Know

Take a minute to think about your own past experiences with physical development. In school, did you excel at sports, or were you the last person chosen to be on a team? Was physical activity valued by your family? Was there something you always wanted to do but lacked the confidence to try? Did you mature earlier or later than other kids your age? Do you think these experiences shaped your current feelings toward physical activity? While everyone develops at a different rate, how we feel about ourselves and our approach to physical activity are influenced by experiences that occur early in our lives. Your program plays a pivotal role in shaping children and youth’s positive interaction with physical activity.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an adult between the ages of 18 and 64 needs at least 150 (to 300) minutes of moderate-intensity movement (like brisk walking) per week and muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days per week. However, Americans are less active in general than they once were. Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2020), physical activity can help:

• Improve sleep quality
• Reduce feelings of anxiety
• Reduce blood pressure
• Maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of obesity
• Reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and all-cause mortality
• Reduce risks of developing dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) and reduce risk of depression
• Lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes
• Lower risk of eight cancers: bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung, and stomach
• Improve bone health
• Reduce risks of falls and injury

Let’s explore the benefits of physical activity in more detail, giving you information to help your program promote wellness by supporting the physical development of children and youth.

Understanding Physical Development

Physical development is one domain of development. It relates to the changes, growth and skill development of the body, including the brain, muscles and senses. Physical development is evident primarily in gross-motor and fine-motor skills. These skills are essential to children’s overall health and wellness. Gross-motor skills involve the use of large muscles in the legs or arms, as well as general strength and stamina. Gross-motor skills include jumping, throwing, climbing, running, skipping, or kicking. Fine-motor skills involve the use of small muscles in the arms, hands, and fingers and are supported by advancements in perception. Fine-motor skills include stringing beads, scribbling, cutting, or drawing. Fine-motor skills enable children to perform a variety of self-help tasks such as using utensils or dressing themselves.

Children’s motor abilities develop as a result of physical development and growth. As they use their bodies and grow over time, children progressively strengthen their muscles and become better able to control their bodies. Skill mastery and development, however, are also the result of brain growth and development. Consider a preschooler kicking a ball back and forth with a peer. This child must have acquired control over movement and muscles to be able to kick the ball. At the same time, the child also depends on vision to determine the location and direction in which to kick the ball and on hearing instructions from a peer or caregiver. As children move through the school-age years, their bodies and minds become capable of increasingly more-complex movement patterns and experiences.

Physical Activity for Staff

Physical Health

Physical activity enhances health and increases life expectancy by reducing the likelihood of obesity and disease. Small changes now can lead to big differences in the quality and duration of our lives in the future.

• Weight Management: Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best ways you can take care of yourself because body weight impacts other aspects of one’s overall health. Obesity increases medical spending and decreases productivity, quality of life, and life expectancy. Since the 1970s, the percentage of obese children and adolescents in the U.S. has more than tripled. If recent upward trends in body weight continue, all adults would be overweight or obese by 2048. One in every five youth in the United States is now obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018). Physical activity and a healthy diet are key to managing weight. According to the CDC, many factors are responsible for obesity in children including genetics, metabolism, eating and physical activity behaviors, community and neighborhood design and safety, short sleep duration, and negative childhood events. Since some of those things, like genetics, are difficult to change, we can focus our effort to help children eat more fruits and vegetables and make sure they get at least the minimum required daily amount of physical activity (CDC, 2018). Many people find it difficult to both eat well and exercise; however, when coupled together, they are the best prescription for preventing disease and increasing well-being and longevity.
• Lower Rates of Disease: Managing your weight with healthy eating and activity lowers your rate of disease. The rates of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers are lower for people who are physically active. While heredity is a contributing factor to chronic disease, our lifestyle makes an equally large impact on our overall health. Incorporating physical activity into our daily routine boosts our ability to live longer, healthier lives.

Mental Health

Physical activity not only affects our physical health, but it also has a great impact upon mental health as well. Physical activity reduces stress, improves sleep, and improves mood. The ability to handle the ups and downs of life may be just a short walk away.

• Reduce Stress: Stress can be a silent killer. Prolonged levels of stress, or toxic stress, are associated with weight gain and illness. There is evidence that the most harmful type of fat that gathers around our midsections may be the result of stress. Stress can lead to a pattern of unhealthy behaviors, like overeating or eating less nutritious foods and poor sleeping habits. Though it isn’t practical to expect to eliminate stress completely from your life, you can reduce the amount of stress you experience and eliminate some of the harmful effects it has on your health with physical activity. Being active will reduce stress and enhance life. See the Social Emotional Learning for Teachers (SELF-T) course for more information.
• Improve Mood: Runners have known for a long time that there is a connection between physical activity and how they feel emotionally. “Runners high” is a term used to describe the euphoria that runners and other athletes experience after engaging in vigorous exercise. This mood-enhancing outcome of exercise is due to the release of endorphins— feel-good brain chemicals. Some other benefits include:
  • Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
  • Take your mind off worries. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression. Physical activity has immediate health benefits such as reducing anxiety, reducing blood pressure, and improving quality of sleep and insulin sensitivity (U.S. HHS, 2018).
  • Get more social interaction. Exercise may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others. Simply exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around the neighborhood can improve your mood.
  • Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how bad you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on its own can lead to worsening symptoms.

Cognitive Functioning

There is more and more evidence that physical activity positively affects cognitive functioning. The 2^nd edition of Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans highlights that physical activity can help improve youth’s cognition and reduce the risk of depression (U.S. HHS, 2018). In the early years of development, physical activity maximizes learning opportunities. As we age, it remains essential to ensure that our bodies and brains remain in top shape.

• Boosting Brainpower: Boosting brainpower is important for children and youth. Physical activity can strengthen problem-solving and concentration skills, which improves academic performance. In recent years, schools have decreased recess and physical education in an attempt to dedicate more time to structured learning activities. Rather than decreasing or eliminating time specifically for physical activity, managers and administrators at centers and schools will want to appreciate the value of activity and work to increase, rather than decrease, the amount of time that children are active. Children will experience increased concentration and class performance after releasing energy through physical activity. To enhance growth and development, the updated Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that preschool children should be active throughout the day, with a daily goal of a minimum of 3 hours of light, moderate, or vigorous intensity active play (U.S. HHS, 2018).
• Prevent Cognitive Decline: Another benefit of remaining active throughout life is that it keeps our memory sharp and supports brain functioning as we age. This helps to prevent the cognitive decline of dementia, which we have a greater chance of experiencing as we age. Worldwide, one new case of dementia is detected every three seconds. Cognitive decline is hard not only on the person experiencing it, but also for those who assume caregiving roles. Though there is no cure for dementia, researchers have discovered that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain; physical activity enhances brain functioning. New evidence shows that physical activity can improve cognition for those with dementia and ADHD, among other health conditions (U.S. HHS, 2018.)

Importance of Physical Activity for Families

Being physically active together can be fun for families. A long walk, hike, or bike ride can create meaningful memories for children and their families. Physical activity is also an inexpensive way for families to connect. When families engage in physical activity, they experience health benefits. These benefits can include maintaining a healthy weight, reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, and enhanced mental health. Families pass these health benefits on to their children when they model physical activity.

Importance of Physical Activity for Children

Children who are physically active are more likely to maintain a healthy weight, sleep better, maintain strong bones, and reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases. Children who are physically active also have more opportunities to develop muscle strength and endurance. They are more likely to feel confident about themselves and their bodies as they grow (Let’s Move Child Care, 2013). Physical activity can also improve cognition and heart health and reduce the risk of depression (U.S. HHS, 2018).

Physical activity also provides children with access to learning across domains. An infant who rolls over or pulls up expands access to the world around them. An infant can look at, touch, and taste a wider array of objects. A preschooler who jumps in puddles is exploring concepts of physics. A school-age child who joins a group soccer game broadens their social connections.

Supervise & Support

There are a variety of ways to incorporate movement in your program that feels fun and engaging for children of all ages. Watch and listen as program professionals demonstrate and discuss the importance of physical activity for children’s body and brain development.

Staff members are role models for the children in their care. It is important for children to see adults engaging in healthy habits like exercise. Children are more likely to participate in physical activities when they are surrounded by others who are interested and engaged.

With all of the compelling reasons to be physically active listed above, why is it so difficult to include more exercise in our daily routines? The answer differs for everyone, but in most cases a little encouragement is all it takes to take that first step. By creating an environment at your program that values wellness, you influence the health outcomes of so many: the children your program serves, their families, and your staff. The following lessons will:

• Provide a snapshot of physical development milestones for different age levels
• Identify your role in supporting the physical development of children and youth
• Identify ways to encourage everyone to engage in a more active lifestyle

As the “chief wellness officer” for your program, you set a positive example for others to follow. When you create a culture that values physical activity, you are more likely to motivate others at your program to do the same. By incorporating physical activity into all aspects of your program, you send the message that this is a healthy place to grow, learn, and work.

Completing this Course

For more information on what to expect in this course and a list of the accompanying Learn, Explore and Apply resources and activities offered throughout the lessons, visit the Management Physical Development Course Guide.

To support the professional development of the direct care staff members or family child care providers you oversee, you can access their corresponding Course Guides:

• Infant & Toddler Physical Development Course Guide
• Preschool Physical Development Course Guide
• School-Age Physical Development Course Guide
• Family Child Care Physical Development Course Guide