Physical Activity and the Early Years

Section Index Section 1 – Intro/BenefitsSection 2 - StatisticsSection 3 – Physical LiteracySection 4 – Activity GuidelinesSection 5 – How to Get Kids ActiveSection 6 – Resources

Physical Activity and the Early Years

Target Audiences(a) Municipal Council: Sec 1,2,3,6(b) Early Childhood/Daycare Workers: Sec 1,3,4,5,6(c) Public Health – Health Promoters: Sec 1,2,3,4,5,6(d) Public Health – Managers: Sec 1,2,3,4,6 (e) Students – Sec 1,3,4,5,6

Physical Activity and the Early Years

This presentation was developed by The Physical Activity Resource Centre for use by physical activity promoters across Ontario.

Workshop Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will:  • Know the current physical activity levels of young children• Be reminded of the many benefits of physical activity • Be knowledgeable of the Canadian Physical Activity

Guidelines for the Early Years and be able to promote the guidelines to parents, caregivers and early childhood educators

• Have knowledge and access to tools and activities that they can effectively integrate into their programming, helping to develop and foster physical literacy

PARC Services

PARC is the Centre of Excellence for physical activity promotion in Ontario. PARC is managed by Ophea and is funded by the Government of Ontario.

PARC services support capacity-building, knowledge-sharing and learning opportunities.

PARC services include:• Consultations & referrals• Trainings & workshops• Physical activity resources:

- Website (parc.ophea.net - sign up for listserv) - Posters- Informational tools and booklets- Walk This Way kits

Ophea Overview

VisionAll children and youth value and enjoy the lifelong benefits of healthy, active living. MissionOphea champions healthy, active living in schools and communities through quality programs and services, partnerships and advocacy.

• A provincial not-for-profit organization - established in 1921 and incorporated in 1990

• Dedicated to supporting Ontario schools and communities through quality program supports, partnerships, and advocacy

• Supportive of Health and Physical Education (H&PE) as a foundational component of healthy schools and communities

Physical Activity and the Early Years

SECTION 1Intro/Benefits

Of Physical Activity

Physical Activity

Physical activity is an important part of a child’sphysical, mental and emotional development.

According to the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card (2010):

• Children under five require adequate unstructured play and time outdoors for physical, cognitive and emotional development.

• The early years are a critical period for healthy development. Research shows lifestyle patterns set before the age of five predict obesity and health outcomes in later childhood and through adulthood.

Benefits of Physical Activity

Physical• Strengthens the heart and lungs• Helps build strong bones and muscles• Develops good posture• Increases energy• Improves fitness levels• Enhances flexibility • Improves coordination and balance• Helps maintain a healthy body weight• Helps improve sleeping and eating habits• Helps develop fundamental movement skills• Enhances development of brain function

and neural pathways

Benefits of Physical Activity

Psychological / Emotional• Encourages fun and makes children feel happy• Reduces anxiety and helps young children feel good about

themselves • Prevents, reduces, manages depression• Improves the ability to deal with stress• Helps build confidence and positive self-esteem• Enhances emotional development• Helps young children form impressions about themselves

and their surroundings

Benefits of Physical Activity

Academic• Improves problem-solving skills/abilities• Improves learning and attention• Increases concentration• Improves memory• Enhances creativity

Benefits of Physical Activity

Social• Teaches important skills such as

sports skills and life skills• Provides opportunities for children

to practice/develop social skills and leadership skills

• Encourages interaction and helps develop friendships

• Develops positive lifelong attitudes toward physical activity

• Encourages healthy family engagement

• Helps nurture and promote imagination and creativity

Let’s get moving!

Physical Activity and the Early Years

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SECTION 2Statistics

Physical Inactivity

• 69% of Canadian children are not meeting international physical activity guidelines. (Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card, 2010)

• Only 36% of 2-3-year-olds and 44% of 4-5-year-olds engage regularly in unorganized sport and physical activity each week. (National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth)

• Measures of physical fitness are declining.• In children, there is strong evidence that the prevalence of

obesity is at unprecedented high levels.• Obesity levels are high even in the early years (0–4 years).• Engaging in regular physical activity is widely accepted as

an effective preventative measure for not only obesity, but a variety of health risks in school-aged children.

Physical Activity Levels

• Physical activity levels start to decline at age three.• Compared with 3-year-old children, 4 and 5-year-old boys

and girls spent more time in sedentary activity.• Consistently, girls are less active than boys; in some studies

- in children as young as infancy and 18 months.• Boys engage in greater overall amounts of physical activity;

they also tend to engage in higher intensity activities than girls.

• The estimated prevalence of overweight among 2- to 5-year old children in two different studies was 11% and 18%.

26% of Canadian children are overweight or obese (Tremblay 2010)

Physical inactivity is an important public health issue.

Heart DiseaseStroke

High Blood Pressure Type 2 Diabetes

Colon Cancer

Breast Cancer

Osteoporosis

Economic Burden of Physical Inactivity in Canada

$6.8 Billion

Sedentary Behaviour

These sedentary activities, especially those that are screen-based, are associated with…

fitness, risk for obesity self-esteem, pro-social behaviour, academic achievement

(Tremblay et al. 2011c)

Screen Time

• In 1971, the average age at which children began to watch TV was 4 years; today, it is 5 months!

• More than 90% of kids begin watching TV before the age of two.

• Compared with school-aged children, screen time may be associated with additional negative health outcomes in early years (Christakis et al. 2009; Lillard & Peterson 2011).

• Increased television viewing is associated with unfavourable measures of obesity, psychosocial health, and cognitive development.

• There is no evidence to support television viewing as beneficial for improved psychosocial or cognitive development. In several instances, a dose–response relationship existed between increased time spent watching television and decreased psychosocial or cognitive development.

Amount of Physical Activity in Children

Grade:F

Let’s get moving!

Physical Activity and the Early Years

SECTION 3Physical Literacy

PHYSICAL

Why is physical literacy so important?

• Physically literate children lead healthy active lives.

• Children who are not physically literate avoid physical activity and may turn to sedentary or unhealthy lifestyle choices.

• Children who are physically active: are ready to learn, have better personal satisfaction, have better and safer relationship.

Physically literate individuals...

move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy

development of the whole person. -PHE Canada, 2012

Skill-Based Literacies

Developing skills and then being able to understand and apply

Literacy Numeracy Physical Literacy

Letters Numbers Movement Skills

Words Fractions Sequences

Sentences Equations Tasks

Physical literacy is essential for optimal growth and development

Physical literacy lays the foundation for an active life.

Early Brain Development

Developing physical literacy and participation in regular physical activity

supports learning, readiness and positive behaviours.

Academic Performance

Self-esteem

Anxiety &Depression

Behaviour related problems

Physical Literacy

HANDS UP | Part 1 - Introduction to Physical & Health Literacy

How do we develop children who are “Active for Life”?

Who helps children develop these skills?

Source: Developing Physical Literacy, Figure 2 Who is responsible for Physical Literacy?Canadian Sport for Life, http://www.canadiansportforlife.ca

Fundamental Movement Skills

Kicking SwimmingHoppingThrowing Cycling CrawlingClimbing Skating StrikingRunning Falling CatchingJumping Dribbling VolleyingBalancing Skipping Dodging

Source: Canadian Sport For Life

Impacts of Physical Literacy

Physical Literacy Across Sectors

Leisure: Recreation & Sport • Fundamental Movement Skills General Movement Sequences

Performance Excellence and Participation

Performance Arts • Circus, dance

Vocational • Any vocation with physicality: firefighter, armed services, dry

waller, iron worker, underwater welder

Activities of Daily Living • Garden, paint, hammer, walk on slippery surfaces

Injury Prevention• Lift, carry, transfer• Falls, stumble recovery, landing

Source: Dr. Dean Kriellaars

Supporting Physical Literacy

Evaluation

Quality Programs and Instruction

Supportive Environments

Opportunities for active play

Let’s get moving!

Physical Activity and the Early Years

SECTION 4Activity Guidelines

Physical Activity

Guidelines

Early Years 0-4 years

Children 5-11 years

Youth 12-17 years Adults

18-64 years

Older Adults

65 years +

Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology

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Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines:0-4 years• These guidelines are relevant to all apparently healthy

infants (aged <1 year), toddlers (aged 1–2 years), and preschoolers (aged 3–4 years), irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status of the family.

• Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers should be encouraged to participate in a variety of age-appropriate, enjoyable and safe physical activities that support their healthy growth and development, and occur in the context of family, child care, school, and community.

• Children in the early years should be physically active daily as part of play, games, sports, transportation, recreation, and physical education.

Being active 0-4 years means…

Infants• Tummy time• Reaching and grabbing for toys• Playing or rolling around on the floor• Crawling

Toddlers/Preschoolers • Any activity that gets toddlers moving• The activity should be more intense as the child gets

older

A Word About Infants

Physical activity helps to build a babies sense of his/her own identity. When babies control their movements better, they start to be able to make things happen in their environment.

Moving and Growing. Physical Activities for the First Two Years

Canadian Child Care Federation, Canadian Institute of Child Health, 2004

A Word About Infants

• Physical activity helps babies to be healthy, alert, relaxed and happy.

• Regular activity establishes connections in the brain that lead to improved:

• Strength, endurance, ease of movement, flexibility, coordination, balance

• Parents/caregivers also notice that with regular activity, babies are often:

• Easier to soothe• Have better sleep habits• Have improved digestion

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Being active 5-11 years means…

• Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activities should cause children to sweat a little and breath a little harder.

• Bike riding• Playground activities• Vigorous intensity physical activities should cause

children to sweat and be “out of breath”• Running• Swimming

Let’s get moving!

Physical Activity and the Early Years

SECTION 5Getting Kids Active

Tips for Getting Infants Active

Provide opportunities for supervised tummy time several times each day.

Provide opportunities for movement both indoors and outdoors.

Provide a variety of play objects with different textures, sizes and shapes. Use large blocks, stacking toys, nesting cups, textured balls, squeeze toys, parachutes.

Limit an infant’s time in bouncy seats, swings, car seats and playpens to no more than 15 minutes at a time.

Encourage and assist infants to roll, reach, scoot, sit, stand, crawl and walk.

Provide parents with a daily update of their infant’s physical activity and skill development

Remember! Screen time is not recommended for infants.

Tips for Getting Young Children Active

Ensure that physical activity experiences:• Are fun and safe• Are a positive experience, free of negative

pressure• Provide diverse and interesting activities,

games and skill development opportunities• Are challenging• Consist of small but achievable goals• Emphasize basic motor skill development, such

as running, rolling, climbing, throwing, catching and kicking

• Take place in short bursts with frequent breaks• Are part of a child’s daily routine

Tips for Getting Young Children Active

While it is important to provide challenges for young children, it is equally important to ensure that activities are developmentally appropriate and safe. Children are not small adults. It is important to modify the equipment, space to suit the needs of young children.

Tips:• Use lighter softer, larger balls• Choose shorter, lighter bats and racquets• Choose larger goals or target areas• Partially deflate balls for dribbling and kicking• Simplify games by having children drop and catch the ball rather

than bouncing it consecutively• Modify the size of the playing area to make it easier for all

players to participate

Tips for Getting Young Children Active

• Be an active role model and an active participant in games and play with the children.

• Display photos of the children being active. Put up posters depicting physical activity.

• Use equipment that does not label by gender, such as balls, hoops, beanbags, etc.

• Limit rules that discourage physical activity (e.g., no balls, no running, etc.)

• Encourage and facilitate outdoor play as much as possible.

Tips for Getting Young Children Active

• Provide opportunities for children to participate in vigorous forms of physical activity such as running, dancing, chasing a ball and jumping.

• Promote activities that use large muscle groups and encourage movement of the whole body.

• Develop physical activity programming that benefits all children regardless of body type, size, skill, coordination.

• The goal is not to produce Olympic athletes but to contribute to lifelong attitudes that value physical activity.

Children with a Disability

An inclusive environment is one that provides the opportunity for children of all abilities and interests to participate in all activities.

Inclusive environments recognize the inherent value of each child, the right to take risks and make mistakes, the need for independence and self-determination, and the right to choice.

In all age groups, Canadians with a disability are less likely than other Canadians to participate in regular physical activities.

Everyone has a responsibility to remove barriers for children with disabilities so that they can have equal access to physical activities.

For more information on physical activity modifications, see Ophea’s Steps to Inclusion resource. http://www.ophea.net/

Children with a Disability

In an inclusive program:

• Activities are modified, adapted and individualized as necessary.

• Expectations are realistic yet challenging.

• Assistance is provided only to the degree required.

• Dignity of risk and availability of choices are respected and fostered.

• Visual cues include children with varying abilities.

• Activities are taught/led using different learning styles.

• Equipment is adapted/modified as necessary.

Reflecting a Variety of Cultures

• Select visuals (e.g., posters, wall cards, etc.) and resources that reflect diversity in gender and ethnicity.

• Use music and activities that reflect various cultures including songs, instruments and dances.

• Encourage children to express themselves according to their culture when participating in imaginative games and activities.

• Use culturally appropriate props, equipment and materials.

Teaching Physical Literacy in children prevents injuries!

Practical Strategies for Getting Young Children Active

Some young children may be hesitant to engage in physical activity. It is important to use observational skills to identify clues that may explain a child’s reluctance to be active. It is also helpful to have some general strategies at your fingertips!

Think, Pair, Share

• What might be some reasons that young children do notparticipate in physical activity?

• What are some strategies for implementing/promotingphysical activity (how, what, when)?

Let’s Get Active

Circle Time― ― ― ― ― ― ― ― ―

Let’s Get Active

Small Spaces― ― ― ― ― ― ― ― ―

Let’s Get Active

Large Spaces― ― ― ― ― ― ― ― ―

Practical Strategies for Getting Young Children Active: Scenarios

Scenario 1:Some young children might not like to engage in structured physical activity because of the task of learning and abiding by rules.

Strategies:• Encourage and provide opportunities for free play or other

unstructured forms of physical activity, such as dance.• Limit the number of rules and instructions.• Allow children to create their own games and make up

their own rules• Use positive instruction (e.g., “walk” vs. “don’t run”).• Provide different types of indoor and outdoor equipment to encourage

active play. Ensure that equipment promotes gross motor skills and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

• Ensure opportunities to be active indoors exist for those intimidated by outdoor play.

Practical Strategies for Getting Young Children Active: Scenarios

Scenario 2:Some young children may appear frustrated, cry or show a lack of interest during physical activity.

Strategy:• Choose times to be active when children are well-fed,

rested and alert. Be sure fluids are always available.• Watch out for signs of fatigue during physical activity and

end the activity before children start losing interest or stop having fun.

• Schedule physical activity for early in the day. Morning is often the best time for structured activity.

• Ensure children have sunscreen and are dressed appropriately for the weather (hot or cold).

Practical Strategies for Getting Young Children Active: Scenarios

Scenario 3:Children like routine and like to know what to expect in terms of timing, location of activities, etc.

Strategy:• Make physical activity part of a daily routine, just like lunch and

nap time. This way, children will know to expect that it is time to learn a new skill, play, etc.

• Expose children to different physical activity environments to help develop skills and strategies for adjusting to different situations.

• Take children for regular walks around the neighbourhood.• Encourage parents to walk/cycle their children to

preschool/daycare

Practical Strategies for Getting Young Children Active: Scenarios

Scenario 4:Some young children are shy or embarrassed to try a new skill or because they have had difficulty with a skill, game, etc. in the past

Strategy:• Teach the skill in a different way or try a new activity that teaches the

same skill.• Use toys, rather than equipment to learn a new skill.• Build children's self-confidence in physical activity by using praise,

encouragement and positive feedback. Do not force a child to perform an activity.

• Children should never be singled out or embarrassed into physical activity.

• Allow children to choose the type of activity they are interested in.• Be accepting of different body shapes and ability levels.• Use cooperative games that do not exclude anyone or ask anyone to

sit out.

Practical Strategies for Getting Young Children Active: Scenarios

Scenario 5:There may be limited (real or perceived) time for scheduling a planned, dedicated time to be active in a pre-school/day care setting.

Strategy:Build physical activity into other aspects of the program. For example:• Develop arts and crafts that require children to move around.• Encourage children to act out words/scenes in a story while reading a book.• Incorporate physical activity into math lessons (e.g., 2+2 = 4 jumping

jacks).• While teaching the alphabet, encourage children to make the letters with

their bodies. • While teaching about animals, encourage children to move around the

room like the animals they are learning about. • Incorporate physical activity into circle time lessons• Encourage children to do movements common to the season while learning

about days and months of the year (e.g., it is Dec. 20 – encourage children to do 20 snow shovels or 20 big snow shoe steps).

Group Brainstorm

• What do you do to get kids moving inside?

• What do you do to get kids moving outside?

• What do you do to limit sedentary time?

Physical Activity and the Early Years

SECTION 6Resources

Resources

• Active Healthy Kids Canada: www.activehealthykids.ca

• Best Start Resource Center: http://www.beststart.org/resources/physical_activity/index.html

• Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute: www.cflri.ca

• Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology: www.csep.ca/guidelines

• Caring for Kids: www.caringforkids.cps.ca

• McMaster University Child Health and Exercise Medicine Program: fhs.mcmaster.ca/chemp

• ParticipACTION: www.participaction.com

• Alberta Centre for Active Living: http://www.centre4activeliving.ca

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Resources – Physical Activity Links

• Rainbow Fun: A physical activity and healthy eating program for young children

• Greater Sudbury: Physical activity resource guide for childcare centres

• Best Start: Have a ball together

• Mount Royal College: A Hop, Skip and a Jump: Enhancing Physical Literacy

Resources

• Ophea’s Early Learning Cards – Easy-to-implement activities that support H&PE learning areas of the Full Day Kindergarten program. http://earlylearning.ophea.net/

• Ophea Alphabet Yoga Cards – Playful poses that teach children the basics of yoga while developing their physical literacy and language skills.www.ophea.net

• PlaySport - An educational website with many great activities designed to teach kids games by playing games! www.playsport.net

• Healthy Opportunities for Preschoolers. Viviene Temple, Justen O’Connorhttp://education2.uvic.ca/Faculty/temple/pages/hop/loco.pdf

• HANDS UP – A three-part illustrated video series on health and physical literacy. http://www.ophea.net/programs-services/additional-resources/hands-up

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Resources

• Developing Policy to Advance Physical Literacy in Child Care Settings in Alberta. Wellspring, December 2012, Volume 23, Number 6. The Alberta Centre for Active Living

• Canadian Sport for Life http://www.canadiansportforlife.ca/resources/LTAD-implementation

• Moving and Growing Series. Canadian Child Care Federation and Canadian Institute of Child Health; 2004; www.cccf-fcsge.ca

• Fun and Physical Activity; Toronto Public Health. http://www.toronto.ca/health/newfun.pdf

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Sharing

• Resources• Great Ideas• Success Stories

Wrap-up

• Questions• Evaluation

Contributors

Dr. Jory Basso, BSc, Dip SIM, CSCS, DCChiropractor, ProfessorHybrid Health & Fitness Toronto

Janet Dawson, CPT, BSc. HE, MSc.Health PromoterPeterborough County-City Health Unit

Chris Sherman BHK, B.Ed.Public Health Educator, Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit