Keeping Toddlers Active Boosts All-Around Development?

1
Keeping Toddlers Active Boosts All-Around
Development?
2
Keeping Toddlers Active Boosts All-Around
Development?
Children think better on their feet than on
their seats. Mark Benden Professor, Texas AM
University (Ergonomics, Sedentary Behaviour,
Physical Activity, Occupational Health) Active
children learn better. It is also a fact that
physical development activities not only improve
a childs overall health and fitness but also
enhance a childs mental development and
well-being. This in turn has a positive effect on
a childs capability to learn and perform better
when the time comes to join a formal school.
3
Keeping Toddlers Active Boosts All-Around
Development? An increase in movement and
physical activity creates healthy habits. What
parents need to keep in mind, however, is the
activities they shortlist should be interesting
for a toddler to want to engage. The absence of
activities for physical development in early
childhood impacts their readiness for school,
impairs social development and retards academic
achievement.
Being involved in physical development activities
creates healthy habits and has numerous benefits
for the child. It helps improve confidence and
self-esteem and in developing healthier social,
cognitive, and emotional skills. It is
recommended that toddlers are involved in
physical development activities on a daily basis
for a minimum of 180 minutes.
4
Keeping Toddlers Active Boosts All-Around
Development?
Children tend to struggle because of poor gross
and fine motor development. Both these skills are
critical as they underpin hand-eye coordination
and handwriting because this includes the larger
muscles in the torso, shoulders and neck, as well
as the finer group of muscles in the hands,
wrist, and fingers. Activities for physical
development in early childhood improve gross
motor control and enables children to sit up, sit
still, sit cross-legged on the floor, and hold
their heads up for extended periods of time,
while fine motor control strengthens and supports
extended periods of written work. If parents can
teach their children to move well, they help them
develop the motivation they need to lay the
foundations for a lifetime of physical activity
and better mental health.
5
Create a safe space for play
Before you begin planning play activities for
your toddler, you first need to create a safe
environment where your child feels comfortable
and is familiar with the surrounding. At this
age, toddlers are in an exploratory stage and
will head towards wherever their curiosity
prompts them to go. When you are setting up a
play area, it pays to see the space from a
toddlers point of view. See the world they will
play in from their height and eye level. It helps
if you can first move through the play space by
crawling or walking on your knees. This will help
identify spaces that might interest and tempt
your childs curiosity.
6
Create a safe space for play
It will be important to consider how you place
the furniture in the play area. As toddlers are
still developing their gross and fine motor
skills, they may find it difficult to navigate
narrow spaces. However, a large open space may
encourage them to move fast, leading to trips and
collisions. The ideal solution is to use
furniture that has round edges, toy organizers
and other larger furniture items to divide the
space into smaller play areas. It will be of
great help to your toddler if you can organize
play items where she can find them easily. This
will encourage your child to explore
independently. Use open bins where she can go
through items and sort them out according to her
interest and what she wants to play
with. Remember, by creating a play area with your
toddlers interests and actions in mind, you will
allow her to explore and play in safe ways and
add to her mental, physical and social
development.
7
Focus on developing basic physical skills
first
Amongst the most effective way to ensure your
toddler takes part in physical development
activities is by planning around the basic
physical skills for example, jumping, crawling,
bending, galloping, skipping and catching.
Involvement in physical activities from a young
age has various benefits which go beyond only
physical development. It can help a child improve
physically, mentally, socially and emotionally as
well. Identify three or four skills you want to
focus on first, and plan activities based on
these skills on a daily basis. Remember to keep
adding new physical activities to this list on a
regular basis.
8
Focus on developing basic physical skills
first
Make sure interactive physical development
activities for infants involve multi-sensory
activities that create an enabling environment
for active learning experiences in a fun yet
creative way. Such activities will encourage and
help your little one to be unique, resilient, and
confident. Engaging in physical development
activities promotes bonding, teamwork and a love
of learning from an early age. By involving your
child in new and exciting themes, you will
encourage her to be ready to explore her
emotions, interact with her peers, bond with her
caregivers and lay the foundation for strong and
independent learning.
9
Ideas for babies
Tummy time can be made more fun and interesting
for babies by placing them on surfaces that have
different textures, fluffy blankets, towels, and
play mats. Spread toys of varying shapes, sizes,
and colours around the baby. Place them just out
of reach to encourage her to lift her head up,
look around, try to reach, roll and belly crawl.
Dont forget that you can function as a piece of
climbing equipment by lying down in front of her
so that she has to climb over you to reach the
toy she wants. Repetition of activities for a
baby is good for her.
10
Ideas for toddlers
A toddler is always full of energy and sometimes
you might find it difficult to keep pace with
her. Your toddler may love things that she
shouldnt play with crockery, TV remote,
display shelves, plug points. (always make plug
points childproof by covering the holes with
tape). Keep her toys, readily available in the
play area. Keep introducing a variety of safe
household items for her to explore wooden
spoons, pots, and plastic cups. Remember to
actively play hide-and-seek, and peek-a-boo
as these will always excite your child to
interact actively.
11
Ideas for pre-schoolers
Think of combining learning with physical
development activities. For example, counting
while doing hopscotch or skipping, playing
statue to practice balancing. Pre-schoolers
enjoy ball games that allow them to learn to
bounce, roll, kick, and catch a ball. They can
learn these skills by tossing a balloon into the
air and giving it wack. Or practice dunking a
paper ball into a wastepaper basket. Consider
involving your pre-schooler in household chores
we may not enjoy it ourselves, but helping out
with the dusting, laundry or sweeping the floor
is another way to keep her moving.
12
Physical Activity for Mental Development
Toddlers dont just magically learn all the
skills they need just by playing. Parents can
help create a play-based curriculum so their
toddlers will have lots of opportunities to
learn. Some skills can be taught, and these
skills are also the ones that are needed to play
many of the games and sports later on to support
an active healthy lifestyle. Boost brainpower
enhancing cognitive ability When you engage in
physical development activities, the flow of
blood to the brain increases. This greater flow
of oxygen-rich blood to the brain assists in the
creation of new brain cells, which helps to
improve overall brain performance. It enhances
brain function and helps to focus, and improves
memory and thinking skills, which are all major
milestones in a childs developmental progress.
13
Physical Activity for Mental Development
Accelerate academic learning A positive
correlation exists between a childs performance
and her level of involvement in physical
development activities. This demonstrates quite
clearly that toddlers who regularly exercise
develop a better ability to learn new things and
are likely to perform better in school. Physical
activity triggers the release of active brain
proteins which help increase levels of
concentration and decision-making. Motivating a
child to learn more and apply what she learns in
positive ways.
14
Physical Activity for Mental Development
Stabilise moods reduce anxiety When a body is
exercised, it releases chemicals called
endorphins. These feel good hormones trigger a
positive lift to the mood. Children experience
reductions in stress and anxiety as these
endorphins help to moderate the brains response
to stress and elevate feelings. When a childs
overall health and fitness improve, it also
boosts her self-esteem and gives a sense of
accomplishment and positivity. Develop and
improve social skills When your child takes part
in physical development activities, it allows her
to meet new people and create new relationships,
enhancing your childs language and communication
skills. A different kind of bonding comes into
play, giving children a sense of belonging and
companionship, with the potential to decrease
loneliness and improve their socialising skills.
15
Physical Activity for Mental Development
Taking creativity to a higher plane Focused
physical development activities daily stimulate
brain activity, sparking creative impulses and
helping overcome mental blocks. Triggering bursts
of creative thinking and enhancing imagination.
Hence it makes sense to engage children in any
form of physical activity, and then involve them
in a creative activity, such as arts and crafts
or creative writing. Maintaining mental
balance It is worth noting that young children
begin to establish behaviour patterns from an
early age which has a bearing on their immediate
and long-term mental health. Involving them in
multi-sensory programs helps create an enabling
environment for active learning experiences in a
fun yet creative way. By engaging children in
regular physical development activities. from an
early age, you are ensuring that they maintain a
healthy mind and healthy lifestyle in the
future.
16
Nurture lifelong habits
Young children burn more calories through
physical development activities than any other
type of action and make a positive contribution
to a wide range of health benefits. It also helps
children to understand their bodies for what they
can do rather than what they look like. This
helps young children to have a better body image,
self-confidence and a greater sense of
achievement. Physical development in early
childhood is important to stay fit and healthy.
Physical play gets your child moving, from making
big movements like running and jumping to small
movements like picking up a pencil or tying a
shoelace.
17
Nurture lifelong habits
Physical development in early childhood is the
growth and development of both the brain and body
and involves developing control of muscles and
physical coordination. This control is used in a
whole range of skills of daily functioning and
encompasses a childs ability to do a range of
different tasks, such as speaking, making friends
and understanding the world around them.
18
Nurture lifelong habits
Physical development in early childhood is the
growth and development of both the brain and body
and involves developing control of muscles and
physical coordination. This control is used in a
whole range of skills of daily functioning and
encompasses a childs ability to do a range of
different tasks, such as speaking, making friends
and understanding the world around them.
19
About My Gym
My Gym involves children in dynamic games,
physical activity and movement that help in
building neural networks in the brain.
Customizing its enrichment programs and workshops
to make it easier for children to acquire
intellectual skills, navigate complex social
situations, and nurture emotional
development. Please visit any of our centres to
learn more about how My Gym supports whole-child
development through bespoke physical activities.
Choose a day when you will be relatively free and
come over with your child in tow. Your child
could be an infant (as young as 6 months), a
toddler or a preschooler, age is not a bar for
enrolling. My Gym has perfected the art of
developing physical activities to improve gross
and fine motor skills and has specially designed
programs that will lay a firm foundation for
personal, academic and future growth by involving
your child in age-appropriate structured and
unstructured physical activities and developing
thinking and problem-solving skills.
20
Our Branches
My Gym Buona Vista 35, Rochester Drive,
Rochester Mall, 03-24/25/26 Singapore
138639 Phone [phone]
My Gym Jurong East 3 Gateway Drive, Westgate,
04-39 Singapore 608532 Phone [phone]
My Gym Great World 1 Kim Seng Promenade 03-106
Great World City Singapore 237994 Phone (65)
6235 4070
My Gym Punggol 681 Punggol Drive, Oasis
Terrace, 03-02/03/04 Singapore 820681 Phone
(65) 6787 1178
My Gym Tampines 300 Tampines Avenue 5, NTUC
Income, 05-05, Singapore 529653 Phone (65)
6789 7061
My Gym Parkway Parade 80 Marine Parade Road,
15-03 Parkway Parade, Singapore 449269 Phone
(65) 6440 9916
21
Thank You