9/02/2008

Importants of Movement

I want to help teachers understand why a preschooler must move so much. Actually, this can help any teacher in any age group pretty much. It is especially important in the early years because children are growing so fast!

Many teacher think that they can get children to sit still at circle and when they don't they are just too wiggly and can't follow directions. This is so far from the truth! When children are wiggly (especially more so than usually) they are probably going through a growth spurt.

Here is a simple explanation: Bone grows faster than muscle; however, that muscle must keep up with the bone growth!

Here's a little insight to the process; something that will help you better understand where the children are coming from:

When you (as an adult) want to build muscle tone, you go to the gym and work out. What you are actually doing is tearing the muscle to build up more muscle mass. When you tear these muscles, more muscle has to be formed, which causes the buildup of more muscle.

As a child who is growing, the bone is doing what it's supposed to do: adding length. The muscles must keep up with this process. In order to keep up with the bones, more muscle mass needs to be built up so that it can stretch with the bone. How is this done? The some way you (adults) build muscle mass: tear the muscle so that it forms more muscle cells.

So, when a child is moving around, running, wiggling, and all that fun stuff, it is a matter of NEED not WANT. A child MUST move around so much. They have to keep building muscle mass at the same rate as their bones are growing.

How does this information help you? Plan active activities. Plan activities that cause the children to move around, jump, run, and build those muscles! You will be much less stressed and the children will be much more healthier and happier!

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