Early childhood professionals know movement contributes to the overall development of young children. In the physical realm, movement not only helps essential motor skills develop and mature properly, but it also promotes physical fitness, which is especially important considering the current childhood obesity crisis and its related health issues. Socially and emotionally, developmentally appropriate movement activities help children learn cooperation skills and how to take turns and share space with others. And recent research shows movement is critical to brain and cognitive development. Still, many early childhood programs don’t include movement activities beyond the daily trip outside or the occasional dance to a children’s recording. Why? The most common reason: lack of space. After all, how can you manage physical activity for several lively children when there’s barely enough room for them to sit at circle time without crowding each other?
Read More: Early Childhood News