The Goddard School for Early Childhood Development in Elgin has launched the first pre-K gym class among more than 385 schools in the US that are owned and operated by independent educator-franchisees, the Daily Herald reports.
The organization has always considered playgrounds to be an extension of the classroom, according to the King of Prussia, Pa.-based educational childcare business. It has operated in the US since 1988.
“In addition to running, jumping and climbing, teachers plan nature walks, picnics and other learning opportunities. Weather permitting, children play outside every day,” information on the website says.
Start early, avoid problems in their teenage years
Much has been written about the childhood obesity epidemic lately, and we refer you to other articles for more information.
The folks at the Goddard School in Elgin have their own take on it, as they do about many aspects of running a pre-K educational daycare, according to information in the Daily Herald.
“The kids don’t even know they are doing physical fitness and learning,” Sheryl Nelson, owner of Elgin’s Goddard School, told the paper. “It is fun, and that is what preschool is supposed to be. When you’re having fun and having a good time, you learn the most.”
The school’s 25-year-old physical education teacher is the only one employed by Goddard schools in 34 states.
“With the childhood obesity problems, kids need to be physically active and know about proper nutrition because we don’t want problems to escalate in their early teens,” the Daily Herald quoted Nichole Vittorino as saying.
“It’s not just about sport,” she said. “In the end we are tying in the academics and socialization skills. They’re learning to count, their colors and spelling.”
Research supports using physical fitness at an early age
Danielle D. Wadsworth and other researchers in the Department of Kinesiology at Auburn University found that physical activity behaviors established in early childhood relate to physical activity behaviors in later years. The research was published in the Early Childhood Education Journal in January.
However, the study’s authors point out, children are engaging in more and more sedentary behaviors. Therefore, incorporating structured and planned physical activity breaks into classroom transition times is an inexpensive and effective technique to increase children’s physical activity during school hours. This sets habits which stay with them throughout life, on average.
The study provided a method for applying physical activity to classroom breaks for preschoolers, but the Goddard School has gone one better, scheduling an actual gym class for preschoolers.
It’ll be interesting to see, given that very few studies have actually been able to analyze the results of increased physical activity in school for preschoolers—maybe Goddard will conduct one such study themselves.
Citation: Danielle D. Wadsworth, Leah E. Robinson, Karen Beckham and Kip Webster. “Break for Physical Activity: Incorporating Classroom-Based Physical Activity Breaks into Preschools.” Early Childhood Education Journal 36 (6): 391-395 (Jan. 2012), DOI: 10.1007/s10643-011-0478-5.
