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CHCFC502A: Foster physical development in early childhood

Provide planned and spontaneous experiences to foster the physical development of children

Contents

Identify and monitor children’s physical skills and development 4

The infant: Case study using Liam 4

Plan and provide developmentally appropriate experiences and opportunities to foster infant’s fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills 9

Opportunities for infant’s physical development 9

Identify and monitor toddler’s physical skills and development 15

The toddler: Case study using Elizabeth 15

Plan and provide developmentally appropriate experiences and opportunities to foster toddler’s fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills 18

Identify and monitor preschooler’s physical skills and development 21

The preschooler: Case study using Elizabeth as a preschooler 21

Preschooler’s fine motor skills 23

The development of drawing and writing skills 24

Plan and provide developmentally appropriate experiences and opportunities to foster preschooler’s fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills 26

Opportunities to enhance preschool physical development 26

Plan and provide experiences which challenge the physical skills and abilities of children and promote physical fitness 29

Planning experiences 30

Plan and provide experiences to challenge the physical endeavours of children, ensuring suitable clothing to promote outdoor play in all weather conditions 33

Suitable clothing for childcare 33

2 Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCFC502A: Reader LO 9304 © NSW DET 2010

Provide opportunities for children to practise physical skills and expand/extend children’s physical activities through active play and the use of outdoor space and the natural environment 37

Stimulating outdoor environments 37

Select and provide equipment to encourage spontaneity in physically active play 39

Arrange equipment to provide challenge and choice, to encourage independence and to facilitate physically active play41

Providing choice within the environment and setting 42

Support children and families to understand the relationship between physical activity and good health while still respecting family and cultural values 44

The importance of physical fitness 44

Providing opportunities that foster physical fitness 45

Explaining the need for exercise 46

Plan experiences that extend children’s physical activity through music and dance 51

Planning suggestions 51

References 54

Appendix 1: Planning experiences in children’s services 55

Experience plan format 57

References 67

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCFC502A: Reader LO 9304 3© NSW DET 2010

Identify and monitor children’s physical skills and development

The infant: Case study using Liam

The infant’s gross motor developmentLet’s look at the development of an infant over the first 18 months of his life. I’d like to introduce you to Liam. Liam is the youngest child of a two-parent family. He has an older sister Elizabeth who you will meet a little later. The following is a diary that Liam’s mother kept, recording his development. You will find that his development has followed pretty typical lines. For more general information, it may be necessary to refer to a good child development textbook.

Liam’s Mum will now tell you about his gross motor skill development.

Gross motor skill development

Liam ten minutes old

Liam is about ten minutes old. He is lying in the foetal position, he is very comfortable in this position, as he has spent much of the last nine months in it. He has a number of reflexes that he has been born with including the sucking reflex, the rooting reflex, the grasp reflex and of course the Moro or startle reflex. Notice his head appears elongated from the birth canal.

Liam one month

At one month Liam can lie on his stomach and lift his chin for a few seconds and turn his head from side to side. He is beginning to make crawling-type movements. When I pull him into a sitting position, his head will flop back. When he is held in a sitting position, he has a curved back and his head will flop forwards.


Liam three months

At three months, when lying on his back Liam can hold his head steady in midline. He will roll over to the side when on his tummy but doesn’t roll completely over. He can lift his head and shoulders off the ground. If he is held in a standing position, he is unable to support his weight. He is beginning to be able to hold his head up for longer periods though.

Liam six months

At six months Liam can now take the weight on his legs while standing and he can reach up and grasp his feet when lying on his back. Liam is also now able to roll both from the front to back and back to front when lying down. He can lift his head and chest to now support himself on his hands. He sits with support in a high chair and keeps his head steady.

Liam eight months

Liam is growing up so very quickly. He has begun to crawl. He actually started backwards first but quickly changed to forwards. He is pulling himself up on the furniture for a few seconds only. He sits totally unsupported now for quite long periods of time. He really likes to throw objects a short distance, especially if I’m nearby to retrieve them.

Liam twelve months

Liam is now a very competent crawler. He is also cruising (walking sideways) along the furniture and will walk if his Dad holds both of his hands. He has stood for the first time on his own. He got up for about five seconds and then plopped down. He has started climbing as this photo shows.


Liam fifteen months

Liam has started to climb the stairs! I need to be really careful now. He is able to stand independently for a while. He has started to take one or two steps and is becoming much more confident every day. He has started to push the block trolley around. He managed very easily to climb onto the kitchen bench!

Liam eighteen months

Liam is now a toddler! He can walk really confidently with bowlegs and the wide gait that is so characteristic of this age. He can walk carrying toys and other large objects. He needs help to walk up and down the stairs, but can climb onto a big chair all by himself. I need to really watch this boy.

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All correct? Well done, you show a really good understanding of the gross motor development of many infants.

Did you get some wrong? It would be a good idea to revise the readings or consult a good child development textbook and have another go to ensure you fully understand the sequence of development.

The infant’s fine motor developmentBy now you should be fully conversant with the gross motor development of an infant.

It is time now to examine fine motor development for infants. Remember fine motor involves the development of the small muscles.

Liam’s Mum will now tell you about his fine motor skill development.


Fine motor skill development

Liam one month old

Remember Liam as a newborn had the grasp reflex. This is where the hand is held in a loose fist with the thumb and the fingers. If you touch an infant’s hand, they will reflexively grasp it. By two months the hand is often held open loosely. Liam can visually track an object for 90 degrees; by two months he was able to track them by 180 degrees.

Liam three months old

Here Liam will grasp whatever he comes into contact with. Liam begins to watch his hands, and tries to make a grab for objects. This is called visually guided reaching.

Liam five months old

By now he can grasp voluntarily. He is not always adept at grasping and letting go, but when he does hold onto something he uses the palm of his hand and his four fingers. Liam is now much more adept at visually guided reaching. He can actually reach out and grasp the objects. He also can hold objects in both of his hands. He is also starting to bang the objects together and on the ground.

Liam seven months old

Now he can voluntarily release objects, but not very accurately. He begins to grasp with thumb and forefinger. He can pass objects from one hand to the other.


Liam eight-nine months old

Liam’s forefinger begins to play a bigger role and he is beginning also to point and use it in his grasping action. He starts to throw objects around. He also started to grasp objects with his forefinger and thumb, a pincer grip, and voluntarily release it to other people. By the time he was 10 months he was able to place objects inside a container and actually tried to throw a ball towards me.

Liam twelve months old

Liam is starting to use his forefinger to point and to pick up. His pincer grasp is becoming much more refined. He picks up a crayon in his whole hand and makes very soft marks on the paper. He likes to play with the activity board, which has a variety of knobs and objects to poke. He loves to put objects inside other objects and take them out again. This posting activity is one of his favourite things. He can also put a round object in a hole after I show him how. He is trying very hard to feed himself with a spoon.

Liam eighteen months old

Liam is beginning to build towers from blocks. By 18 months he could build a tower of three blocks.

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Plan and provide developmentally appropriate experiences and opportunities to foster infant’s fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills

Opportunities for infant’s physical development

Smiling infant

By now you should have a good understanding of the physical capabilities of an infant. Spend some time watching and observing infants of a variety of ages. If you cannot do this, try to get the video ‘The importance of being an infant’. It is rather an old video now, but has some great ideas for opportunities and provisions for an infant’s physical development. It will also give you a basic understanding of the developmental capabilities. At the moment there are new thoughts emerging about the provision of experiences for children.

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Case study: Liam continued Now let’s look at some specific opportunities, provisions and experiences for infants. We will use Liam as our focus here. Remember Liam is showing fairly typical development throughout. Therefore the opportunities that we discuss for him may be able to be adapted for other children.


First we’ll read what Liam’s mum has to say, then as an activity we’ll think about what physical skills he has already developed. Once you’ve done the activity, we will then look at the opportunities for development we can provide.

At three months, when lying on his back, Liam can hold his head steady in midline. He will roll over to the side when on his tummy, but doesn’t roll completely over. He can lift his head and shoulders off the ground. If he is held in a standing position, he is unable to support his weight yet.

He is beginning to be able to hold his head up for longer periods. Liam begins to watch his hands, and tries to make a grab for objects (visually guided reaching). Liam will grasp whatever he comes into contact with.

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Opportunities for development So what opportunities can we provide? With infants we can emphasise the importance of tummy time. Many infants do not seem to like being put on their tummies initially, but when they do lie on their tummy they need to work much harder to look around. This helps strengthen their back muscles and get them ready to be mobile. Some experiences or opportunities that would be appropriate for Liam would be:

• different mobiles about his cot or on a play gym when he is lying on the floor. Infants do get bored looking at the same objects and will stop looking at them or playing with them. It’s a great idea to rotate a baby’s toys every three weeks or so. This way the infant keeps on getting new and exciting toys.

• lots of time on his tummy. Set up an area on the floor away from other children and place Liam on his tummy. Put objects for him to reach for. Make it aesthetically pleasing and stimulating.

• a variety of light grasping toys including rattles, plastic keys on a ring or a series of large and small plastic rings joined together (one of Liam’s favourite toys to mouth).

It is now April and Liam is six months old. You’ve noticed that his physical skills are starting to really develop. Look again at how Mum is describing his development and then we will consider some experiences for him.


At six months Liam can now take the weight on his legs while standing, he can reach up and grasp his feet when lying on his back. Liam is now able to roll both from the front to back and back to front when lying down. He can lift his head and chest to now support himself on his hands. He can sit with support in a high chair and keeps his head steady.

By now he can grasp voluntarily. He is not always adept at grasping and letting go, but when he does hold onto something he uses the palm of his hand and his four fingers. Liam is now showing visually guided reaching (he can reach out and grasp objects). He can also hold objects in both of his hands and by seven months was passing objects from one hand to the other. He is also starting to bang the objects together and on the ground.

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Opportunities for developmentThis of course enables us to introduce a range of new experiences and opportunities for Liam. We could provide:

• a range of rattles and other objects to grasp. He will still enjoy the play gym. Try to get hold of one that is a simple wire frame. You can hang a variety of different safe materials on this. Liam will really enjoy objects that make different noises and are of different textures. He will also appreciate the fact that they can change from time to time.

• simple floating toys for bath time. He can swipe, grasp and mouth these objects

• pop-up boxes• push and pull toys• balls of different sizes and textures.• He may begin to enjoy a baby swing or hammock.

Liam has begun to crawl. He actually started backwards first but quickly changed to forwards. He is pulling himself up on the furniture for a few seconds only. He sits totally unsupported now for quite long periods of time. He really likes to throw objects a short distance, especially if I’m nearby to retrieve them.

Liam is beginning to point and use it in his grasping action. He starts to throw objects around. He also started to grasp objects with his forefinger and thumb, a pincer grip, and voluntarily release it to other people. By the time he was 10 months he was able to place objects inside a container and actually tried to throw a ball towards me.


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Opportunities for developmentSome of the activities you might provide for Liam at this time include:

• low platforms and cushions for him to crawl on• a variety of rattles and other objects to grasp, release and throw• a posting box and objects. Remember we cannot give infants objects

smaller than a film canister or ping pong ball. They will automatically mouth most objects. Being alert to safety considerations is going to be one of your primary roles at this stage.

• push-and-pull toys• roly-poly toys• nesting cups• stacking ring cones• space to explore his environment• books made from cloth or cardboard.

It’s October and Liam is now 12 months old. Again look at Mum’s notes.

Liam is now a very competent crawler. He is also cruising (walking sideways) along the furniture and will walk if his dad holds both of his hands. At 12 months he stood for the first time on his own. He got up for about five seconds and then plopped down. This photo shoes that even though he can’t walk he can climb steps. Liam loves to put objects inside other objects and take them out again (posting).

He can also put a round object in a hole after I showed him how. He is trying very hard to feed himself with a spoon. Liam is starting to use his forefinger to point and pick up and his pincer grasp is becoming much more refined. He picks up a crayon is his whole hand and makes very soft marks on the paper. He likes to play with the activity board, which has a variety of knobs and objects to poke.

Activity 7


Opportunities for developmentThe opportunities and provisions we could have for him include:

• again, lots of grasping toys, especially those that make a noise and objects of different textures

• floating and pouring toys to use in the bath• sandpit toys including a small spade and buckets, funnels, colanders and

other objects to fill and pour sand from• activity centres with bells, pop-up switches, buttons to push, etc• pop-up boxes where the infant simply pushes a button or switch and an

object pops up• nesting boxes and stacking toys• blocks to start building towers• push-and-pull toys on a string• cars and other objects to push• balls• tunnels for crawling through• different sized platforms to crawl over• ride-on toys

It’s January again and Liam is now 15 months old. Soon he’ll be going up to the toddler’s room but you’ve still got him for a month or so. Look at Mum’s notes and then read some of the experiences you can provide.

Liam has started to climb the stairs! I need to be really careful now. He is able to stand independently for a while. He has started to take one or two steps and is becoming much more confidant every day. He has started to push the block trolley around.

Liam is beginning to build towers from blocks. By 18 months he could build a tower of three blocks.

Activity 8

Opportunities for developmentYou can see that the opportunities and provisions you’ve been providing have paid off. Some more ideas are:

• simple puzzles with large knobs• peg boards with a few large pegs• lots of opportunities to play with blocks


• block trolley.

From these activities you now have quite a few ideas of experiences and provisions for infants. You will also have seen a variety of different opportunities while in centres or even just visiting friends, at playgroups or with your own children.


Identify and monitor toddler’s physical skills and development

The toddler: Case study using Elizabeth

Toddler’s gross motor skillsTime to move on to the toddler. Remember that a toddler is aged from 18 months up to three years. They have a very wide stance—probably because of the nappy—and tend to move their bodies from side to side as they walk. This is of course called a ‘toddle’. Their new-found confidence in exploring their world leads to greater skill development. Keeping up with the toddler is certainly a challenge.

Below is a summary of Elizabeth’s development as she progresses through toddlerhood. She will be developing and refining some of the following skills.

Elizabeth’s skills have really taken off, especially since she has turned two. She is now so confident at many gross motor tasks. At eighteen months her walk was very much a toddle. She had a very wide stance and moved from side to side. The toddle was also very flat-footed. Her whole foot would land on the floor very heavily. As she progressed through this stage, her walk, though still flat-footed, became more fluid and coordinated with more movement in her ankles and knees. She tended to fall over initially at 18 months but this decreased as she got older. She can also walk on tiptoes. She is attempting to run but cannot get up enough speed to develop a true run yet—it is more of a fast walk. By the time she was three her run was more adult like.

At the beginning of toddlerhood she was able to walk up stairs, using two feet on each step. By the time she was three she had progressed to walking both up and down steps with one foot on each step at a time. She also loves to jump off the bottom step. It has taken a bit of practice to be able to land with two feet. She is beginning to climb up and down structures such as climbing frames and ladders.

Because her balance has improved and will continue to improve, she can now crouch down and pick up objects without falling over. She can also stand on one foot. By the time she was three, she was able to jump with


both feet off the ground, though only a few centimetres. It took a lot of practice to be able to do this.

She tries to catch a ball, but using a very robotic action. She places her hands out in front of her and will clasp the ball to her chest if it is thrown at the right speed and distance. She begins to ride a tricycle using her feet to push along the ground. The tricycle is one of her favourite toys at the moment.

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Toddler’s fine motor skillsTime now to look at Elizabeth’s fine motor development throughout toddlerhood. Remember of course that fine motor skills are those using the small muscles such as the hands and fingers. As with gross motor development, Elizabeth is making great gains in her fine motor development.

Elizabeth is growing up so quickly. She is becoming very independent and wants to do so many things for herself. Her developing fine motor skills are giving her both the opportunity and confidence to practise many of her self-help tasks. She is beginning to take off some items of clothing and is able to finger-feed herself. She also uses a spoon quite proficiently, getting most of it into her mouth. By the time she was three she was a very competent eater.


She is using her right hand mainly to complete many of her tasks and has been doing so since she entered toddlerhood. This is different though from her brother—his hand preference did not really appear until much later. She is progressing towards a much more mature tripod grasp when drawing with a crayon and is scribbling dots and circles in a more controlled way. She really enjoys painting and craft experiences. She is able to control a large, chunky paintbrush and tends to use a palmer grasp still when painting. By the time she was three, I began to see her using more of an immature tripod grasp. She tries to use the scissors, but needs lots of help and often resorts to using two hands, one on each handle.

She can also turn the pages of a book, progressing from turning several pages at a time to being able to turn them singly by the time she was three. She is becoming much more competent with puzzles throughout this stage. At 18 months she was only doing ones with really large knobs. As she has got older the size of the knobs has decreased and the complexity of the puzzle has increased. She still needs help though.

She enjoys pouring and filling activities, especially being able to pour juice or water into her cup. ‘I do it’ is a common phrase in our house! She is starting to get interested in building and could build a tower of ten cubes by the time she was three. She also made a city one night, where she stood all the blocks up and put them closely together and named it as a city.

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Plan and provide developmentally appropriate experiences and opportunities to foster toddler’s fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills

Opportunities for toddler’s physical developmentToddlers are, of course, becoming very active explorers of their environment. They are just about into everything. They are curious, interested and alert to a variety of possibilities. In this 18-month period toddlers are consolidating many of the skills they have begun to acquire during infancy. Caregivers now need to provide experiences suitable for these developing skills. Again safety is going to be a big issue here. We need to be constantly alert to toddlers practising their newly acquired skills in inappropriate places.

Toddlers can ride tricycle by pushing feet on the ground

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Opportunities for developmentListed below are some experiences and equipment that we could plan for Elizabeth.

1. Provide a range of sandpit and water toys. Toddlers love to pour, fill and dump and strain, so put spades, colanders, funnels, buckets, other containers, moulds, plastic pipe, cars, trucks and so on in the sandpit. The list is just about endless. Incorporating home corner with a stove, some wooden spoons and bowls provides the toddler with more imitation activities. Provide a range of sandpit and water toys

2. Provide blocks of various sizes, shapes and textures or materials: wooden blocks, foam blocks, larger blocks, small blocks, blocks in trolleys, blocks made out of empty milk cartons. You can also provide a variety of cardboard boxes.

Provide wooden blocks, larger blocks even cardboard boxes

Other items we could provide include:

bikes and other ride-on toys—either a three-wheeler or a four-wheeled ‘car’

tunnels to crawl through A-frames and trestles to walk

along and jump on with adult assistance

slides and swings pegboards with large pegs magnetic boards with pictures,

letters and numbers large beads for stringing hammering toys posting boxes with simple

shapes paint and other mediums for

her to experiment with puzzles with large knobs

Trestles to walk along


ranging from 1–6 pieces prams, trolleys and other push

toys like vacuums, lawn mowers and the shopping trolley

lots of balls for Elizabeth to throw, catch and kick.

Tunnels to crawl through


Identify and monitor preschooler’s physical skills and development

The preschooler: Case study using Elizabeth as a preschooler

Preschooler’s gross motor skillsOnce the child has left toddlerhood and entered the preschool years, their physical skills improve rapidly. The preschooler is spending much of their time refining and mastering all their physical skills. They will find some skills that were just about impossible, like hopping, suddenly very easy by the time they are four-and-a-half to five.

You will see the body proportions and general appearance of the child seem to be changing very rapidly. The preschooler’s body shape is much more elongated than a toddler. They lose that characteristic belly associated with the under threes and begin to become more slender.

Elizabeth as a preschooler


Elizabeth is now a preschooler. Her gross motor skills are developing so rapidly. Everything she was starting to do in toddlerhood is now happening. She is becoming much more confident and developing her strength, balance and coordination to achieve most gross motor tasks. In this stage she can now run properly. Her arms move in coordination with her legs and she shows a true run as she is no longer flat-footed and has a time when neither foot touches the ground.

By the time she was five she was able to skip using the correct action of a hop and a jump. Before that it was more of a gallop where the same foot led most of the time. Over the three years there was also a big improvement in her ability to jump. She now uses both her arms to help her get more height and a bigger movement. It looks so much smoother. She is able to now crouch down to jump off and bends her knees when landing. She can jump both up and down and longways, as well as jumping off a step.

Her ability to hop has also improved dramatically. At three she was able to hop about four times on one leg. Her body movements were pretty large. By five she could hop more than ten times and could actually change legs hopping firstly on one foot and then the other.

Ball throwing and catching also is a skill I have seen great advancement in. When a toddler, Elizabeth used a robotic action to catch a large ball; now during the preschool years she is able to judge much more accurately how to catch much smaller balls and can also just use her hands. By five she had pretty much an adult throwing and catching pattern. She was able to transfer the weight from one leg to the other to aid distance and speed.

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Preschooler’s fine motor skillsAs with gross motor skills, a preschooler’s fine motor skills are also improving. During these years, the emphasis is on the refinement and mastery of the skills they began to develop in toddlerhood.

Here is Elizabeth’s Mum’s description of her fine motor development over the preschool years

Elizabeth is becoming very independent and capable as demonstrated in her self-help skills. She has gone from being able to pour from a small jug into a cup without spilling to being pretty much able to pour from a variety of containers. She is able to dress and undress herself without assistance. By the time she was three she was able to do and undo large buttons and zips, becoming increasingly competent over the next two years. She can also wash her face and hands. During her fourth year, she was able to do up the buckles on her sandals, while at five she finally mastered being able to tie up her shoelaces independently. She is able to self-feed using a fork and by five was able to spread Vegemite onto bread to make herself a sandwich.

Her ability to use scissors is increasing. She can now handle the scissors well. At four she was able to cut along a straight line and also could cut out a circle. By five she was cutting the interior from a piece of paper.

She is able to thread beads on a variety of different materials including lace and string. Her ability to manipulate construction is also developing. She can competently use Lego, Mobilo and other small construction sets. Her ability to manipulate puzzles is also increasing. She can do some really hard ones. Her buildings are also becoming increasingly more complex. At three we saw evidence of bridging, while by five she was making enclosures and other three-dimensional structures with names.

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The development of drawing and writing skills

Drawing and painting skillsDrawing and writing are both dependent upon good hand-eye coordination skills. Throughout the preschool years we are going to see noticeable gains. Most children will begin scribbling around two years of age. From then on, given the opportunity to practice their skills, the children will negotiate the four stages of creative development. Nilsen (2001, 220) describes how Rhonda Kellogg analysed over 1 000 000 drawings by children and categorised them into a series of stages.

The scribbling stage

In this stage children typically make marks upon the paper (or whatever medium is available). These marks can range from simple lines which are often quite faint to deliberate efforts to cover as much of the page as possible. In this stage the children are often experimenting with the feel and texture of the pencils or crayons and the paper.

Scribbling stage

The symbolic stage

In this stage children are beginning to make shapes and naming them. They will draw circles and crosses. During this stage Kellogg identified that there is a progression of shape development that occurs in the following order. circles, vertical and horizontal lines, mandalas (a cross inside a circle), suns and radials (a series of lines from a central spot) (Nilsen 2001). Early representations of humans often appear in this stage as the children name their drawings; however, these may not be recognisable to others.

Symbolic stage drawing


The recognisable stage

In this stage children will consistently draw and name objects that are recognisable to most people. The ‘tadpole man’ will emerge, a head with arms and legs coming off it. As the children get older the drawings will become increasingly more complex.

Recognisable stage drawing

These stages are linked to both physical (fine motor) development and cognitive development. The child needs the fine motor and coordination skills to make the marks on the paper and the cognitive functioning to create and represent what they see in the world.

http://www.earlychildhood.com/ —Go to the ‘Ask our experts’ tab at the top of this website and scroll down until you see the art therapist. There are a number of different topics to peruse.

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Plan and provide developmentally appropriate experiences and opportunities to foster preschooler’s fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills

Opportunities to enhance preschool physical developmentTo enhance and extend a preschooler’s physical development, we need to build upon the opportunities and experiences presented during toddlerhood. During this stage they are mastering and refining many of their skills.

It’s time now to test your understanding by completing the following activity.

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Opportunities for developmentNow that you have revised the skills developed in the preschool years, read on for some ideas for opportunities that you can provide. In order to develop both fine and gross motor skills, there are a number of environmental factors that need to be considered. Some provisions and opportunities that can be provided for preschoolers to develop these skills include:

• an appropriate environment with plenty of space for the children to experiment with their physical skills


Provide space for children to experiment with their physical skills

• fresh air, nutritious food and appropriate medical treatment• caregivers who encourage children to use their physical skills• a range of equipment for children to extend their skills

Provide a range of different equipment

• other children to chase, run with, jump with, play ball with• balls, bats, climbing frames, trestles, hoops, bikes and a variety of other

equipment• a range of opportunities to use fine motor skills• opportunities and encouragement to be involved in all self-help tasks such

as dressing and undressing

A home corner for dramatic play

• a home corner as part of dramatic play that will enable children to practice self-help tasks

• a range of craft and painting opportunities including collage, easel painting, cotton bud painting, spray painting and so forth.

• opportunity to play with sand and water.


Opportunities to play with sand and water

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Plan and provide experiences which challenge the physical skills and abilities of children and promote physical fitness

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With childhood obesity on the rise we need to ensure we are offering many and varied physically active experiences that will not only challenge the children’s skills and abilities but also promote physical fitness. In the ‘Discussion paper for the development of recommendations for children’s and youths’ participation in health promoting physical activity’ by the Dept of Health & Ageing (2005) it is recommended that children have a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity per day. We need to ensure that our programs are supporting children achieving that amount of physical activity each day.

Planning for physical experiences eventually will be something that you do fairly naturally and probably without having to think about it too much but this takes practice and time. Generally, learners initially need to think about each step. Remember when you first started to drive a car? You had to sit there and remember the sequence every time. It might have looked something like this:

• Put your foot on the clutch.• Put the gear into first.• Turn on the ignition.• Flick on the indicator.• Slowly let out the clutch.• Press in the accelerator.• Slowly start moving.

It’s pretty much the same when you are developing experiences. You need to think about each step in the process. You need to start by writing out every step that you are going to complete. By the time you graduate you will have learnt many techniques that will show you how to cut down the workload. For now it is important to do it the long way.


You may already understand the planning process and know how to complete an experience plan format. For a general overview go and read Planning experiences in children’s services in Appendix 1

Now it’s time to practise yourself. It’s very important to practise writing experience plans. You may find some aspects more difficult than others.

Planning experiences Refer to the ‘Experience Plan’ and it’s headings for the following activities:

Experience plan

Name Plan number

Name of experience

Date/s presented Number of children

Names and ages of children:

Reasons you have chosen to present this experience

Identify developmental priorities / learning opportunities

Describe how you will set up the learning environment

How will you involve the children in your experience?

Reflection / evaluation of experience

Follow up ideas

Name of experienceLing (18 months) appears to be a great climber. When she was in the kitchen she climbed onto the bench and while in the lounge she climbs on tables and other furniture. When outside she will climb on fences and so forth.

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Reasons you have chosen to present this experienceLing’s carer has made the following observations:

Ling (18 months) appears to be a great climber. When she was in the kitchen she climbed onto the bench. When in the lounge she climbed on tables and other furniture. When outside she will climb on fences and any other objects available.

Read the following reasons for choosing the climbing experience. Choose the most appropriate method by clicking on the button.

Activity 18b

Identify developmental priorities/learning opportunitiesActivity 18c

Describe how you would setup the learning environmentActivity 18d

How will you involve the children in the experience?Activity 18e

Elizabeth case study Remember Elizabeth? Her carer has noticed that as a two-year-old she is very interested in many art and craft opportunities as well as role playing the events in her world. Her mum recently had a baby and Elizabeth is coming to terms with this. She engages in painting experiences whenever they are available, using all colours offered and much of the space on the page. She sometimes tells her carers what she is ‘drawing’ and often she appears totally immersed in the experience.

Look at the following images. What can you see happening here? If this was in a centre-based service, the carer would also be recording conversations and perhaps even a series of photos of each of these activities.


Image 1: Elizabeth playing with blocks Image 2: Elizabeth playing with plastic

toys

Image 3: Elizabeth nursing a baby doll Image 4: Elizabeth drawing on an easel

Image 5: Elizabeth playing with her father

Activity 19

Now it is important to actually practise your skills on some real children and experiences. You will need to practice either in your workplace or your TAFE-arranged work placement, planning and implementing a variety of experience plans. Decide which format you will use. Show your plans to your work supervisor or teacher for his or her comments. Remember you can learn much by other people’s experience, though sometimes you just have to try it out for yourself.


Plan and provide experiences to challenge the physical endeavours of children, ensuring suitable clothing to promote outdoor play in all weather conditions

One of the responsibilities of a childcare worker is to ensure children are adequately clothed. Children arrive at the centre prepared for their day in care, dressed in clothes that have been chosen by their parents or themselves. It is our role to ensure that children’s clothing is modified as required. The most common reason for changing a child’s clothes is due to changes in the weather. In this section we will look at how to ensure children’s clothing is suitable for physical activities in all types of weather.

Suitable clothing for childcareIn childcare we often encourage parents to send their children in old clothes or clothes they won’t mind getting dirty. The reason for this is so children are free to explore a range of experiences without being inhibited by getting dirty. It is very difficult for a child to relax, and maximise the experience of digging in the dirt, for example, if they are concerned about getting dirt on a dress. Also we encourage parents to dress their children in clothes that will not get in the way of their physical activity. For example an infant in a frilly dress will have difficulty crawling or a five year old with fancy shoes may have trouble climbing. However, it is important that we show respect for the choices families make in regard to clothing their children.

Most services insist that parents send one full change of clothes for the child each day, just in case of accident—toileting or otherwise. It is always a good idea to have a supply of spare clothing to suit a variety of seasons and weathers.

Individual centres will have their own policy on the type of footwear required. Again it is important to take into consideration the individual choices made by families but ultimately safety of the children should be the first priority. For this reason in many services thongs are not considered to be suitable footwear for


children or staff. This type of footwear increases the risk of slipping or falling when children are involved in climbing, running and other types of physically active play.

Preschoolers need clothing that does not restrict them

Weather changesWith the unpredictability and continual changes in our weather patterns it is not uncommon for children to require a change of clothes during the day, purely to accommodate the warmer or cooler temperatures. We want to optimise the time a child can spend in physical outdoor activities so need to be prepared for changes in weather so they don’t miss out on this valuable play. It is essential when working with very young infants that you monitor their body temperature, particularly when the weather changes.

In cold conditions young infants will lose heat very quickly. When the infant is already cold you need to ensure you warm them before putting on additional clothes. You can do this by rubbing their skin, or holding them close to increase body warmth. Heat is lost through the head. The best way to avoid this is to ensure the infant wears a warm hat.

OverheatingWhen is it not appropriate to have a hat on an infant’s head?

If you think that it’s not appropriate to have a hat on an infant during sleep time you are correct. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has been associated with overheating during sleep and this can occur when an infant goes to bed with a hat on. When the head is covered the heat can’t escape, causing the infant to overheat.

Overheating is a dangerous condition for all children particularly very young infants. When infants overheat they can dehydrate, a condition that can result in death. The best way to ensure overheating does not occur is to dress the infant in cool clothes in the hot weather, increase fluids and place the child in a ventilated area in the shade. It is important to remember that young children cannot tell you


when they are hot or cold. Use yourself as a guide. If you are hot then it’s likely that an infant will be hot too. Also remember that infants and toddlers have much smaller bodies and cannot regulate their temperature as well as adults.

Older children are more likely to tell you when they are hot or cold, but you also need to be observant. Some children will be so actively involved in their play that they don’t let you know when they are hot or cold. You can prompt children by asking ‘Are you hot? Would you like some help taking off your jumper?’ Providing drinking water for the children in the indoor and outdoor environments will reduce the risk of dehydrating.

Activity 20

Clothing and sun protectionClothing is an important part of sun protection. Where possible children should be encouraged to wear clothing that protects their skin from the harmful UV rays. Light clothing that covers the arms and legs will keep skin protected. Children should also be encouraged to wear a hat with a broad brim. Legionnaire’s hats are also recommended and very popular in childcare centres as they have a large peak and a flap at the back that protects the neck. Although the risk of head lice transmission via hats is small, children still should never share hats.

Keeping hats on children particularly older infants and toddlers can be difficult. These very young children do not understand the saying ‘no hat, no play’. The strategies you use here need to suit the child’s developmental level. As with many other self-care tasks children need strong positive role models—so wear your hat whenever outside. Verbal prompts may help, but the keys to keeping a hat on these younger children really are persistence and a sensible style of hat. Broad brim cloth hats with a loose fitting elastic chin strap work well. Do not pin the hat onto the back of the child’s clothing by the back flap. This is extremely dangerous. Pins can come undone, be lost in the outside area, find their way into little mouths or a child can be jabbed and injured. In the case of keeping hats on heads there is no substitute for adult supervision and assistance.

Hats are a must to protect children from the sun


Ensuring children wear sunscreen will also keep them protected from the damaging effects of the sun. Also remember to provide children with as much shade as possible and to avoid being out in the sun during the middle of the day. Cancer Council NSW (2009) recommends that children under the age of 12 months are not exposed to direct sunlight.

Recently there have been cases reported of people having a vitamin D deficiency. The sun is the richest source of vitamin D but you only need to expose your skin to very short bursts of sunlight outside of the peak UV times to get enough vitamin D. 15% of your body exposed for 10 minutes in summer, 15–20 minutes in spring and autumn and 30 minutes in winter is enough for your body to make sufficient vitamin D for your needs. A child would get sufficient sunlight during normal everyday activities such as: walking to and from the car and the childcare centre; going shopping; and playing outside. Even if a child has on sunscreen and a hat at these times there would usually be some skin exposed eg legs and hands.

For more information you can visit the NSW Cancer Council website at http://www.nswcc.org.au


http://www.nswcc.org.au/

Provide opportunities for children to practise physical skills and expand/extend children’s physical activities through active play and the use of outdoor space and the natural environment

Stimulating outdoor environmentsPauline Berry in her book Playgrounds That Work discusses what she considers essential features for the outdoor environment for different stages.

For infants

Garden environment with shady trees; use these to hang wind chimes and mobiles.

Plant a variety of plants including herbs and flowers.

A shaded grassy area for babies to lie and crawl around.

A veranda or other area that can be partitioned off to keep babies safe; cover it with rugs, texture mats and cushions.

For toddlers

A firm surface path going through a garden area; non-slip pavers are a good idea.

Grassed area to run, kick balls on.

A shaded sandpit Low play platform or cubby house.

Miniature amphitheatre that toddlers can climb up and down on.


Paved area for craft activities.

Gentle sloped mounds to climb and run down. Boxes to climb in and be pulled around in. Portable age-appropriate climbing equipment. A mound with steps for older children.

Water play.

Bike track.

Gardens with flowers and herbs to pick.

For preschoolers

All of the previous and:

A digging patch.

Water in the sandpit.

Dress-up activities.

Moveable boards and ladders to make a variety of climbing activities.

Swings

Activity 21


Select and provide equipment to encourage spontaneity in physically active play

Now we will look at the importance of selecting appropriate equipment and resources for physical development. What makes a good physical environment for children of all ages? There are a number of factors to be considered. Here are some:

• The environment must be safe• The environment should be developmentally appropriate for the different

age groups• The environment should be challenging • The environment should be set up to provide choice• The environment should be aesthetically pleasing• The environment should promote independence• Finally to encourage spontaneity

Let’s look first at how to encourage spontaneity.

The outdoor environment needs to be set up with provisions that are based on the children’s interests and level of development. There needs to be a variety and range of provisions and types of experiences available. The children need to feel free to pursue their interests and have the support of staff to do this.

Often carers will put out equipment with an idea in mind of how the children will use it. But it often does not go the way we think. We need to support the children in their spontaneity and collaborate with them in their play and exciting adventures however big or small!

Once in a preschool where I was working the older children were into digging with ‘real’ metal spades. We had a patch of dirt that I decided the children could dig with their spades and it would be more realistic than the sandpit. I placed the spades in the dirt and waited to see what developed but I had in mind that the children would want to make a garden and I thought we could plant flowers and vegetables. But the children had different ideas!

When they saw the spades they certainly got digging and they were also digging the nearby reeds (which I had approved). They spent the whole morning digging


quite a large muddy hole. The children were starting to get muddy so I got gumboots from the shed. As they dug in the mud they started to slide into the hole and discussions arose between them about how good a trap the hole would be. Well this sent them on a hunt around the playground for twigs, leaves and long grasses that they could use to cover their ‘trap’.

This adventure continued for several days as each day they would inspect their trap, notice if it had dried out, check if they had caught anything, and fix up or improve the cover on their trap. This experience certainly encouraged the spontaneous use of gross and fine motor skills but equally language, problem solving, creativity, and team work. Also their self-esteem was boosted as they were so proud of their trap and their hard work that each afternoon when their parents arrived to collect them they gave them a detailed update of the project.

The children who were involved in this experience were a group of six 5 year old boys who were difficult to motivate and engage in the usual preschool experiences. But they were certainly thoroughly engaged and engrossed in this project and because they felt so good about the trap their participation in all aspects of the program was increased. It also improved the bond between me and the boys as they saw me as a supporter and collaborator of the project that they were much more compliant when I needed to redirect their behaviour or ask them to do something.

We had taken photos during the whole experience and printed these photos out for the boys to use. They enjoyed arranging them in proper sequence (a great cognitive skill) and had debates evaluating the engineering of their trap. We also used the photos as inspiration on the drawing table and the children (the boys as well as a lot of the other children) drew pictures of the traps. This also stimulated their imaginations as to what they might catch in their trap and we had some wonderful creative drawings!

This was probably a much richer and beneficial experience for these boys than my garden idea! So look out for those spontaneous moments where you can support and be led by the children on exciting discoveries of play.

(Safety Note: As there were some risks associated with this activity a teacher was present at all times. The boys were given strict rules about the use of the metal spades. Also the trap was not a hazard on its own as it was not deep and it was in a corner of the playground that the younger children did not have access to.)


Arrange equipment to provide challenge and choice, to encourage independence and to facilitate physically active play

Let’s have a look at other aspects of a quality environment.

The environment must be safe

Safety must be our first concern. Staff need to regularly check the environment to ensure that the equipment and materials being used are maintained. Ensure no screws or nuts are loose. All equipment must be in good working order.

The environment should be developmentally appropriate for the different age groups

Berry (2001) tells us that many pieces of fixed equipment are not appropriate for multiple age groups. The challenge for many services is to provide a range of opportunities and provisions for the different age groups.

The environment should be challenging

While it needs to be safe and developmentally appropriate, the physical environment also needs to be challenging to children. Again Berry (2001) told us that children will often use equipment inappropriately to make it challenging. Many children today will spend their first five years in full-time care. Keeping these children stimulated and challenged should be one of the staff’s major preoccupations throughout the year.

The environment should be set up to provide choice

Children need to be provided with range of choices. They should be able to choose the activities that they want to engage in, the materials they use and even whether they want to participate or not. It can be very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that every child must be involved in every experience.


The environment should be aesthetically pleasing

The environment needs to be inviting to all children. Think about yourself and what you prefer when you visit someone. Would you prefer to be staying at a place with dirty dishes left lying around, toys scattered around, beds unmade, books strewn around the room or would you prefer to come to a place that is tidy, where the colours are in harmony, beds are made, etc? It’s the same for children. They are more likely to use equipment appropriately if it is arranged aesthetically. A sandpit which has had all the equipment upended is hardly as appealing as a sandpit with the spades, buckets, moulds, etc, laid out attractively.

Finally to promote independence

Children need to be given the opportunity to try things out for themselves. Can the children access toys and equipment easily without caregiver assistance? Are they located on low, open shelves? Is fixed equipment appropriate for the ages using it? Are the fixtures and fittings appropriate for the stages?

Activity 22

Activity 23

Activity 24

Providing choice within the environment and settingProviding children with choice is vital. Educators need to provide children with many opportunities to make choices about their learning, their play and the equipment and resources to use.

These choices can be simple or complex from choosing which bike to ride to creating a game that requires a large amount of equipment and materials.


Children need to be supported in making choices for their play and also in accepting responsibility for these choices. When children choose to put all the Lego blocks onto the floor then they need to be responsible to pack them away when finished. In environments where play and the right to make play choices are respected, children learn to take responsibility for their actions.

Educators can support children’s choices by providing an environment where equipment and resources are easily accessible, the environment is organised so children can easily put equipment away when they have finished with it. Providing lots of open-ended materials so they can become anything the children need. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have superhero capes if you have some long pieces of fabric that can become one. These resources need to be organised so that children are not always dependent on adults to get things for them.


Support children and families to understand the relationship between physical activity and good health while still respecting family and cultural values

The importance of physical fitnessPhysical fitness is vital for all of us. It not only makes our bodies strong and healthy, but also aids our mental wellbeing. The same applies to children. American studies show that only two thirds of 10–12-year-olds and about half of 10–12-year-olds met basic fitness standards (Berk 1999). Do you think this is the same for Australia? Obesity appears to be on the rise, both in children and adults. Researchers have found that obesity in children is caused by the following factors:

• heredity—obese children are likely to have at least one obese parent• low socio-economic status (SES) families• early instance of being overweight—children who are overweight during

the first year of life have a greater risk of obesity• the food given to the child, eg high-fat junk food, especially if it is used as

comfort food• children eating because of external cues rather than hunger, eg time of

day, taste, smell, sight, etc• lack of physical exercise• spending many hours watching television• severe early malnutrition (Berk 1999).


Hours spent in front of television is a factor in childhood obesity

Lack of physical exercise is linked directly to obesity in children. Berk (1999) goes on to state that American schools have a direct responsibility to increase the physical activity and exercise provided in schools. Do Australian children get enough exercise? Think about the children you know. Are they overweight? Are they physically active? What can we do to ensure that the children in our care are getting a good balance of active and quiet experiences and are increasing their physical fitness?

Some strategies include:

• modelling physically active play• providing a range of appropriate physical activities for all ages and stages• limiting children’s television time• organising games that involve children being physically active; remember

you don’t need to be competitive to be physically active• encouraging children from a very early age to be active• allowing children to extend and challenge their physical skills.

Activity 25

Providing opportunities that foster physical fitnessWe are all urged to be more physically active by our doctors and certainly by government and private agencies that are either responsible for or involved in our health care. How do we pass this message on to our children and their families? Inactive children may become inactive adults. This would suggest that perhaps we need to ensure that children have adequate opportunities to be involved in activities that promote physical fitness.

The Australian Sports Commission (1993) in its book Sportstart: Developing your kids’ skills at home developed a Bill of Children’s Rights in relation to sports. They


also have some good ideas for ensuring that sport is a positive experience for children. Here’s a summary of some of their ideas.

• Make sport fun. The more fun the children are having, the more they are likely to want to continue.

• Let children choose the sports they want to be involved in.• Use non-critical instruction, practice and encouragement to support their

goals.• Attend games and practices.• Focus on the effort, progress and quality of the game. Don’t get caught up

with winning or losing.• Compliment children on the things they have done well. Listen if things

haven’t gone so well.• Become a volunteer in children’s sporting clubs.

The big thing seems to be involvement and to providing positive, supportive encouragement. Model being physically active and have fun with the children while doing so. You could communicate these ideas to parents in the centre newsletter as well as posters around the centre promoting participation and encouragement of physical activity.

Explaining the need for exerciseWe are a much more sedentary culture than we have been in the past, as amusements such as TV or video games involve less movement, advertising in children’s TV time emphasises high calorie highly processed foods, and fears about dangers in the environment mean parents are less likely to let their children roam. These and other factors have contributed to a fall in childhood exercise and a resultant rise in childhood obesity.

RecommendationsDaily physical activity gives important physical and social health benefits during childhood and can lead to a physically active lifestyle into adulthood. The recommendation for children is for 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

The Dept of Health and Ageing (2005) recommend:

• All children should be physically active daily, or nearly every day, as part of play, games, sports, work, transportation, recreation, physical education, or planned exercise, in the context of family, school, and community activities.

• All children should engage in physical activity of at least moderate intensity for 60 minutes or more on a daily basis.


• Children should avoid extended periods of inactivity through participation in sedentary activities such television watching, video, computer games and surfing the internet.

• Children who currently do little activity should participate in physical activity of at least moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes daily, building up to undertaking 60 minutes daily.

The Dept of Health and Ageing also endorse the following recommendations made by The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (USA).

Recommendations for infants

• Infants should interact with parents and/or caregivers in daily physical activities that are dedicated to promoting the exploration of their environment.

• Infants should be placed in safe settings that facilitate physical activity and do not restrict movement for prolonged periods of time.

• Infants’ physical activity should promote the development of movement skills.

•

Recommendations for Toddlers

• Toddlers should accumulate at least 30 minutes daily of structured physical activity.

• Toddlers should engage in at least 60 minutes and up to several hours of daily, unstructured physical activity and should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time except when sleeping.

• Toddlers should develop movement skills that are building blocks for more complex movement tasks.

Recommendations for preschoolers

• Preschoolers should accumulate at least 60 minutes daily of structured physical activity.

• Preschoolers should engage in at least 60 minutes and up to several hours of daily, unstructured physical activity and should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time except when sleeping.

• Preschoolers should develop competence in movement skills that are building blocks for more complex movement tasks.

Recommendations for all children

• Children should have indoor and outdoor areas that meet or exceed recommended safety standards for performing large muscle activities.

• Individuals responsible for the well-being of children should be aware of the importance of physical activity and facilitate the child’s movement skills.


(Discussion paper for the development of recommendations for children’s and youths’ participation in health promoting physical activity Dept of Health & Ageing 2005)

Explaining the relationship between physical activity and good healthAs carers we need to help children and families understand the dangers of overeating and eating unhealthy foods as well as the benefits of physical activity. The best way to do this is to make positive comments as the children are involved or are talking about healthy physical experiences. For example:

• Wow Tyron you can jump high!• Isn’t this fun dancing together• I can feel your muscles getting stronger• Della and Sarah you have climbed right to the top!

Suggested experiences:

• Make up posters of healthy activities and healthy foods• Have a brainstorm session of the different physical activities children

would like to experience. Include these, or simpler options, in the centre program

• Have special activity days eg Bike Day where the children bring in their bikes from home, including helmets, and have a riding day

• Involve regular physical activity in all areas of the program eg dance; action songs/rhymes; yoga or stretching; bursting bubbles; and science experiments eg seeing how far paper aeroplanes can fly

• Read stories that expose the children to a variety of physical activity and promote a positive attitude to regular activity

• Encourage the children to talk about the physical activity they do at home• Have the children share ideas about exciting playgrounds in the area or

other physical activity opportunities in the community• Ensure the program has a balance of active and passive experiences• Be a role model and participate in the physical activities with the children• Talk about your physical activity interests with the children eg share your

interest of dance, rock climbing, canoeing etc• Have fun together doing physical activities!

You could also include facts and suggestions on physical activities for children in your centre newsletter.

Activity 26


Ensure your program allows for lots of physical activity.

Respecting family and cultural valuesThe development of gross motor skills in early childhood is influenced by both heredity and the experiences they have in the environment. Both heredity and environment will influence when children develop certain skills and the quality of the skills that they develop.

The rate of maturation of muscles, nerves and bones involved in gross motor skills is determined by heredity, as is the quality of those skills.

How often children are encouraged to play and practise their skills will affect the rate at which they will develop. Nutritional levels will also affect children’s development of gross motor skills. Children who are hungry or are suffering from malnutrition often are too tired for strenuous activities.

Of course, different cultures and families will place different emphasis on different skills and if a particular culture does not perceive the development of gross motor skills as important as other skills, there will be less opportunity for those skills to develop as quickly. For instance, in Reggio Emilia, Italy, there is a greater focus on the development of children’s thinking skills and creativity than there is on the development of physical skills. We need to build relationships with families so we can support them in encouraging suitable physical activities in their children to develop their gross motor skills and physical fitness.

Family fitness ideas:

• a walk-a-thon or bike-a-thon for families and children• a dance night• keep families informed of family fitness events such as a bridge walk• let families know of family-friendly parks, bike tracks and activities in the

community• hold a mini-olympics• encourage children and families to tell you about the physical activities

and recreation they are involved in. Encourage children to share this


information with the other children. Physical activity interests can be incorporated into projects and other aspects of the program.

Activity 27


Plan experiences that extend children’s physical activity through music and dance

Music and dance can be just as beneficial to children’s fine and gross motor development as playing on outdoor equipment. Also some children who are not naturally attracted to outdoor physical experiences will quite happily engage in physically active music and dance experiences, especially if it is linked to a current interest.

As we want to encourage children’s physical activity all through the day it is good to see how we can incorporate physical activity into other parts of the program as well as outdoor play.

When planning a music or dance experience make sure you have a range of passive and active segments in the plan. Alternating passive and active can keep the energy level up for the whole experience or you may like to try starting with passive and building up to more active in the middle then down to passive at the end. It is a good technique to gently bring the activity level down to a calm conclusion at the end of the experience ready to transition to the next part of the program.

Planning suggestions

SongsThere are many action songs that are good for extending physical activity. Use songs where you can substitute different physical activities.

For example: We are all jumping, jump, jump, jumping, we are jumping this fine day. Then have the children suggest different actions eg we are all hopping, we are all clicking (fingers), we are all sliding, rolling, crawling, skipping, flapping or twisting etc (‘Merrily Merrily’).

Try these resources for some great action songs:

• Catch a Song (1994) by Hoerman & Bridges


• Merrily Merrily (Nursing Mothers Association Australia)• Gary & Carol Crees CDs www.crees.com.au

Physical activity to musicYou can do a range of activities to music and use a variety of equipment to supplement the activity eg scarves, ribbons, tapping sticks, instruments, hoops etc.

I once saw a great music activity where each child had a cotton wool ball on a long piece of string. They were told this ‘fluffy’ was their friend and they could name it. They were then encouraged to dance with their friend to different styles of music making their friend dance, jump and swirl. This kind of activity can appeal to those children who may be too self-conscious to participate in free dance experiences straight off.

‘Toddler Kindy Gymbaroo’ have a range of music CDs to promote physical activity and co-ordination. There are activities for tapping sticks, bean bags, hoops and balls. Check out their website at: www.gymbaroo.com.au

Percussion InstrumentsInstruments are another physical activity to music. For example, once the children are familiar with playing the instruments you could march around playing their instruments like a marching band. You could suspend musical instruments outside and the children could jump up to reach and play them.

DanceDance can range from free expression, to planned actions, to specific dance steps, all to a certain piece of music.

Classical music lends itself to free expression. Try to choose music that has a variety of segments that vary in style. You can ask the children to vary their movements according to the style of music. Make sure you know the music well so you know what style is coming. Also you may have to use short segments of various pieces to get a range of styles.

Some suitable classical pieces:

• Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite• Saint Saen’s Carnival of the Animals• Flight of the bumble bee by Korsakov


There is quite a range of simple dances available for early childhood. Especially versatile for centres are the dance CDs by Gary & Carol Crees. They range from very simple dances that you may be able to do with toddlers to more complex dances for the older preschool child.

Activity 28


References

Trost S (2005) Discussion paper for the development of recommendations for children’s and youths’ participation in health promoting physical activity, Dept of Health & Ageing, ACT.

Bridges D & Hoerman D, (1994) Catch a song, Educational Experience, Brookvale NSW

www.gymbaroo.com.au

www.crees.com.au


Appendix 1: Planning experiences in children’s services

How do we actually know what to plan? Throughout the day you will be observing the children according to a system set down by the service you are in. Planned experiences should be based on our observations and information gained about children. You need to look at the skills the child is capable of and ask yourself how you can extend this child. You may also need to help a child develop some specific skills. Remember, though, the Curriculum Framework cautions us about taking a deficit approach. We need to be always seeing the child as capable and resourceful.

The planning cycle can look something like this:

Planning cycle

Round with arrows connecting the words: observe; determine strengths, interests and emerging skills; plan provisions; implement experiences; evaluate

Your plans may be based upon any of the following:

• the observed interests of the children• social, cultural and community values and happenings• people in the social environment• teachers’ interests• things in the physical environment• all the daily tasks of living together• curriculum resource materials• a new idea or topic• following up an unexpected or interesting event.


All your plans, however, should clearly link back to the children that you are observing and documenting.

Read the section beginning ‘A word about documentation, planning and evaluation’ on page 133 of NSW Curriculum Framework. http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/documents/childcare_framework.pdf

Here the author discusses and describes the approach taken in the Framework to documentation, planning and evaluation. Think about the following:

• Why is careful planning important? Why do we need to document it?• Why does the Framework recommend several different ways of collecting

information?• What should you be doing when observing children?• Where will you be gathering your information?

From reading the information in the Curriculum Framework you should see that there is much more to providing for children’s emotional development than just providing a series of activities. Over the past few years we have seen changes occurring in planning and programming in children’s services. Older methods of planning were based upon fostering observable skills and behaviours. These planning formats would have you writing very specific behavioural objectives. With this method it can be easy to fall into the trap of the deficit approach. Current methods of planning tend to be more holistic and de-emphasise outcomes, focusing on creating a broad range of possibilities and opportunities for children.

These methods ask you to identify a ‘learning intent’, a ‘planning focus’ or a ‘teaching point’. The main things to keep in mind are why you are providing the activity and what you think or hope the children will get out of it. What are the ‘learning opportunities’?

In order to do this you need to be observing the children very closely and documenting the information you find. Curtis and Carter (2000) (p xvii) tell us: ‘becoming a keen observer is a way to learn child development, to find curriculum ideas and meet requirements for assessing outcomes. It’s also a way to keep from burning out in a stressful job.’

They go on to say in another section: ‘Working with children in this way is quite different from focusing on the pre-planned goals and objectives of most curriculum books. It also goes beyond traditional observation practices in early childhood setting, in which teachers collect data primarily for the purpose of assessment and measuring outcomes. While this is a valid use for observing, it is more limited … .’ (Curtis and Carter (2000) p 2)

You need to be very aware of and involved with the children in your care in order to plan effectively. It’s not enough to do just a running record and come up with an activity idea.


As a child studies learner, you are required initially to use a planning format that contains some very specific information. While this type of plan is not used in the field on a day-to-day basis, as a learner it is vital to master it to ensure that your experiences are carefully thought out as well as being developmentally appropriate. You will need to check with your facilitator about the exact planning format they expect you to use.

Experience plan formatYou will find that most experience plan formats will have space for the following information.

Plan numberNumber each experience plan for easy access and cross-referencing to developmental data.

Experience nameName your experience to give the reader some idea of the type of experience that it will be. This will allow you to cross-reference also.

Child or childrenGive the names and ages (years and months) of the children for whom the experience is planned. For a large group, indicate an age range rather than individual names and ages.

Reasons for your experience• Clear, appropriate reasons justifying why you have chosen this experience

need to be explained. These should be based on the specific skills, capabilities and interests of the children.

• Briefly describe what you have seen or know about the children that justifies the experience.

• Cross-reference to observation, background information, journal entries, previous experiences offered, etc, to clearly showing how your plan links to what is known about the children.


Identify developmental priorities or learning opportunitiesGive details of the area of development that you are intending to support and/or the things that you want the children to learn from this experience. These priorities or opportunities should indicate the main focus of the experience but not predetermine or limit the learning opportunities children may experience.

Describe how you will set up the learning environment for this experienceYou need to give enough information about the appearance, location, timing, supervision, guidance and limits required, health and safety considerations and materials so that someone else might easily implement the experience.

How will you involve the child in the experience?You must describe the procedures and strategies you will implement to support development and learning in enough detail so someone else could implement your plan.

Some questions to answer when completing this section include:

• For group experiences how will you gather the children together, settle and gain their attention?

• What steps need to be followed to implement the experience?• What is your role? What will you do and say during the experience?• What strategies will you use to promote and reinforce learning?• How will the end of the experience be communicated to the children if

appropriate?• How will you finish the experience and move the children onto another

experience?• Is there any cleaning up to do?

Reflection and evaluation of the experience There are three main things to address in the evaluation:

• What the child did—Did they enjoy the experience? How exactly did they respond? Be specific and give specific examples. Briefly describe what actually happened.

• What you did—Were you effective in your role? Was your preparation and planning effective or could it be improved? Did you follow the children’s lead? Did you say and do the right things?


• Whether the experience supported the areas of development and learning you identified in planning—perhaps the child went well beyond your expectations. Why were you successful or otherwise? Did you need to modify your plan in any way? Did you provide a suitable learning environment?

Follow-up ideasSuggest follow-ups in terms of children’s needs and interests or what you may need to do to improve your own performance.

Here is a blank Experience plan

Experience Plan

Learner’s name: Plan number:

Name of experience: Date/s presented:

Number of children: Names and age of children:


Identify developmental priorities/learning opportunities


How will you involve the children in your experience?

Reflection/evaluation of the experience

Follow up ideas


Case study: JaiyraIt is time now to practise writing experiences for children. The first place to start is our observations. Here is the developmental summary of 23-month-old Jaiyra which was described in the framework document:

http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/DOCSWR/_assets/main/documents/childcare_framework.pdf Page 135

Developmental summary for Jaiyra

Name: Jaiyra Age: 23 months

Date: February 2002 Contributing information: Aleisha (mum), Scott (dad), Susannah (teacher)

Categories of information Notes Provisions

Family situation, religion, culture, current events, other

Baby Cody now 8 mths, grandparents visited for 4 weeks – left two weeks ago. J is the eldest grandchild & grandparents spent a lot of time with him. At home is challenging all requests, mother thinks he has realised that he has to share her time and attention now that Cody is more active and sleeps less.

Extra attention where possible, as he misses this.

Recent accomplishments, successes, achievements

Increasing vocab. Speaks clearly, manages self-feeding with ease using fingers, excellent climber

Encourage use of language, acknowledge success in eating, provide opportunities to climb safely—watch him when he is outside in the older children’s play area, as he will try to climb anything.

Major developmental tasks currently working on

Enjoys talking, interested in large motor skills, particularly climbing and running, having trouble coping with sharing adults’ attention.

Engage in conversations, try to give extra attention.

Main interests Enjoys books. Spends time ‘reading’ by himself. Asks for new books to be read aloud to him.

Ensure books are of interest to him; try to find books about babies.

Particular strengths Language skills

Climbing skills

Lots of conversations, as above, and opportunities to climb safely.


http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/DOCSWR/_assets/main/documents/childcare_framework.pdf

http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/DOCSWR/_assets/main/documents/childcare_framework.pdf

Challenges Coming to terms with Cody’s increasing competence. J challenges adults here and at home. Is having trouble separating from mum.

Give choices where possible; be firm when there can be no choice. Be sure adult is able to help J and his mum separate. Establish a ritual and try to stick with it.

Likes and dislikes Loves fruit and enjoys books

See above

Other Mum and Dad seem pretty worried.

Try to reassure parents that J’s behaviour is normal for age; give them all the good news about J that we can.

Some provisions that might be suitable for Jaiyra include:

• dramatic play area set up as a home with babies, change tables, clothes and other ‘baby’ items.

• Read book about a new sibling. Talk about new babies and how people feel when a new baby comes along. As Jaiyra is only a toddler ensure language simple and appropriate.

• When ever possible label emotion terms so he can begin to match his feelings with the words. Tell him what other people are feeling.

After looking at the above provisions it is time to plan one of them. Practise doing so yourself and then at the end of each section compare your answers with mine. Please remember our ideas may be different but it doesn’t necessarily mean yours are wrong. Check all the way through that you are putting an emotional emphasis on the plan and have sufficient detail. Someone else should be able to pick up your plan and do it as you have planned.

Let’s start by choosing one of the above experiences. Begin with the dramatic corner being turned into a baby bathing/changing/feeding area.

Jaiyra: dramatic play experience

Planning format

Learner’s name: MS Plan number: One

Name of experience: Babies/Dramatic play Date/s presented: 4/10

Number of children: One Names and age of children:

J (23 months)


Reasons for choosing this experienceIn this section we need to be giving clear, appropriate reasons justifying why we have chosen a particular experience. These should be based on the specific skills, capabilities and interests of the children. We also need to cross-reference to our observations and background information.

There may be several reasons why you have chosen a particular activity. You may have planned one activity for a number of different children but for a variety of different reasons. It may be a physical experience for one child but a social/emotional activity for another, and yet for another there may be a problem-solving emphasis.

Jaiyra: Reasons for choosing the dramatic play area


In the observations of Jaiyra, he appears to be unsettled by the arrival of a new baby and the challenges of dealing with this situation. He appears unsettled when Mum leaves and seeks adult attention. By involving him in caring for a baby, I am hoping to give J the opportunity to care for a baby and take on a nurturing role.

There is no one right way to write a rationale but generally it will include:

• the observation/s that the experience relates to• clear, valid reasons for doing this experience• brief background information if appropriate.

Developmental priorities or learning opportunitiesIn this next section we need to identify the details of the area of development that we are intending to support and the skills or learning we want the child to experience. The priorities or opportunities should indicate the main focus of the experience but should not predetermine or limit the learning opportunities that children may experience. Remember you must link back to your reasons for planning this activity. What do you want or expect the children to be able to achieve? What might they get out of this experience?

My reasons for presenting the dramatic play area set up for babies for 23-month-old Jaiyra were based on the emotional domain, to give him the opportunity to come to terms emotionally with having a new sibling.


Jaiyra: Developmental priorities/learning opportunities


Focus: Jaiyra will have the opportunity to express his emotions regarding a new sibling through dramatic play.

Priorities/Learnings

caring for and nurturing a baby

labelling emotion words—happy, sad, grumpy

bathing a baby

When you look at your developmental priorities or learning opportunities you should be able to say whether the experience supported the development of the area and skills or learning that you had identified. If the developmental opportunities or priorities were not demonstrated by the child then you need to look at your observations and the experience to ensure that you are providing an experience that is developmentally appropriate for this child. Learners often find this section one of the areas that requires most practice. Remember, when identifying developmental priorities or learning opportunities you need to ensure that they are specific and relate clearly to the reason and the observed needs, capabilities and/or interests of the child.

Describe how you will set up the learning environment for this experienceThis should be one of the easiest sections to do. The key here is to be thorough. If someone else is going to take your experience, they need to be able to prepare for the experience appropriately. Therefore you need to be specific. What books, songs or equipment are you going to use? Where in the room do you want to set up the experience?

The preparation for Jaiyra’s experience might look like this:


Jaiyra: How I would set up the learning environment


Dramatic play area set up on outside verandah.

Clear away tables/chairs kitchen area and replace with bedroom furniture.

Have several cots set up with change mats on tables.

Ensure supply of cotton balls, water, towels, face cloths.

Have two baths with 5 cms of water on low tables.

Adult needs to remain with experience to provide support and encouragement at all times and to supervise the water as many of the children in the room are nearly two or older.

How will you involve the children in the experience?In this section you must describe the procedures and strategies you will implement to support development and learning in enough detail so someone else could easily implement this experience. What exactly are you going to do? In what order? What questions are you going to ask? How are you going to introduce the activity to the child? How will you conclude it?

Jaiyra: How I will involve Jaiyra in the experience

How will you involve the children in your experience

I will invite Jaiyra into the dramatic play area by saying, “Jaiyra, come here and look at this. Would you like to help me bath some babies?” If Jaiyra appears to be willing I would take him to the dramatic play area and say, ‘Look here, two baths and some babies to wash. Do you want to give the baby a bath?’ I would wait for Jaiyra’s response. If Jaiyra is still willing I would say: ‘What do we need to do first?’ I would accept Jaiyra’s response and then talk him through the process. I would describe what Jaiyra is doing and reinforce how we need to care for the baby, saying things like: ‘We need to carefully take off his clothes. Gently wash him. Let’s give the baby a kiss.’ I will use words to convey emotional states whenever I can. ‘The baby really likes getting a kiss, it makes him happy.’

I would stay with Jaiyra the entire experience, encouraging him to care for the baby, giving him one-on-one attention. When Jaiyra has finished bathing the baby we would dress him and put him to bed or feed him depending upon what Jaiyra says we should do. When Jaiyra begins to lose interest in the experience I would transition him to another experience of his choice.

EvaluationThe next part is the evaluation. Here you summarise exactly what happened. Did the experience support the areas of learning and development you identified? What could you have changed?


Jaiyra: Evaluation

Evaluation

Overall the experience was very successful. Jaiyra was very keen to bath the baby and was very talkative throughout the experience. He seemed to really like the one-on-one attention. When another child wanted to join in, initially he seemed reluctant to let her. I said, it’s ok Jaiyra, Sam just wants to bathe a baby too. There are two baths here so she can use that one. While I was doing this I made sure that my arm was around Jaiyra giving him physical comfort and reassurance that I was still there.

Jaiyra was able to successfully bathe the baby. He knew all the steps involved with bathing the baby. I verbalised these throughout using words such as gentle and softly. I emphasised the importance of not letting the baby put his head under. At the end of the experience Jaiyra gave the baby a kiss and put him to bed. He appeared to be very interested in the nurturing role and liked giving the baby some attention. We were able to use a number of different emotional terms throughout the experience such as happy, sad and angry.

Follow upAfter we have evaluated the experience it is time to suggest follow-up experiences or strategies in terms of children’s needs and interests or what you may need to do to improve your own performance. They should link very closely to the experience and may be a follow-on of this experience or something that is on a different topic.

Jaiyra: completed plan

Planning format

Learner’s name: MS Plan number: One

Name of experience: Babies/Dramatic Play Date/s presented: 4/10

Number of children: One Names and age of children:

J (23 months)


In the observations of Jaiyra, he appears to be unsettled by the arrival of a new baby and the challenges of dealing with this situation. He appears unsettled when Mum leaves and seeks adult attention. By involving him in caring for a baby, I am hoping to give J the opportunity to care for a baby and take on a nurturing role.


Focus: Jaiyra will have the opportunity to express his emotions regarding a new sibling through dramatic play.

Priorities/Learningscaring for and nurturing a babylabelling emotion words—happy, sad, grumpybathing a baby




Dramatic play area set up on outside verandah..

Clear away tables/chairs kitchen area and replace with bedroom furniture.

Have several cots set up with change mats on tables.

Ensure supply of cotton balls, water, towels, face cloths.

Have two baths with 5 cms of water on low tables

Adult needs to remain with experience to provide support and encouragement at all times and to supervise the water as many of the children in the room are nearly 2 or older.

How will you involve the children in your experience

I will invite Jaiyra into the dramatic play area by saying, “Jaiyra, come here and look at this. Would you like to help me bath some babies?” If Jaiyra appears to be willing I would take him to the dramatic play area and say, “Look here, two baths and some babies to wash.” Do you want to give the baby a bath? I would wait for Jaiyra’s response. If Jaiyra is still willing I would say “What do we need to do first? I would accept Jaiyra’s response and then talk him through the process. I would describe what Jaiyra is doing and reinforce how we need to care for the baby, saying things like. “We need to carefully take off his clothes. Gently wash him. Let’s give the baby a kiss.” I will use words to convey emotional states when ever I could. “The baby really likes getting a kiss, it makes him happy.”

I would stay with Jaiyra the entire experience encouraging him to care for the baby giving him one on one attention. When Jaiyra has finished bathing the baby we would dress him and put him to bed or feed him depending upon what Jaiyra says we should do. When Jaiyra begins to lose interest in the experience I would transition him to another experience of his choice.

Evaluation

Overall the experience was very successful. Jaiyra was very keen to bath the baby and was very talkative throughout the experience. He seemed to really like the one on one attention. When another child wanted to join in, initially he seemed reluctant to let her. I said, it’s ok Jaiyra, Sam just wants to bathe a baby also. There are two baths here so she can use that one. While I was doing this I made sure that my arm was around Jaiyra giving him physical comfort and reassurance that I was still there.

Jaiyra was able to successfully bath the baby. He knew all the steps involved with bathing the baby. I verbalised these throughout using words such as gentle and softly. I emphasised the importance of not letting the baby put his head under. At the end of the experience Jaiyra gave the baby a kiss and put him to bed. He appeared to be very interested in the nurturing role and liked giving the baby some attention. We were able to use a number of different emotional terms throughout the experience such as happy, sad and angry.

Follow up ideas

Give Jaiyra more opportunities to care for the babies in a one-on-one situation. Use experiences like feeding, nappy changing and other caregiving situations.

Gradually introduce other children to play alongside Jaiyra to share my attention. Plan experiences for Jaiyra and one other child.


References

Curtis D and Carter M (2000) The Art of Awareness: How observation can transform your teaching, Redleaf Press, MN

Stonehouse A (2002) The Practice of Relationships, NSW Curriculum Framework for Children’s Services, NSW Department of Community Services, Office of Child Care. The Curriculum Framework can be downloaded from the NSW Department of Community Services’ website at http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/main/documents/childcare_framework.pdf


http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/main/documents/childcare_framework.pdf

http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/main/documents/childcare_framework.pdf

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