How we teach physical play at Huili Nursery: EY1–EY2
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework advises that children of Early Years age who are capable of walking unaided be physically active for at least three hours throughout the day. There is a good reason for this.
Physical activity is more than just a release valve for our pupils' boundless energy. In fact, it is impossible to overstate just how important physical play is to the overall development of our young pupils.
There are the obvious physical benefits, of course. It builds strength and develops balance and coordination. It also improves gross motor skills like throwing, catching, skipping and kicking. These are not just the roots of athletic skills. They are fundamental to a child's ability to move through and interact with the physical world.
It also aids in cognitive development, socialisation, mental health and wellbeing. Our pupils learn about the relationship between their bodies and their surroundings. They learn about the consequences of their actions and gain the confidence to take calculated risks.
Game play teaches them to cooperate as they cultivate and navigate relationships with their peers — skills that will prove invaluable later in life.
Moreover, people who are active are generally happier and better equipped to manage stress and cope with daily challenges. This is as true for a 30-year-old as it is for a three-year-old.
▲Scroll to read 'Advantages of Huili Early Years Education'
Physical play is integral to our curriculum at Huili Nursery, and we have carefully crafted a framework that meets children's specific needs at each specific stage of early development.
This week, we will look at the physical education curriculum for our youngest pupils in EY1 and EY2.
Our curriculum combines key elements from the EYFS statutory framework and the Chinese National Curriculum. We progress through the year with five-week-long projects that are guided by key development indicators. For instance, we evaluate our EY1 pupils' development on their ability to:
Walk up or down steps using alternating feet
Climb using hands and feet
Kick a variety of balls
Run safely on the whole foot
Jump down from low heights
Use equipment that requires pushing and pulling
Throw an object overhand
To help our pupils meet these objectives, we start small. The nursery environment is new to them, so with our first project, we take time to acclimate them to their new surroundings and earn their trust. It is important that they are happy, comfortable and ready to begin their learning journey.
Children in this age group are steady on their feet, but they still need help improving their coordination. So, our next project is 'Discovering Movement', which encourages them to explore the movements of their larger muscles. We then advance to projects that help them to develop fundamental gross motor skills, such as throwing and kicking.
Through projects such as 'Cooperative Games – Interactions' we teach our pupils social skills. By playing simple games, we encourage them to interact with each other. We incorporate objects such as balls and balloons to help them develop greater hand-eye and foot-eye coordination. They begin to learn the fundamentals of communication and cooperation.
Because we are bilingual nursery, there is language-orientated component as well. At this early stage, instruction is primarily done in English and is translated into Chinese. The pupils begin to make correlations and associations between the sounds of a new language and their mother tongue.
As they advance, we begin to incorporate our outdoor spaces into their learning. Here, they will build strength, balance and coordination through activities such as running and jumping.
By the time our pupils advance to EY2, their key development indicators become more challenging and complex. Their progress is measured by their ability to:
Walk down steps using alternating feet, sometimes holding onto the banister
Move freely and confidently in a variety of ways, such as slithering, shuffling, rolling, crawling, walking, running, jumping, skipping, sliding and hopping
Run skilfully and negotiate space successfully, adjusting speed or direction to avoid obstacles
Stand momentarily on one foot
Catch a large ball
Balance and pedal a 3 wheeled vehicle
Mount stairs, steps or climb equipment using alternating feet
Continued development of large muscle groups enables our EY2 children to master activities like climbing or pedaling a tricycle. But they still must develop awareness, control and the ability to coordinate their large muscle movements. This is why our first project for this year group is 'Balance and movement'.
We also build further on the social skills that our pupils cultivated in EY1. We begin shifting the focus to more activities that promote teamwork. They also begin developing deeper social-emotional skills, such as self-confidence, social awareness and taking risks. These are basic skills that will serve them throughout their life.
Watch this spot. Next week, we will explore how we help our pupils develop and grow as they advance to EY3 and EY4.
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