Physical Education at “Kindergarden”

Education for young ones plays a great role in their development. Here we shall go through the concept of kid’s foundation at kindergarten (as often we misspell as kindergarten) and the requirement of the physical education for kids growth.

Let’s start with how to spell “Kindergarden or Kindergarten”?

Kindergarden is a commonly misspelt word in English.

The correct is Kindergarten, it came from German word means “children’s garden”, “Kinder” means “children” and Garten means “garden”. The term was coined by German pedagogue Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel. He laid the foundation for modern early year’s education and believed that children should be nurtured and cared for like “plants in a garden”.

The word Kindergarden is so commonly used it rather accepted as an anglicized version. English words generally used for kindergarten is nursery, pre-school, playgroup etc.

What age do kids start kindergarten?

Kindergarten in the United States is a program generally for 5-year-olds, but sometimes includes 4-to-6-year-olds. Kids can start kindergarten from age 2.5 years also depending upon educational methods. This part of early education is a training ground for the child for the next education level, a transition from home environment to school environment.

Learning at kindergarten:

The kindergarten aims to create awareness and understanding, attitude, actions and skills through an education curriculum that enables physical activities so that every student have development including physical, social, emotional, language, literacy and both cognitive and emotional skills. 

Physical education goals in kindergarten:

Physical education at the level of kindergarten is an extension of academic learning that improves the fine motor and gross motor skills of each student. The Physical Education curriculum for kindergarten students includes games, fitness routine, mental exercise games, other events, such, obstacle courses, rotations in exercise, and freedom of movement.

Physical activities training is not just a question of being involved, it teaches skills to solve problems, compete with peers, or improve motor skills. It builds autonomy, accountability and better judgment. Kids will take on leadership positions, collaborate and learn regulations

Goals represent the child’s psychological development, cognitive, social and emotional development, skill development. The various stages of development through physical education are discussed as below:

Engagement activities

Age-appropriate facilities are used in sport or movement events to learn basic skills. Eye-catching materials like soft colored balls catch students' attention, as teachers develop several opportunities to engage in physical activities. The use of imagination for kindergarten students is the most critical aspect of physical education, as they use movement to convey true experiences. For example, students will show the waves on the ocean on a sunny calm day or during a storm when they play parachute. This encourages young students to engage actively in an inclusive activity that may be related to their weather discussions in the classroom at a later time.

Kids are aided in mental wellbeing by using the class as a source of tensions and anxiety through a good physical education curriculum. It improves emotional maturity and resilience. A large activity education curriculum, which is vital to peer culture, may play an important role in supporting children socially effectively.

It is essential to build the self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth of a child. Children feel integrated and are a part of something wonderful during the activity education class as it helps to learn new skills, principles and become more optimistic, reliable and autonomous.

Develop competency

Physical education at kindergarten will help Kids understanding of modes of movement and develop competency to tackle the age appropriate task. They can

• Travel in a range of locomotive and non-locomotive patterns and rapidly shift direction as a reaction to the signal
• Expose strong contrasts between continuous and sudden movement when you are driving
• Walk and run with mature form and appropriate alignment of the body
• Climb the stationary ball with smooth and continuous operation
• maintain momentary silence on various parts of the body
• Demonstrate progress in the required type of selected manipulative, motorized and non-motorized skills· Develop positive developments in sound system mechanics
• Develop positive development of sound body mechanics.

Development of motor skills

Kids will have understanding of concepts and principles of movement to motor education. They will be able to:

• Walk, sprint, hop and move in the direction and direction of the signal and change direction rapidly
• Identify and use various spatial links with a student and objects
• Start to use strategies to soften the landing as jumping skills are developing, and then define movement principles (personal space, low- and abrupt speeds, light/firm balance and silence twist/turn).
• Use relevant principles to improve performance of movement (e.g., change direction while running)
• To identify both locomotive and non-locomotive movement patterns (skipping, striking, travelling, gestures).

 Develop Fitness

Kids will cultivate and sustain an active and mentally healthy lifestyle throughout kindergarten.

They will be able to:

• To engage on a routine basis in moderate to intense physical activity; identify preferred and unpreferred physical activity
• Be mindful of increased fast heart rate when they are active; and change their respiratory pattern.
• During kindergarten, students develop a range of exercises and activities for health promotion.
• Take part in a single exercise programme
• sustain physical activity to reap cardiovascular benefits
• Carry out resistance exercises to promote muscle strength, muscle stamina and flexibility

Social Personal Development

Kids develop personal living abilities and acquire values that show responsible personal and social behavior during kindergarten. They can

• Apply rules to participate in the gym
• Work in a group environment, without interference
• Sensitive to the instruction of the instructor
• Fixed rules
• Follow instructions during class activities
• Handles equipment safely and always with accountability
• Take turns when they use equipment.

Cultural Diversity

Kids will gain an understanding of the skills, differences and cultural diversity of individuals during kindergartens.

They can:

• Enjoy themselves and others participating as they play
• Choose play-mates without consideration for individual differences (e.g., race, gender, disability)
• Answer and constructive interaction with all classroom students.