{"id":273,"date":"2023-11-13T16:09:43","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T16:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/chapter\/supporting-fundamental-movements\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T20:16:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T20:16:07","slug":"supporting-fundamental-movements","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/chapter\/supporting-fundamental-movements\/","title":{"raw":"11.4: Supporting Fundamental Movements","rendered":"11.4: Supporting Fundamental Movements"},"content":{"raw":"
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Physical Development & Health The Physical Development & Health domain describes children\u2019s physical well-being, knowledge of their bodies, health, safety, nutrition practices, and motor skill development. Children who have health problems, delays in development, and frequent illness may suffer from a range of poor educational outcomes.<\/p>\r\n

Children\u2019s knowledge of their bodies and health impacts their development of healthy habits early in life, habits that are key to lifelong health. This domain includes skills that enable children to develop healthy habits, such as staying safe, performing self-care tasks independently of others, exercising, and eating healthy food. The development of motor skills allows children to explore and learn about their world and develop healthy bodies. [1]<\/p>\r\n

Fundamental movement skills are the foundations on which more complex movement skills are built. Early childhood is a crucial and unique time for developing coordination of the basic movement skills. During this period, daily movement experiences significantly influence children\u2019s patterns of movement and their future as happy, active movers. Children who develop these fundamental movement skills tend to become confident movers and have the building blocks for an active way of life.<\/p>\r\n

Fundamental movement skills emerge following a developmental sequence from simple to more complex body actions. Initially, when children attempt a movement pattern, they move a few body parts (e.g., when throwing, they move only one arm while the rest of their body remains still). As their movement skills develop, children begin incorporating other body parts (e.g., throwing with one arm while stepping with one foot). Research-based developmental sequences represent common pathways of development and can guide instruction and learning. However, each child\u2019s development is unique and affected by many factors (e.g., genetics, culture, special needs, socioeconomic status, environment, and practice). Teachers should expect variations in individual development.<\/p>\r\n

Fundamental movement skills develop through meaningful interactions with the environment, people, and objects; through both structured (e.g., teacher-guided) and unstructured (e.g., child-initiated play) practice of movement skills; through the integration of fundamental motor skills into the preschool curriculum; and the integration of fundamental movement skills into the daily home life of children. Children\u2019s movement activities should be designed with consideration of the multiple cultures and diversity of the participants. In addition, teachers need to be sensitive to children with disabilities and special needs and modify the tasks, context, or environment, including appropriate assistive devices and instructional strategies, to facilitate the development of fundamental skills for all children.<\/p>\r\n

Fundamental movement skills include:<\/p>\r\n

Gross Motor Skills<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

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The movement skills that children use to move effectively and efficiently through space. These skills allow children to travel, explore, and discover their environments. Preschool children use locomotor skills in their daily activities to move from one area to another.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

[caption id=\"attachment_1315\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"200\"]\"\" Figure 11.2: Running is a locomotor skill that is being refined during early childhood.[2][\/caption]<\/figure>\r\n