought to be a practice for adults, children can benefit significantly from it as well. With practice, children who have a hard time sitting still can learn to self-regulate and self-soothe using movement and breath to calm themselves. It helps to build self-awareness of the body and emotional state. Many yoga poses are named after animals, so it’s easy to incorporate story books with the poses and make the practice fun. Children can slither like snakes or roar like fierce lions, all while learning how to focus in a pose.
Yoga is a practice that balances the mind and body. Though yoga is generally thought to be a practice for adults, children can benefit significantly from it as well. With practice, children who have a hard time sitting still can learn to self-regulate and self-soothe using movement and breath to calm themselves. It helps to build self-awareness of the body and emotional state. Many yoga poses are named after animals, so it’s easy to incorporate story books with the poses and make the practice fun. Children can slither like snakes or roar like fierce lions, all while learning how to focus in a pose.
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