Moving Our Bodies!

When our little ones arrived one morning, they noticed some boxes outside. “What’s in the box?”, many of them questioned and we couldn’t keep them waiting! Unpacking the boxes, we uncovered some new outdoor balancing equipment such as balancing beams, stepping stones and balancing buckets. Yay - it was time to get organising! 😊

Together, our little ones helped arrange the equipment to create an obstacle course and they just couldn’t wait to have a go. Lining up, they began moving along the course, balancing and concentrating on the different levelled objects, so that they wouldn’t fall off.

Some children started off in their shoes, but soon realised that it may be easier barefoot. Watching closely, they used their toes to grip the edges of the shapes and buckets; and held out their arms to ensure they kept balance. Some of the surfaces of the balancing equipment had patterns and this provided a sensory foot experience as our little ones moved their way around.

As they repeated the course, confidence grew in some children who initially leaned on the fence, finding their balance independently. Little games began to develop involving colours and numbers, as well as describing actions such as jumping, stepping and balancing as they did them.

Oral language can be strengthened through all play experiences and the great thing is that when words are introduced or used in the moment, it adds context and depth to its meaning.

We also spent some time rolling with hula hoops and tyres. During these interactions our little ones are exploring the concept of speed, movement and gravity. Even though the tyres were a bit heavy for some of our little ones, they did not want to give up and continued rolling them until they made it all the way to the finish line.  Some of our tamariki took this one step further and arranged a plank on an angle in order to test out how fast different trucks and hula hoops moved.

Activities that promote balance and coordination not only support the development of our children’s gross motor skills but they also assist with endurance and core strength.

If children develop their balance skills earlier on, then this assists in their ability to concentrate in all learning tasks – both inside and outside the classroom.

Not only are our little ones developing their brains and bodies through the obstacle course, but they are also exploring and strengthening their social competence skills. As they interact with others in a group setting, they learn to read social cues, communicate their ideas in appropriate ways and find ways to learn and have fun with others. Group learning builds self esteem, motivation and is an integral part of transition to school. Therefore we want to ensure that our little ones are given plenty of opportunities to engage in meaningful social group play.

One of the goals in Te Whariki – the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum is around wellbeing and ensuring that our tamariki’s health is promoted. By providing them with a variety of engaging experiences such as the ones above, our little ones have many opportunities to learn more about their body and the way it moves. 😊