Strategies & Activities for Early Learning, Ages 3–5: Physical Education

Introduction

Physical education aims to raise healthy, responsible children who have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to work with others, think critically, and take part in activities that lead to a lifelong healthy lifestyle. Physical development plays a key role in building a child's self-esteem, confidence, fitness, and overall well-being. Research shows that children who are physically active for 60 minutes a day (spread across a 24-hour period) are healthier, more self-confident, better learners, and less likely to miss school (National Association for Sport and Physical Education [NASPE], 2011). As children refine how they move their bodies, they also build the higher-order thinking skills needed for later social and academic success. Participating in both cooperative (team-based) and competitive activities helps children develop important life skills.

Quality physical education uses age-appropriate experiences to build competence and confidence in activities such as sports, dance, outdoor recreation, and fitness. The focus should always be on making sure every child experiences success and enjoyment. Children need well-rounded playtime that lets them build both gross motor skills (movements using large muscles) and fine motor skills (movements using small muscles).

Key Terms:

• Motor skills refer to both small-muscle and large-muscle movements.
• Gross (large) motor skills — including walking, kicking, hopping, galloping, running, sliding, skipping, leaping, and jumping — form the foundation of movement.
• Fine (small) motor skills — including the two-finger pincer grasp (using the thumb and index finger to pick up small items) and handling small objects — support the development of pre-writing abilities.
• Locomotor skills are movements that carry the body from one place to another: walking, hopping, running, jumping, galloping, leaping, and sliding.
• Non-locomotor skills are movements performed in place, such as balancing on one foot, moving individual body parts, bending, twisting, and turning.

How Adults Support Learning in Physical Education

Adults can support children's physical development by:

• Continually encouraging, challenging, and strengthening both gross and fine motor skills through teaching, modeling, and giving children many chances to:
• Run, gallop, throw, catch, hop, kick, dance, jump, climb, pull, carry, stretch, bend, twist, and move individual body parts.
• Practice building with large and small blocks, molding clay, using scissors or tongs, stringing beads, placing pegs in holes, completing puzzles, using a computer mouse, and experimenting with different writing tools (pencils, crayons, markers) and art materials (paint, printmaking, clay, stamps).
• Joining in fine and gross motor activities alongside the children.
• Teaching, demonstrating, and enforcing proper safety rules.
• Offering chances for both structured, organized play and free, spontaneous play.

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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 involve strengthening the hand and wrist, which helps children begin developing pre-writing skills.

Substrand: Gross Motor

General Strategies and Activities:

• Set up a simple obstacle course so children can practice several gross motor movements.
• While walking in a line, have the child at the front name an animal and show how they think it moves; the rest of the line copies the movement.
• Use different types of balls to practice catching, throwing, and kicking.
• Use both stationary and portable equipment to build large motor skills.

Standard	Strategies & Activities
PE 3yr.1.1: Take part 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 place to another. Use colored cones, modeling and directing which movement children should perform as they go from one cone to the next.
PE 3yr.1.2: Take part in activities that build coordination and balance during movements that stay in one place (for example, balancing on one foot, moving individual body parts).	Play games where children copy movements in teacher-led or child-led group activities. Give children chances to practice movements like standing on one foot, bending at the waist, or stretching upward on tiptoes.
PE 3yr.1.3: Take part in activities that build large-muscle control for handling objects (for example, throwing and catching a ball, hitting a ball with a club, riding wheeled toys).	Use music along with props such as streamers or scarves to encourage big movements. Use hoops or floor targets so children can try to drop a ball onto the target. Begin practicing the proper use of wheeled toys.

Substrand: Fine Motor

General Strategies and Activities:

• Provide fine motor tools (stringing beads, stacking blocks, puzzles, large interlocking blocks, etc.) so children can build these skills.
• Encourage children to dress themselves (jackets, boots, socks, gloves, hats, etc.).
• Offer a variety of writing tools (paint, paintbrushes, crayons, markers, chalk, colored pencils, etc.) to explore.
• Give children chances to cross the midline of their body (reach across their own center) through dance, play, writing, and similar activities.

Standard	Strategies & Activities
PE 3yr.1.4: Handle small pieces or objects (puzzle pieces, interlocking cubes, tongs, etc.) and build with a variety of blocks.	Provide blocks of different sizes and types for stacking and building. Encourage children to begin practicing zipping their own backpacks or jackets. Provide scissors so children can practice fringing paper, snipping straws, or cutting playdough.
PE 3yr.1.5: With guidance and support, build small-muscle control by making lines, circles, and scribbles using writing tools (for example, chalk, crayons, paint, markers, digital tools).	Offer different materials — sand, shaving cream, or finger paint — so children can practice simple writing strokes with their fingers. Provide 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 3yr.1.6: This skill begins at the 4-year-old level.	N/A
PE 3yr.1.7: This skill begins at the 4-year-old level.	N/A

Strand 2: Efficient Movement and Performance

Efficient movement and performance come from gaining greater control over body movements and becoming aware of personal boundaries (the space around one's own body).

Standard	Strategies & Activities
PE 3yr.2.1: Begin to show awareness that personal boundaries exist.	Use activities such as hula hoops or having children stretch their arms out to mark their own space, helping them understand their own space and that of others. Guide children's interactions and discuss how their movements may affect others. Use music and movement activities that encourage children to move while keeping appropriate distance from others.

Strand 3: Physical Activity as a Tool for Wellness

Children will identify activities that bring them satisfaction and enjoyment by participating in physical activity and reflecting on how it supports lifelong wellness.

Standard	Strategies & Activities
PE 3yr.3.1: Recognize how exercise and physical activity affect physical and emotional well-being (for example, noticing changes in breathing or heart rate, discussing how activity helps muscles and the body, asking what physical activities a child enjoys).	Encourage children to take part in energetic play, and draw their attention to the physical changes (such as heart rate) they feel before and after the activity. Build physical activity into the daily schedule and talk about why it matters. Offer books and pictures about physical activities for children to explore and try. Provide equipment so children can engage in exercise suited to their age.

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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 involve strengthening the hand and wrist, helping children begin developing pre-writing skills.

General Strategies and Activities for Gross Motor Skill Development:

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

Substrand: Gross Motor

Standard	Strategies & Activities
PE 4yr.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 place to another. Use colored cones to mark paths where children use different motor skills to travel from one color to the next. Set up a simple obstacle course for practicing a variety of gross motor movements. Play games where children copy each other's movements in teacher-led group activities. Play simple relay races and games where children take turns using different movements and maneuvers.
PE 4yr.1.2: Show coordination and balance during movements that stay in one place (for example, balancing on one foot, moving individual body parts).	Give children chances to practice movements like standing on one foot, bending at the waist, or stretching upward on tiptoes. Play games where children copy movements in teacher-led or child-led group activities.
PE 4yr.1.3: Show large-muscle control for handling objects (for example, throwing and catching a ball, hitting a ball with a club, riding wheeled toys).	Use music along with props such as streamers or scarves to encourage big movements. Use different types of balls to practice catching, throwing, and kicking. Use hoops or floor targets so children can 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 Skills