Strategies & Activities

EARLY LEARNING, AGES 3 to 5

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

For Early Learning Utah Core Standards, Ages 3 to 5
PHYSICAL EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

The goal of physical education is to help children grow into healthy, responsible people. It gives them the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to work with others, think carefully, and try many kinds of activities that lead to a healthy life. Moving your body helps build confidence, fitness, and overall well-being. Research shows that kids who are active for 60 minutes a day are healthier, feel more confident, learn better, and miss fewer days of school (National Association for Sport and Physical Education [NASPE], 2011). As children get better at moving their bodies, they also build important thinking skills they will need later in school and in life. Kids also learn important life skills by working together on teams and by competing in friendly activities.

Good physical education matches activities to what children are ready for. It helps them feel confident and skilled in things like sports, dance, outdoor play, and fitness. The main goal is to make sure every child can succeed and have fun. Children need plenty of playtime so they can practice both gross motor skills (movements using big muscles) and fine motor skills (movements using small muscles).

Definitions:

• Motor skills are movements made with either small muscles or large muscles.
• Gross (large) motor skills include walking, kicking, hopping, galloping, running, sliding, skipping, leaping, and jumping. These are the building blocks of movement.
• Fine (small) motor skills include things like using two fingers to pick up small objects (called a pincer grasp). These skills help children get ready to write.
• Locomotor skills are movements that carry the body from one place to another, such as walking, hopping, running, jumping, galloping, leaping, and sliding.
• Non-locomotor skills are movements that stay in one spot, such as balancing on one foot, moving one body part at a time, bending, twisting, and turning.

HOW ADULTS CAN HELP CHILDREN LEARN IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Adults can support children's learning by:

• Encouraging and challenging children's gross and fine motor skills. Teach and show children how to run, gallop, throw, catch, hop, kick, dance, jump, climb, pull, carry, stretch, bend, twist, and move one body part at a time.
• Letting children practice building with large and small blocks, shaping clay, using scissors or tongs, stringing beads, putting pegs into holes, doing puzzles, using a computer mouse, and using different writing tools (like pencils, crayons, and markers) and art materials (like paint, stamps, and clay).
• Joining in on fine and gross motor activities with the children.
• Teaching, showing, and following safety rules.
• Giving children chances for both planned games and free play.

Strategies & Activities for 3-YEAR-OLDS

Strand 1: MOTOR SKILLS AND MOVEMENT

Motor skill development includes both small muscle and large muscle movements. Gross (large) motor skills include walking, kicking, hopping, galloping, running, sliding, skipping, leaping, and jumping. Fine (small) motor skills include activities that strengthen the hand and wrist, helping children begin to get ready for writing.

Substrand: GROSS MOTOR

General Strategies and Activities for Gross Motor Skills and Movement:

• Set up a simple obstacle course so children can practice different gross motor movements.
• While walking down the hall, let the child at the front of the line name an animal and show how they think it moves. The other children copy the movement.
• Use different kinds of balls to practice catching, throwing, and kicking.
• Use both still and moveable equipment to help build large motor skills.

Standards and Strategies:

PE 3 yr.1.1: Join in activities that build control and balance while moving from one place to another (for example, walking forward in a straight line, hopping, running and stopping, changing direction, and jumping over low objects).

• Play games where children move (run, jump, hop, etc.) from one spot to another.
• Use colored cones. Show children which movement to use to get from one cone to the next.

PE 3 yr.1.2: Join in activities that build coordination and balance without moving from one place to another (for example, balancing on one foot or moving one body part at a time).

• Play games where children copy movements, either in a group led by a teacher or one they create themselves.
• Give children chances to practice single movements, like standing on one foot, bending at the waist, or stretching up on their tiptoes.

PE 3 yr.1.3: Join in activities that build control of large muscles to handle objects (for example, throwing and catching a ball, hitting a ball with a club, or riding wheeled toys).

• Use music, along with props like streamers or scarves, to encourage big movements.
• Use hoops or targets on the ground and have children try to drop a ball onto the target.
• Begin practicing the safe and proper use of wheeled toys.

Substrand: FINE MOTOR

General Strategies and Activities for Fine Motor Skills and Movement:

• Offer fine motor tools and toys (like stringing beads, stacking blocks, puzzles, and large interlocking blocks) so children can build fine motor skills.
• Encourage children to put on their own clothing (jackets, boots, socks, gloves, hats, etc.).
• Offer different writing tools (paint, paintbrushes, crayons, markers, chalk, colored pencils, etc.) for children to try.
• Give children chances to move their arms or hands across the middle of their body (called crossing the midline) through dance, play, or writing.

Standards and Strategies:

PE 3 yr.1.4: Handle small pieces or objects (like puzzle pieces, interlocking cubes, and tongs) and build with different kinds of blocks.

• Offer blocks in different sizes and types for stacking and building.
• Encourage children to start practicing zipping their own backpacks or jackets.
• Give children scissors to practice fringing paper, snipping straws, or cutting play dough.

PE 3 yr.1.5: With help and guidance, build small muscle control by making lines, circles, and scribbles using writing tools (such as chalk, crayons, paint, markers, or digital tools).

• Offer materials like sand, shaving cream, or finger paint so children can practice simple writing strokes with their fingers.
• Give children tools for pouring or digging.
• Provide tongs so children can practice picking up pom-poms, seeds, or beads to strengthen their hands and fine motor skills.

PE 3 yr.1.6: This standard begins at age 4. (Not applicable yet.)

PE 3 yr.1.7: This standard begins at age 4. (Not applicable yet.)

Strand 2: EFFICIENT MOVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

Efficient movement and performance happen when children gain more control over their body movements and become aware of personal space.

Standards and Strategies:

PE 3 yr.2.1: Begin to notice that personal space exists.

• Use activities like hula hoops or stretching arms out wide to help children understand their own space and other people's space.
• Guide how children interact with each other, and talk about how their movements can affect others.
• Use music and movement games to help children move while keeping a safe distance from others.

Strand 3: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS A TOOL FOR WELLNESS

Children will notice which activities they enjoy through play and thinking about how physical activity can lead to a healthy life.

Standards and Strategies:

PE 3 yr.3.1: Notice how exercise and physical activity affect how our body and feelings (for example, noticing changes in breathing or heartbeat, talking about how exercise helps our muscles and body, or asking children what activities they enjoy).

• Encourage children to join in active play, and point out body changes (like heart rate) before and after the activity.
• Plan time for physical activity every day, and talk about why it matters.
• Offer books and pictures about physical activities for children to look at and try.
• Provide equipment so children can do exercises that fit their age.

Strategies & Activities for 4-YEAR-OLDS

Strand 1: MOTOR SKILLS AND MOVEMENT

Motor skill development includes both small muscle and large muscle movements. Gross (large) motor skills include walking, kicking, hopping, galloping, running, sliding, skipping, leaping, and jumping. Fine (small) motor skills include activities that strengthen the hand and wrist, helping children begin to get ready for writing.

General Strategies and Activities for Gross Motor Skill Development:

• Set up a simple obstacle course so children can practice different gross motor movements.
• Taking turns, have children name an animal, show how it moves, and let others copy the movement.
• Use different kinds of balls to practice catching, throwing, and kicking.
• Use both still and moveable equipment to help build large motor skills.

Substrand: GROSS MOTOR

Standards and Strategies:

PE 4 yr.1.1: Show control and balance while moving from one place to another (for example, walking forward in a straight line, hopping, running and stopping, changing direction, and jumping over low objects).

• Play games where children move (run, jump, hop, etc.) from one spot to another.
• Use colored cones to mark paths where children practice different movements to reach the next color.
• Set up a simple obstacle course where children can practice a variety of gross motor movements.
• Play games where children copy each other's movements, either in a large or small group led by a teacher.
• Play simple relay races and games where children take turns using different movements.

PE 4 yr.1.2: Show coordination and balance in movement without moving from one place to another (for example, balancing on one foot or moving one body part at a time).

• Give children chances to practice single movements, like standing on one foot, bending at the waist, or stretching up on their tiptoes.
• Play games where children copy movements, either in a group led by a teacher or one they create themselves.

PE 4 yr.1.3: Show control of large muscles to handle objects (for example, throwing and catching a ball, hitting a ball with a club, or riding wheeled toys).

• Use music, along with props like streamers or scarves, to encourage big movements.
• Use different kinds of balls to practice catching, throwing, and kicking.
• Use hoops or targets on the ground and have children try to drop a ball onto the target.
• Begin practicing the use of wheeled toys.

Substrand: FINE MOTOR

General Strategies and Activities for Fine Motor Skill Development:

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