permit no.2470 little rock, ar 72201 paid … · start! • seca will work to help you ... movin’...

SouthernEarly ChildhoodAssociation

of Early Childhood

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Dimensions

P.O. Box 55930 • Little Rock, AR 72215-5930Toll Free: 800-305-7322 • www.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org

SOUTHERNEARLYCHILDHOODASSOCIATION

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Little Rock, AR 72201Permit No. 2470

Theme Issue onInside Out, Outside In:Active Bodies and ActiveMinds

• Stop Obesity • Integrate Movement• Movin’ & Groovin’• Math & Science • Language Arts Gets

Physical

Check the inside back cover of this issue for complete information on how you can help.

"HAND TO HAND

AND

HEART TO HEART" SECA’s Response toHurricane Katrina

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Sta

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A video training series for child care professionals from the VelmaE. Schmidt Programs of the University of North Texas.

Designed to provide foundations in early literacy training tochildcare professionals, these video sets include seven tapes.

Introducing:

Success from the Start!

• SECA will work to help you "adopt" a program so that you can work directly with an early childhood program in the area to assist themin the re-building effort. (This can be a center or home program.) Your support can include fund raising, donations of materials, and any-thing else that is agreeable to both you and the recipient. This would be a good community service project for your children and lends apersonal touch to what can often be an impersonal process. Call us at 1-800-305-7322 to get on the list to "adopt a program."

"Hand to Hand and Heart to Heart" Helping Our Colleagues and the Children and Families of the Gulf Coast

We are currently facing the largest displacement of a civilianpopulation since the Civil War according to CNN. The city ofNew Orleans was under water, and the Gulf Coast has beenravaged. Families have been dislocated and, in the process,children have faced the trauma of the unknown. Early child-hood programs have been destroyed, and our colleagues facean uncertain future.

We know that you want to help, and the Southern EarlyChildhood Association is initiating three programs to assist inthe rebuilding of the early childhood community in the GulfCoast area. We will be able to assist immediately inMississippi, some parishes in Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida.The New Orleans area will take more time as local, state, and fed-eral authorities work to make the city habitable again.

Hurricane Relief FundSouthern Early Childhood AssociationP.O. Box 55930Little Rock, AR 72215

• Donations of books and teacher resources may be sent to:

There are three ways that you can help as the rebuilding begins:• SECA will accept financial donations that will be held at SECA until our state affiliates can assist us in determining the mosteffective way to distribute those funds. Your donation to SECA is tax-deductible, and you will receive a donation receipt. If you wouldlike to donate, please send your donation to:

Join SECA and our partners, NAEYC and the Gulf Coast Early Childhood Relief Project, to make a difference today

Child Care Hurricane ProjectFirst United Methodist Church412 W. Main StreetTupelo, MS 38804

Each tape is 30 minutes or less and can provide a springboard for discussion in a training you design for your staff.

Visit www.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org or call 1-800-305-7322 to purchase.

Special Price: $59 SECA members/$79 non-members

• Literacy Frameworks• Phonological Awareness• Motivation to Read & Literary Forms• Letter Knowledge & Early Word

Recognition

• Written Expression• Health and Wellness• Listening Comprehension and

Vocabulary Development

• Dr. T. Berry Brazelton & his National Seminar Series

• Marlo Thomas, the 2006 SECA Friend of Children

• Dr. Pam Schiller, author & former president of SECA

• The Honorable Bill Purcell, Mayor of Nashville, TN

• The Learning Station with Don Monopoli, national children’s recording and per-forming artist

• Mary Jo Huff, Storyteller

57th Annual ConferenceFebruary 1-4, 2006Opryland HotelNashville, TN

SE

CA

20

06

For complete information about theconference, (schedule, registration

form, hotel info, etc)., go towww.southernearlychildhood.org

or call 1-800-305-SECA.Registration materials have been

mailed to SECA members.

Special Appearances by:

Featuring

The T. Berry BrazeltonNational Seminar

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton Dr. Joshua Sparrow

Maria Trozzi Dr. Kristie Brandt

�Working in Harmonyfor Children�

Fall 2005 DIMENSIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD Volume 33, Number 3 1

Editor - Janet Brown McCrackenCover photo by Subjects and Predicates

Dimensions ofEarly Childhood

Copyright ©2005, Southern Early Child-hood Association (SECA). Permission is notrequired to excerpt or make copies of articles inDimensions of Early Childhood if they are distrib-uted at no cost. Contact the Copyright Clear-ance Center at (978) 750-8400 or www.copy-right.com for permission for academic photo-copying (coursepackets, study guides, etc.).Indexes for Dimensions of Early Childhood areposted on the SECA website at www.Southern-EarlyChildhood.org. Additional copies of Dimen-sions of Early Childhood may be purchased fromthe SECA office by calling (800) 305-SECA.Dimensions of Early Childhood (ISSN 1068-6177)is SECA’s journal. Third Class postage is paid atLittle Rock, Arkansas. SECA does not acceptresponsibility for statements of facts or opinionwhich appear in Dimensions of Early Childhood.

Authors are encouraged to ask for a copy ofSECA’s manuscript guidelines. Submit manuscriptsthat are typed and double spaced with referencesin APA style. E-mail manuscripts for review to theeditor at [email protected].

SECA serves the interests of early childhoodeducators concerned with child development,including university researchers and teacher educa-tors; early childhood, kindergarten, and primary-grade teachers; and early childhood program admin-istrators and proprietors.The association has affiliatesin 13 Southern states. Non-affiliate memberships areavailable to anyone living outside the 13 affiliatestates. For information about joining SECA, contactthe executive offices at P.O. Box 55930, Little Rock,AR 72215-5930, (800) 305-7322. Members receivea one-year subscription to Dimensions of EarlyChildhood and discounts on SECA publications andconference registration fees.

Southern Early Childhood AssociationP.O. Box 55930Little Rock, AR 72215-5930(800) 305-7322e-mail: [email protected]: www.southernearlychildhood.org

3Introduction to Theme Issues on

Inside Out, Outside In:Active Bodies and Active Minds

—Refereed Articles—4

We Can Stop Obesity Before It Starts:Implications for Early Childhood Programs

David R. Denton

14Integrate Movement to Enhance Children’s Brain Development

Suzanne Gellens

22Movin’ and Groovin’:

Integrating Movement Throughout the CurriculumCharlotte (Penny) Bernath and Wendy Masi

27Math & Science Go Outside

Sally Moomaw

33The Language Arts Get Physical:Fun, Fitness, and Fundamentals

Vikki K. Collins, Sallie Averitt Miller, and H. Marguerite Yates

—Departments—2

President’s MessageBeverly Oglesby

SouthernEarly ChildhoodAssociation Dimensions

Volume 33, Number 3 Fall 2005

of Early Childhood

2 Volume 33, Number 3 DIMENSIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD Fall 2005

PRESIDENT’SMESSAGE

MEMBERS AT LARGE

BOARD OF DIRECTORSBeverly Oglesby

President3138 Rhone Drive

Jacksonville, FL 32208

Terry GreenPresident-Elect

302 Clay StreetHenderson, KY, 42420

AFFILIATE REPRESENTATIVES

Kathi BushJefferson State Community College

2601 Carson Rd.Birmingham, AL 35215-3098

Diana Courson2 Woodlawn

Magnolia, AR 71753

Nancy Fraser Williams2430 NW 38th St.

Gainesville, FL 32605

Beth ParrMethodist Homes for Children

15 Jameswood AvenueSavannah, GA 31406

Kathy Attaway401 Persimmon Ridge Drive

Louisville, KY 40245

Susan Noel211 Maureen Drive

Youngsville, LA 70592

Capucine RobinsonJackson Public School District

662 S President StJackson, MS 39201

Georgia Lamirand2013 Rocky Point Drive

Edmond, OK 73003

Judy Whitesell309 Moss Creek Dr.Cayce, SC 29033

Nancy James7520 Cainsville Rd.Lebanon, TN 37090

Judy Carnahan-Webb11927 Waldeman

Houston, TX 77077

Steven FairchildJames Madison University

MSC 1904Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Nancy Cheshire270 W. Philadelphia

Bridgeport, WV 26330

-Alabama-

-Arkansas-

-Florida-

-Georgia-

-Kentucky-

-Louisiana-

-Mississippi-

-Oklahoma-

-South Carolina-

-Tennessee-

-Texas-

-Virginia-

-West Virginia-

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Janie HumphriesLouisiana Tech University

Gloria Foreman McGeeTennessee Technological

University

Ollie DavisHouston Independent

School District

Stephen GravesUniversity of South Florida

Peggy JesseeUniversity of Alabama

Nancy MundorfFlorida

Sandra Hutson1010 St. Peter St.

New Iberia, LA 70560

Lourdes Milan19019 Portofino Drive

Tampa, FL 33647-3088

STAFFGlenda Bean

Executive Director

Wow! Has it been 2 years already? Asanother school year begins and my term as yourSECA President ends, I reflect on the experiencesthat I have gained and how my life has beenenriched personally and professionally.

Professionally, I have....• Encountered and interacted with the most energetic, enthusiastic,

and courageous advocates for young children and their families.• Gained more knowledge about appropriate and best practices for

young children.• Gained new methods and techniques for instructing my students.

Personally, I have.....• Felt the love, caring, sharing, and nurturing among colleagues.• Gained new friends for life that have the same values and expecta-

tions that I have for young children. (Names I may forget, but facesI always remember!)

• Experienced Southern hospitality at its best.• Learned from your valued experiences as it related to your profession

and your families.As your President, I had three main goals: (1) to ensure that SECA

was represented at each state conference, (2) to bring the leaders of thestate affiliates together to network and discuss their concerns, and (3)to ensure that SECA achieved financial stability.

You, as members, have helped me to fulfill all of these goals, and I thankyou for your support.

As I traveled to state conferences, one of the duties that I enjoyed mostof all was meeting and greeting the local affiliate, chapter, and district mem-bers. (They are the heart of SECA.) The uniqueness of each conference wasfascinating and I enjoyed being a presenter and "hands-on" President as Iparticipated in each of those conferences.

The first Leadership Summit that brought the state leadership togetherwas held in Dallas and provided the SECA Board of Directors with the typeof input that they needed to set goals and develop a vision for SECA'sfuture.

The increase in dues enacted in 2004 has helped us to stabilize our officeand begin to offer more member benefits while upgrading the professionalstature of the SECA conference.

I thank you for giving me the privilege of serving as your President andhope that my hands-on approach has set a standard for future SECA Pres-idents. Thank you to the members of the SECA Board of Directors and myExecutive Committees for their support and vision. I say farewell as yourPresident but will always welcome you as true colleagues, friends, andchampions for young children.

I place the gavel now in the hands of Terry Green, knowing that she willmake an excellent President. SECA is the "Voice for Southern Children"and we need all of you to recruit your colleagues to lend their voice by join-ing the Southern Early Childhood Association.

Beverly Oglesby


The Centers for Disease Con-trol, the American Heart Associ-ation, and even Cookie Monsterare warning about the epidemicof obesity and the lifelong healthand emotional problems associ-ated with poor nutrition andsedentary lifestyles.

More than 10% of childrenfrom ages 2 through 5 are over-weight or at risk of becomingobese (American Heart Associa-tion, 2005). Pate (in Hellmlich,2004) reported that the 281 chil-dren he studied averaged 7.7minutes per hour of moderate tovigorous activity in their earlychildhood programs (private,church-based, and Head Start).Given the mainstream mediaattention, obesity and lifestylechoices have clearly become anissue for early childhood educators.

In this theme issue, DavidDenton provides an overview ofthe problems and possible causeswith the implications for earlychildhood providers. Brain researchershave linked movement to healthybrain development. Suzanne Gellensconnects the brain research withmovement ideas for the earlychildhood practitioner.

Three articles focus on practi-cal, everyday, appropriate activi-ties integrating movement intothe curriculum. Charlotte (Penny)Bernath and Wendy Masi describetheir success in purposefully infusingdaily school routines, lesson plans,and parent communication with

movement and physical educa-tion. “Math and Science GoOutside” by Sally Moomaw providesa wealth of ideas for integratingoutdoor activities with move-ment, math, and science. Withmany programs struggling tomeet literacy standards, readerswill be especially interested inthe article by Vikki Collins, Sal-lie Miller, and Marguerite Yatesthat is filled with ideas combininglanguage arts and physical activity.

Stephen W. Sanders article,“Physically Active for Life: EightEssential Motor Skills for allChildren” was also accepted forthis theme issue. Due to spacelimitations, this article, whichprovides a framework for a phys-ically active lifestyle that incor-porates practical activities andskills appropriate for young chil-dren, will appear in the Winter2006 issue of Dimensions.

These articles were chosen togive Dimensions readers clear rea-sons for including movementand physical activities in all earlychildhood programs. Please sharethese ideas with parents, direc-tors, and community leaders tohelp them understand the life-long implications and impor-tance of supporting the body andthe mind.

Also, you are encouraged to usethe information in these articlesto articulate and document howmovement and physical activity CANbe successfully integrated into early

childhood programs while meet-ing state and program standardsand making adaptations for chil-dren with special needs.

Now, as Bernath and Masi sug-gest, “Put on some sneakers, take thechildren, and GO PLAY!”

ReferencesAmerican Heart Association. (2005). Heart

Disease and Stroke Statistics—2005Update. Dallas, TX: American HeartAssociation.

Hellmich, N. (2004, November 1). Study:Kids don’t exercise nearly enough atpreschool. USA Today, p. 6D.

Nancy Mundorf

Introduction

We Can Stop Obesity Before It Starts:Implications for Early Childhood Programs

David R. Denton

What can teachers and families do to help reduce obesity in young children?A first step is to understand the complex factors that lead to unhealthy eatingand sedentary lifestyles.

4 Volume 33, Number 3 Fall 2005 DIMENSIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD Fall 2005

The United States is faced with an epidemic ofobesity—the nation is fat and getting fatter. That maysound like a crude exaggeration, but the data describe agrim reality. Between 1980 and 2002, the number ofadults who were obese doubled, from 15% of the popula-tion to 31%. Another 34% are overweight (NCHS, 2004).

Think about those numbers—two-thirds of all adultsin the United States are overweight, and almost half ofthem are obese! How many of us have shaken our headssadly on meeting a friend who has put on too many extrapounds, or fervently hoped we won’t be seated on theplane next to someone who needs a seat belt extension,all the while self-consciously avoiding our own reflectionsin the mirror? But this issue is about much more thaninconvenience and embarrassment. The obesity epidem-ic has implications for individuals that are deadly serious.

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for awide range of physical ailments, many of them lifethreatening. Heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are wellpublicized, but the list is much longer than that. Beingoverweight or obese has been implicated in arthritis,gallstones, sleep apnea, and asthma, not to mention linksto complications during pregnancy and even some typesof cancers, including those of the breast, prostate, andcolon (CDC, 2004a; National Research Council, 1989).

Obesity is not just a problem that affects adults. Inthe same period that saw the percentage of adults whoare obese double, the percentage of children and youthbetween the ages of 6 and 19 who are overweight greweven faster, rising from 6% in 1980 to 16% in 2002. Asimilar percentage of that age group is estimated to be atrisk of becoming overweight. (The term obesity is never

used in reference to overweight children and youth. Seesidebar.) Among children 2 to 5 years of age, more than10% are overweight, again a nearly three-fold increasesince 1980 (NCHS, 2004).

Children who are at high risk of being overweight aremore likely than those who are not to be overweight orobese as adults, with the resulting increased risk of chron-ic diseases. But it is not necessary to wait until overweightchildren grow up to see the increase in health problems.Overweight children are more likely to develop Type 2

The most pervasive effects of beingoverweight in childhood are probably

psychological.

David R. Denton, Ph.D., a writer and consultant inAtlanta, Georgia, was formerly Director of Readiness,Reading and Healthy Affairs for the Southern RegionalEducation Board in Atlanta.

The author thanks the staff of CDC's Nutrition and PhysicalActivity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Dis-eases for their help in expanding the knowledge and under-standing that went into this article.

What is obesity?

The United States Department of Health and HumanServices' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) define obesity as "an excessively high amount ofbody fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass."

The CDC measures the extent of obesity by calculatingbody mass index (BMI), the relationship (or ratio) of weightto height. BMI is a person's body weight in kilograms divid-ed by the square of his or her height in meters. BMI is morehighly correlated with body fat than any other indicator ofheight and weight (CDC, 2004). Adults with a BMI of 25 to29.9 are considered overweight, while individuals with aBMI of 30 or more are obese.

For children and youth under the age of 20, being over-weight or at risk of becoming overweight is determined bywhere their BMI falls as a percentile of all children of theirsame gender and age group. This is because girls and boysdiffer in their body fatness as they mature.

More detailed information on defining overweight andobesity in both children and adults can be found athttp://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/defining.htm.


diabetes than normal-weight chil-dren. Overweight children havebeen shown to have higher-than-average blood pressure, choles-terol, heart rate, and cardiac output,and they experience more orthope-dic problems and skin disorders thanchildren who are not overweight.They also are more likely to developasthma (ADAW, 2005; Fowler-Brown & Kahwati, 2004; Moran,1999).

The most pervasive health effectsof being overweight in childhoodare probably psychological, derivingfrom things like teasing by peers orinability to perform well in athletics.One recent study of the healtheffects of overweight in childrenconcluded that overweight children

suffer significant psychosocial effectsthat compromise their self-imageand self-esteem and that theseeffects will probably have a negativeimpact on their psychological healththroughout their lives, even if theyare not overweight as adults(Williams, Wake, Hesketh, Maher,& Waters, 2005).

Causes of ObesityThe reasons for the dramatic

increases in the percentage of chil-

dren and adults who are overweighthave been debated. Genetic andhormonal causes are responsible inonly a small minority of cases(Moran, 1999). The most obviouscauses are eating too muchunhealthy food and getting too littlephysical activity. To put it anotherway, obesity is a direct result of tak-ing in more calories than the bodyuses.

The increasing consumption ofconvenience foods is undoubtedlypart of the problem, too. Foodsand beverages like those sold in fastfood restaurants and vendingmachines tend to be high in bothcalories and fats, and people areconstantly bombarded with mes-sages trying to convince them toeat more (“Can I supersize thatorder for you?”).

It is also true that most peopleengage in less physical activity thanwas once the case, with childrenspending ever-increasing amountsof time watching television, play-ing video games, or engaging inother sedentary activities (ADA,2004; Jeffrey & French, 1998). In

a 2004 call to action, the SurgeonGeneral of the United Statesacknowledged that both unhealthydiets and lack of physical activity arethe fundamental causes of theincrease in overweight children andadolescents. He singled out toomuch time spent watching televi-sion and playing computer or videogames as the leading reasons whychildren and adolescents do not getenough physical activity (Office ofthe Surgeon General, 2004).

Although fast food, vendingmachines, and television and videogames make tempting targets (andthey do play a role), there are nosimple answers to the problem ofobesity. Economic issues cannot beignored–healthy foods such as fruits

Obesity is a resultof taking in morecalories than the

body uses.

Subjects & Predicates

Any truly effective efforts to combat the obesity epidemic require an understanding of thevaried and complex factors that interact at both the individual and societal levels toproduce unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles.

6 Volume 33, Number 3 Fall 2005 DIMENSIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD Fall 2005

and vegetables, for example, oftencost more than unhealthy foods.Social and cultural issues are alsoinvolved. The dominance of theautomobile does more than poisonthe air while providing a way of get-ting from place to place withoutmuch physical effort. The millionsof private vehicles also have a pro-found impact on the way communi-ties are designed. In too many newresidential developments, sidewalksare an afterthought if they arethought of at all. As a result, chil-dren and adults end up riding evenvery short distances because there isno safe place to walk.

The question of whether or notinfants are breastfed is also tied toobesity. Breastfeeding is the healthi-est way to provide infants withnourishment, but U.S. social normsare not very accommodating ofbreastfeeding anywhere but athome. The resulting inconveniencemotivates some new mothers noteven to consider breastfeeding, or, ifthey do start breastfeeding, to dis-continue it earlier than is desirable.

Truly effective efforts to combatobesity must be based on an under-standing of the varied and complexfactors that interact at both the indi-vidual and societal levels to produceunhealthy eating patterns andsedentary lifestyles.

The Importance of Starting Early

A steady growth in the percentageof people who are overweight orobese is not the only trend the statis-

tics reveal. They also reveal a cleartrend for more individuals to becomeoverweight as they move from earlychildhood to adulthood. With therate of overweight among childrengrowing faster than for adults, thattrend can only be expected to acceler-ate. The lesson is clear—to stop thisepidemic, efforts have to start early.

Those who work with youngchildren have always understood theimportance of the early years of life.In recent years, policymakers andothers whose actions have an impacton young lives have finally begun tounderstand this as well. Many per-sonal characteristics and behaviorpatterns develop at an early age, andthe longer they persist, the more dif-ficult it becomes to change patternsthat have negative consequences.The surest way to control the obesi-ty epidemic among adults is to pre-vent excessive weight gain in youngchildren and to begin teaching themthe skills and knowledge they needto maintain a healthy weightthroughout their lives (Fowler-Brown & Kahwati, 2004).

Individual Prevention& Education Strategies

Breastfeeding The benefits of breastfeeding for

the development of infants’immune systems have been heraldedfor years. New research shows thatbreastfeeding may also provide pro-tection against becoming over-weight. Breastfeeding also helps pro-tect against the many chronic dis-eases—diabetes, heart disease, somecancers, rheumatoid arthritis—asso-ciated with overweight and obesity(Office of Women’s Health, 2004).

Recent studies of children

between the ages of 3 and 6 yearshave found that children who werebreastfed as infants are less likely tobe overweight than those who werenot breastfed (Dietz, 2001; Hedi-ger, Overpeck, Kuczmarski, &Ruan, 2001; Von Kries et al.,1999). This protective effect seemsto persist in children as old as 14years. The duration of breastfeedingalso appears to play a role in theduration of benefits, with thosebreastfed for 7 months less likely tobecome overweight than thosebreastfed for only 3 months (Gill-man et al., 2001).

Maintaining a healthy lifestyleduring pregnancy, obtaining appro-priate prenatal health care services,and breastfeeding, ideally for oneyear and at least for 6 months is theway to get an early start settinginfants on track to lifelong goodhealth. Breastfeeding is a vital firstline of defense in the fight againstdisease and an important first steptoward the lifelong maintenance ofhealthy weight. Unfortunately,while about 71% of U.S. childrenare breastfed in early infancy, onlyhalf that number—36%—are stillbreastfed at 6 months and the ratedeclines to 17% at a full year (thesenumbers have been slowly improv-ing in recent years) (CDC, 2003).

A Healthy DietA healthy diet means limiting

total caloric intake and controllingfat consumption while eating foodsthat meet individual nutritionalneeds. Feeding children amountsthat are larger than they need is asignificant contributor to unhealthyweight gain and this issue is compli-cated by the misguided practice ofmaking children “clean their plates.”Children (and adults) need to learnto recognize when they have eaten as

There are no simpleanswers to the problem

of obesity.


much as they need and stop eatingat that point, even if it means leav-ing food on the plate.

Consumption of fast food mealsshould be kept to a minimum. Theytend to be high in both calories andfat. On those occasions when fastfood is eaten, it is important not tofall into the marketing trap of super-sizing meals!

It is equally important to watchwhat children drink. Children’s con-sumption of soft drinks increasedsignificantly in the last 50 years,contributing to increased intake ofboth calories and sugar (Nielson &Popkin, 2004).

Adults who are aware of the nega-tive effects of soft drinks often encour-age children to drink fruit juice or milkinstead of soft drinks. While juices canbe a valuable source of vitamins andother nutrients that are not providedby soft drinks, most juices are also highin calories and sugar. Consumption ofjuices beyond the amounts needed fornutritional purposes can have the samenegative effects as drinking too manysoft drinks.

Milk presents a similar situation.Whole milk is an important sourceof nutrients but it also tends to be amajor source of unnecessary dietaryfat. Low-fat or non-fat milk is agood substitute, but it is still impor-tant to think about total caloriesconsumed, not just fat calories.Water is the best alternative to high-fat/high-calorie beverages. Not onlyis it healthy, water is also the low-cost choice (ADA, 2004; CDC,2004a; NCHS, 2004; USDHHS &USDA, 2005)!

After 2 years of age, consumptionof fats should be limited to no morethan about one-third of children’sdiets at maximum. If they are con-suming more than that, fat content inthe diet should be reduced carefully

and gradually until the desired level isreached. (Sudden dramatic changesonly upset children and do little toingrain healthy eating habits.) Parentsand caregivers can endeavor to guidechildren’s food choices, not dictatethem. Learning to make choices is animportant part of forming good eat-ing habits that will last a lifetime.

Sweets and other unhealthytreats need not be taboo but theyshould be consumed in modera-tion. Eating healthier alternativessuch as fruit should be encour-

aged. Both children and adultsshould eat at least five servings offruit and vegetables a day [the idealnumber has recently been raised tonine a day (Duenwald, 2005)]. Par-ents and caregivers are encouragedto plan for snacks ahead of time sothat healthy choices are readily athand (CDC, 2004; Satter, 1987;USDHHS & USDA, 2005).

Watch what children drink.


An excellent way to send children the right kinds of messages about food and healthyeating is to involve them directly in the preparation of meals.


Adults should strive to be goodrole models for children. Familymembers or caregivers who regular-ly consume unhealthy types andquantities of food set an examplethat may overwhelm other messageschildren get about healthy eating(Hood et al., 2000).

One study that looked at five dif-ferent risk factors for being over-weight in childhood found that thestrongest correlation was with theweight of the parents. Children ofoverweight parents were four timesmore likely to be overweight thanthose whose parents were not over-weight (Agras, Hammer, McNi-cholas, & Kramer, 2004).

Children should be encouragedto eat slowly, not wolf down meals,and it helps if eating meals is a pleas-ant social activity. It is much easierfor parents to be good role modelsfor their children if they eat mealstogether. Eating as many meals aspossible as a family has other bene-fits as well—it is much easier tokeep track of what and how muchchildren eat, an essential part of try-ing to provide a healthy, balanceddiet overall. Eating meals or snackswhile watching TV should be dis-couraged—everyone needs to payattention to what they are eating.And food should never be used as apunishment or reward; it sends con-fusing messages about when andwhy people eat what they do (Dietz& Stern, 1999).

An excellent way to send childrenthe right kinds of messages aboutfood and healthy eating is to involvethem directly in the preparation ofmeals. The Cooking Book (Colker,2005) is an excellent resource on theeducational potential of food prepa-ration. Colker points out that“cooking is one of the few opportu-nities young children have to partic-

ipate in adult activities” (p. viii). Shealso notes that “Young, curious chil-dren—who are constantly investi-gating the world’s mysteries—arenaturally drawn to cooking” (p. vii).

The learning potential of involv-ing children in food preparation goeswell beyond the obvious benefits ofhealthy eating. As Colker (2005)observes, cooking “is also a domainthat teachers can use to teach socioe-motional, cognitive, physical, andliteracy skills as well as to foster chil-dren’s creativity and self expression”(p. ix). Early care and education pro-grams that do not take advantage offood preparation as a learning expe-

rience miss a valuable opportunity toturn a routine daily activity into anexciting and dynamic part of theearly childhood curriculum.

It is important to add a cautionabout one adult eating activityinvolving food and eating that chil-dren should not be involved in—dieting. Adults who feel they areoverweight regularly put themselveson weight-reduction diets, whetherfollowing some highly publicizednew regimen or just trying to eat less.

The impact and potential risks ofadult-type weight-loss diets for chil-dren is poorly understood. Childrenshould never be placed on restrictive


Many different kinds of physical activity will work to make children healthier and lesslikely to become overweight. The most important thing to keep in mind is that whateverthe activity is, it should be fun!


diets specifically to lose weight unlessit is on a physician’s recommendationand under the physician’s supervision(Office of the Surgeon General,2004). Only a professional can accu-rately assess whether a child reallydoes have a weight problem based onestablished criteria. The doctor also isusually in a much better position thanthe parents to determine how best togo about reducing the child’s weight(Fowler-Brown & Kahwati, 2004).

An Active Lifestyle Because of numerous societal and

economic changes during the 20thcentury, most people in the UnitedStates get substantially less dailyphysical activity than they need.Even many people who work infields that traditionally required highlevels of physical exertion, such asfarmers and laborers, now spendmuch of their time sitting in the cabsof air-conditioned machinery andconstruction equipment. Many newtools and techniques that reduce thetime it takes to do a particular taskoften reduce the amount of physicaleffort needed as well.

Young children are not immuneto the trend toward diminished phys-ical activity. A recent study of chil-dren ages 3 to 5 attending preschoolreinforces the importance of startingearly to prepare children forhealthy lifestyles (Pate, Pfeiffer,Stewart, Ziegler, & Dowda, 2004).The study found wide variationsfrom program to program in theamount of children’s physical activi-ty. A majority of children got lessthan half the amount of vigorous

activity they need both for healthand physical development. Otherinteresting findings were that 4-year-olds were more sedentary than 3-year-olds, and girls were less likely toengage in vigorous physical activitythan boys.

In addition to helping controlweight, regular physical activityreduces the risk of a wide range of dif-ferent health problems that can resultin premature death, including heartdisease, stroke, colon cancer, diabetes,high blood pressure, and many others.

The good news is that it does nottake very much physical activity toproduce these benefits. Adults needonly engage in moderate physicalactivities such as walking briskly,dancing, swimming, or even mowingthe lawn for at least 30 minutes a day,5 or more days per week. Vigorousactivity—jogging, cutting firewood,aerobic dancing or swimming—requires even less time to produce thesame benefits.

In general, children should get 30to 60 minutes of physical activityevery day, but it does not have to beall at one time. As little as 5 or 10minutes of activity at a time can bebeneficial, though sustaining activityfor at least 20 minutes is even better.

Many different kinds of physicalactivity will work to make childrenhealthier and less likely to becomeoverweight. The most importantthing to keep in mind is that whatev-er the activity is, it should be fun! Par-ticipating in organized sports like soc-cer, swimming, basketball, or gym-nastics is a sure way to meet children’sactivity needs. More traditional kindsof play, such as jumping rope, roller-skating, playing hopscotch, hiking,walking the dog, or riding a bike arealso effective. And of course it isalways a bonus when activities can bedone as family affairs.

The other side of the physicalactivity picture is avoidance of toomuch sedentary behavior. Limitsshould be set on the amount of timechildren can spend watching televi-sion or playing video games; 2 hoursa day is a good place to start. Andwhen watching TV, children shouldbe encouraged to get up and movearound whenever there is a stationbreak or commercial.

Aside from needing a minimumamount of moderate or vigorousexercise, it is important to instill asense that almost any kind of motionis better than pointless inactivity.Climbing stairs instead of riding anescalator or elevator can providevaluable short bursts of healthy activ-ity. Even teens with cell phones couldget in the habit of moving aroundwhile they talk to their friendsinstead of lying on a bed!

Finally, just as with nutrition,

States funded by CDC underthe Nutrition and PhysicalActivity Program to PreventObesity and Other Chronic Dis-eases as of September 2005

Profiles of each state program�spriorities and activities with con-tact information can be found onthe CDC Web site at

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/state_programs/index.htm.

Plan healthy snack choices.

ArizonaArkansasColoradoFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIowaKentuckyMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMissouriMontana

New MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTexasVermontWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsin


adults must provide good role mod-els. It can be hard to get children totake steps to increase their physicalactivity if their parents’ preferred

form of exercise is channel surfing(Epstein, Paluch, Gordy, & Dorn,2000, Mayo Clinic Staff, 2003).

Changing the Environment to SupportHealthy Weight

Federal InitiativesInitiatives aimed at making diets

healthier and increasing physicalactivity levels, whether public or pri-vate, have traditionally focused onchanging individual behaviorthrough education about nutritionand the health risks that come withbeing overweight or obese.

The latest update of the federalgovernment’s nutritional guide-lines—Dietary Guidelines for Ameri-cans, 2005—underscores the impor-tance of a healthy diet and an activelifestyle for weight control. (The newGuidelines were followed by theintroduction of a revised food pyra-mid designed to make it easier to tai-lor healthy diets to different lifestylesand situations.) But the overall focusof the Guidelines continues to be onthe actions of individuals (USDHHS& USDA, 2005).

Individual behavior does notfunction in a vacuum. The ability ofindividuals to achieve recommendednutritional and physical activity goalsis constrained by a wide variety ofenvironmental factors, from lack ofsafe places to walk to deficiencies infood labeling. Shortly after the 2005Guidelines were released, a nutritionprofessor pointed out the problemsindividuals have in implementingthe dietary recommendations(Duenwald, 2005):

The guidelines are not helpfulbecause the whole thing is based

entirely on personal responsibility.It’s up to you as a consumer toknow what a low-fat food is, whata high-sugar food is, the differencebetween whole grains and refinedones, and which foods are low intrans fats, cholesterol, salt, andsugar. And unless you can parse afood label—which most peoplecannot do—it’s very difficult.

The lack of clear, easy-to-under-stand information on packaged foodsis only one of many obstacles indi-viduals encounter in the socioeco-nomic environment. The Guidelinesalso raise the bar for physical activity,recommending that most adultsshould “participate in at least 60 to90 minutes of daily moderate-inten-sity physical activity” to sustainweight loss (USDHHS & USDA,2005). For a great many people,finding even 30 minutes of activity aday is a challenge. Adding an addi-tional 30 to 60 minutes a day forphysical activity can seem like ahopeless fantasy.

In recent years, the challenges forchildren to be able to get enough phys-ical activity in school have increasedsharply. As more emphasis has beenput on the results of standardized tests,physical education classes and evenrecess have taken a back seat to testpreparation. A good argument can bemade that the testing frenzy has gonefar beyond what is appropriate. Whenit comes at the price of less attention tochildren’s physical health, it approach-es the tragic.

Dealing with these kinds ofsocioeconomic issues is the primaryfocus of the National Nutrition andPhysical Activity Program to PreventObesity and Other Chronic Dis-eases, a new program funded in2003. The program, which is admin-istered by the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention’s Division of

State Obesity PreventionPartners

These are some of the organiza-tions that have agreed to be part-ners in the state obesity preven-tion program in at least one state.All entries are state and/or localagencies or affiliates unless oth-erwise indicated.

Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance

American Cancer Society

American Diabetes Association

American Heart Association

Arthritis Foundation

Association of Landscape Architects

Beef Council

Bicycle Coalition

Black Church Initiative

Blue Cross/Blue Shield

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts

Cooperative Extension Service

Dairy Council

Departments of Agriculture,Commerce, Education, Health/Human Services, Parks and Recreation, and Transportation

Food Industry Council

Hospitals and Medical Centers

Lactation Consortium

Indian Health Service

Medical Schools

National Park Service

Nike

Nutrition Education Network

Organization of Black Dietitians

Parent-Teacher Associations

Public Health Schools

Rails to Trails

School Food Service Association

School Nurses Association

United Way

Universities (public and private)

Women�s Resource Center

YMCA and YWCA


Nutrition and Physical Activity, pro-vides funds to states for up to 5 yearsto develop state plans and buildstatewide infrastructures for dealingwith the obesity problem. As of thisissue of Dimensions, the 28 states list-ed in the sidebar on page 9 had beenfunded.

A fundamental expectation of theobesity prevention program is that thefunded states will go beyond the tradi-tional approach of providing peoplewith the knowledge, skills, and moti-vation to make healthy choices. Indi-vidual approaches to obesity preven-tion should continue, but particularattention must be given to addressingthe need for environments that sup-port these behavior changes in homes,child care/preschool programs,schools, worksites, health care facili-ties, and other community settings.

A socioeconomic model to promotechange can mobilize multiple levels ofsociety. The complexity of such an

approach is well illustrated by the fol-lowing attempt at a succinct definitionof what the socioeconomic model is allabout (Economos et al., 2001).

In order to realize change at theindividual level, we must under-stand how individual needs,wants, and perceptions interplaywith the larger environment,and through social change wemust create social subsystemsthat support behavioral actionand maintenance. Because ourcurrent social landscape fails topromote healthy eating andactive living, we must fight ourpublic health crisis with a reac-tive and powerful social change.

To accomplish this ambitiousgoal, each funded state must first setthe stage by enlisting the support ofa comprehensive and broadly repre-sentative range of interest groups as ispossible. The sidebar provides anidea of just how widespread the con-

cern about obesity has become. Clearly, the goals of the national

obesity prevention program are far-reaching, and it is unlikely that anystate will come close to reaching themin 5 years. But what this initiative cando, however, is change the way signifi-cant players in a state or communitythink about the causes of and potentialcures for obesity. As they build a broadbase of support, states are also expectedto devote some of their resources tofield testing different interventions tosee whether they can have an impacton obesity in particular populations.That is a critically important responsi-bility, because to date there are no obe-sity-control interventions on thesocioeconomic front that have beenclearly shown to work (DNPA, 2004).

The federal government also fundsanother program aimed at obesity andchronic disease prevention calledSteps to a Healthier U.S. Stepsprovides funding for program

STEPS to a Healthier U.S.

Steps to a Healthier U.S. is a 5-year initiative that combines the strengths and resources of the many differentagencies and programs of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help communities prevent andcontrol chronic disease. CDC provides funding and technical support to states, cities, and tribal entities that want toimplement innovative, community-based programs using proven strategies for prevention of chronic disease. The pri-mary focus of Steps is on reducing the burden of diabetes, overweight, obesity, and asthma by addressing threerelated risk factors�physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and tobacco use.

Steps communities are targeting interventions primarily at schools, health care settings, and workplaces. Examplesof interventions include organized community activities such as walking programs, health education trainings, andmedia campaigns; environmental interventions like smoking cessation programs and healthier food choices inschools; and educational interventions such as enhancing coordinated school health programs. As of May 2005,Steps was being implemented in the following areas:

Additional information on the Steps to a Healthier U.S. program can be found athttp://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/steps/index.htm.

• State of Alabama (2 areas)• State of Arizona (3 counties and

1 tribal organization) • Austin-Travis County, Texas• City of Boston, Massachusetts• Cherokee Nation Health Ser-

vices Group (Michigan)• City of Cleveland, Ohio

• State of Colorado (4 counties)• DeKalb County, Georgia• Hillsborough County, Florida• Intertribal Council of Michigan• State of Minnesota (4 areas)• City of New Orleans, Louisiana• New York State (4 counties)• State of Pennsylvania (3 counties)• City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• St. Petersburg-Pinellas County,Florida

• Salinas-Monterey County, California

• City of San Antonio, Texas• Santa Clara County, California• Seattle-King County, Washington• Southeast Alaska Regional

Consortium• Washington State (4 areas)


interventions that target specificcommunities. The Steps programsgenerally complement the statewideprograms and cooperation betweenthem is strongly encouraged by CDC.

State InitiativesWhile not all of the state obesity

prevention programs have madeyoung children a top priority yet (notsurprisingly, all the programs havemade K-12 education a priority)some have gone on record as believ-ing that this youngest segment of thepopulation must be addressed. Manyhave been active in promotingbreastfeeding, a reasonable place tostart because numerous single-issuegroups already exist that promotemaking the community environmentfriendlier to breastfeeding.

A look at states that have dealtexplicitly with some aspect of earlychildhood indicates the kinds ofstrategies that obesity preventionprograms are likely to consider.

The Colorado Physical Activityand Nutrition State Plan 2010includes goals and objectives specifi-cally aimed at breastfeeding and earlychildhood. One of Colorado’s firstefforts to deal with overweight inearly childhood was to develop aresource kit “to empower caregiversand others to implement programsor policies that model and promotean environment that supports thedevelopment of healthy eating pat-terns and an active lifestyle” (p. 1).(More information can be foundat the program’s Web s i te :http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/pp/COPAN/Obesity.html.)

The Georgia obesity preventionprogram—Bright From the Start—is working with the Georgia Depart-ment of Early Care and Learning toevaluate ways to make better use of

the resources provided by the U.S.Department of Agriculture’s foodprograms. The project helps earlychildhood programs to provide mealsand snacks that meet consistent min-imum nutrition standards to all chil-dren in their care and to systemati-cally teach both children and care-givers about healthy eating habits.

The Massachusetts obesity pre-vention program worked closely withthe state Office of Child Care Ser-vices on issues related to overweightyoung children. As a result new regu-lations include a requirement toincrease the amount of physical activ-ity that children engage in while instate-regulated child care programs.(The Massachusetts program’s Website is under development.)

The North Carolina obesity pre-vention program developed a Nutri-tion and Physical Activity Self-

Assessment for Child Care (NAP-SACC) as a pilot intervention inchild care centers aimed at improv-ing nutrition and physical activityenvironments and practices throughself-assessment and targeted techni-cal assistance. A consultant and keycenter staff work together up to 9months to improve the nutritionand physical activity environment inthe center. In addition, training isprovided for the staff on childhoodoverweight, healthy eating, andphysical activity. (The North Caroli-na program’s Web site is at http://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com/.)

Pennsylvania’s Color Me Healthyprogram was developed by the obesityprevention program in collaborationwith the state Departments of Educa-tion and Public Welfare, the American

Cancer Society, Head Start, and thePennsylvania Nutrition EducationNetwork. Color Me Healthy is anage-appropriate curriculum thatexposes children, parents, teachers,and caregivers to the importance ofhealthy eating and physical activity.(The Pennsylvania program’s Web siteis at http://www.panaonline.org/.)

The Vermont obesity preventionprogram is conducting workshops forlocal child care health consultants onissues and strategies related to prevent-ing young children from becomingoverweight. (The Vermont program’sWeb site is under development.)

The Washington state obesityprevention program is developing anintervention to increase the amountof physical activity that both care-givers and children routinely partici-pate in by modifying the physicalenvironments in their facilities.Regional consultants are beingtrained and provided with materialsto assist providers in designing spacesthat encourage physical activity. (TheWashington program’s Web site isunder development.)

Conclusions The U.S. obesity epidemic has

gotten the attention of policymakersin every state. Most have obesity pre-vention and control initiatives atleast in the planning stages. Thesestate programs almost always identifyschool-age children as a priority pop-ulation. Unfortunately, the periodfrom birth to age 5 is less likely to beassigned the up-front priority itclearly deserves. It is up to all thosewho care about young children tomake early childhood impossible forpolicymakers to ignore.

It takes a long time to grow anadult. Changing both individualbehavior and the socioeconomic

Strive to be good role models.


environment so more people growinto healthy adults who maintainhealthy diets and active lifestyles willtake time, too. Now is the time to getstarted and early childhood is theonly logical place. Early childhoodprofessionals can make a huge differ-ence for children. And while they areat it, it will not hurt at all if theycommit themselves to serving as thebest role models possible.

Healthy eating + physical activity= healthy weight. The equationreally does work!

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Dietz, W.H., & Stern, L.M. (1999). Ameri-can Academy of Pediatrics guide to yourchild’s nutrition: Making peace at thetable and building healthy eating habitsfor life. Chicago: Villard Books.

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Ten children sit quietly and listen to Mozart’s “EineKleine Nachtmusik.” Another group of children joinstheir teacher in the “Hokey Pokey.” Which group is learn-ing more? Does one group use more parts of the brain?

Listening to classical music definitely is relaxing andmay prepare pathways in children’s brains for learning(Rauscher, 1999). Most likely, however, the group movingand singing the “Hokey Pokey” is learning more. Why?Because movement is good for the brain! When childrenlisten to music and words—while following directions—many parts of their brains are firing at the same time. Ifchildren sing as they move, they are using additional brainneurons. Creative movement activities, therefore, areexcellent experiences to promote brain growth.

Many teachers may wonder, “How can I add onemore thing to my day? How can I help children makethe most of their early years and incorporate what weknow about learning from brain research?” The greatnews is this: Everything that is part of a high-qualityearly childhood program is good for the brain! Withplanning, brain activity can be optimized in all that chil-dren do. Not only can activities be expanded to promotethinking skills, but also by adding movement and elimi-nating long sedentary periods, the curriculum can boostbrain power.

Recent studies show that children from infancy on areless physically active than their parents were at the sameage (Doheny, 2004). Infants spend time in infant seats,baby swings, and high chairs. Toddlers spend one-thirdless time per day in physical activity than pediatricians rec-ommend, often sitting in front of a television or strappedinto a safety seat (Clark, 2004). Preschool children areoften engrossed in television and computer games.

Some parents may not encourage children’s physicalactivity because of lack of time and outdoor safety issues.Therefore, it is incumbent upon early childhood pro-

grams to provide as much exercise as possible, bothindoors and outdoors. According to federal health statis-tics, 13% of children under age 11 are overweight (U.S.Department of Health & Human Services, 2004). Lackof regular physical activity has been linked to many laterhealth problems (Doheny, 2004).

The amount and type of physical movement affectschildren’s healthy brain development (Sutterby & Thorn-ton, 2005). Early childhood educators can accomplish twogoals at the same time: Increase activity for health, as wellas enhance activity to promote the wiring of the brain.

Children’s potentials are maximized when they move.A good early childhood environment encompassesmovement in conjunction with other domains. Insteadof isolating motor tasks, well-informed teachers combinethem with their intellectual, social, and emotional goalsfor children to provide a rounded program.

Physical activity helps the blood flow to the brainand helps move information from temporary memoryto permanent memory. Clapping out a telephone num-ber or address helps young children memorize thisimportant information. Crossing the midline as theysing and move helps strengthen the ability to moveinformation from one side or hemisphere of the brain toanother (Schiller, 2002).

Integrate Movement to EnhanceChildren’s Brain Development

Suzanne Gellens

Children’s physical activity promotes their health as well as brain development. Starttoday to incorporate these practical ideas into children’s daily learning experiences.

Adequate adult supervision is required at all times.

Suzanne Gellens, M.S., is the Executive Director of theEarly Childhood Association of Florida and a Past Presidentof SECA. She was the director of an NAEYC-accreditedfaith-based early learning center in Sarasota, Florida, for 17years. Suzanne is the author of Activities That Build a YoungChild's Brain, a SECA resource.


Put simply, young childrenshould not sit for long periods oftime. Good teachers have alwaysknown that every 5 or 10 minutesduring a group time, activities mayneed to be changed to keep youngchildren involved. The brain fatigueswhen a learning experience is toolong and then attention to the activ-ity wanes (Perry, 2003). Therefore,teachers are wise to reevaluate grouptime and integrate movement andgross-motor skills whenever possible.Active groups learn faster and betterthen sedentary groups.

A variety of activities are recom-mended here for many learning expe-riences from toddlerhood throughkindergarten. These ideas can be

adapted to be appropriate for chil-dren with a range of ages and abili-ties, including children with specialneeds. And of course, children’s safe-ty and health is paramount, so ade-quate adult supervision is essential atall times and learning tools andmaterials must be clean and safe.

Liven Up Circle or Group Time

Repetition of physical activitiesputs new skills into memory, enabling

children to use their muscles withouthaving to think about how to performa task. Activities that challenge similarphysical skills can be grouped togeth-er. In addition, it is always prudent toprovide appropriate outlets for chil-dren’s abundant energy.

To create an activity that buildsbrain connections, the teacher canclarify, identify, and explain what ishappening. “Task-centered talking iscritical to the memory process sinceit helps maintain focus while enhanc-ing sense and meaning” (Sousa,1998b, p. 146). Task-centered talk-ing (examples noted with italicsthroughout) describes the move-ments children are performing dur-ing activities such as these.

Photographs courtesy of the author

When children listen to music and words—while following directions—many parts of their brains are firing at the same time.

Brain activity can be optimized in everything

children do.


• Sing songs with hand and/or bodymovements. These engage chil-dren and employ their senses, thususing more parts of the brain.

• Ask children to clap outrhythms, swing scarves, swirlrhythm ribbons, or march tomusic. By focusing on therhythm and cadence of themusic with their bodies engaged,more learning takes place(Maria, 2001).

• Walk together around the roomand ask children to touch a colorof something in the learningenvironment. For increased diffi-culty, ask children to find thecolor that yellow and red com-bine to make. “Your hand is onthe red bike on the bulletin boardand Jerry touched his red shirt.”

• Use movement and body activityto identify colors using songssuch as “Mr. Al Sings Colors &Shapes” (Rasso, 1990) or HapPalmer’s “Colors” (Palmer,1969). Active participationinvolves using both hemispheresof the brain. Creatively addmovements to familiar music.Add a rhythmical beat to songssuch as “Head, Shoulders,Knees, and Toes.” Singing, handmotions, and moving to musicstimulate many parts of thebrain simultaneously.

• Provide active experiences inwhich children use their count-ing skills. Ask children to walk,hop, or skip onto rubber num-ber mats. “You walked on thenumeral 4 and hopped aroundthe numeral 6.” Help each childcreate a pile of a specific num-ber of small blocks and jumpover the pile. Play “Mother MayI?” or “Simon Says” using num-bers, letters, or descriptivewords. Children learn onlyabout 40% of the informationwhen a teacher talks and showsnumbered quantities. Theylearn about 70% of the material

when they participate in thetask (Sorgen, 1998).

• Sing “5 Little Ducks Went Outto Play.” Ask children to walklike ducks while flapping theirwings and quacking. Recite“Jack Be Nimble” and let eachchild leap over a safe object.

• Place a piece of newspaper oncarpet so children won’t slip. Givedirections to walk around it, thenstep on the corners. Place one,two, or three body parts on thepaper. Jump over the paper. Walkbackwards around the paper.Crumple the paper and throw itin the air to catch it. If two chil-dren share a sheet, they learn tocooperate while following direc-tions. “You threw the newspaperhigh and then caught it.”

• Include opportunities that pro-mote balance. Children couldpretend to hold a hot-air bal-loon, tiptoe to the door, or walkon a painted line.

• Use finger plays and chants suchas the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and“Open, Shut Them” to help chil-dren coordinate finger move-ments. Provide physical transi-tions using creative movementwith familiar songs or games.Sing “Tiptoe Through theTulips,” play “Red Light; GreenLight,” or create a train whenchildren move from one activityto the next. Bend and stretchwith or without music.

• Plan for controlled jumping androlling with songs such as “Tenin the Bed” and “Five LittleMonkeys Jumping on the Bed.”Keep children spread apart toprevent injuries.

• Modify “Ring Around theRosie.” Instead of falling down,everyone can jump or stand onone foot. “A Tisket, a Tasket,”“PawPaw Patch,” and other skip-ping games are fun and helpchildren practice that skill anduse their energy.

Move With ToddlersIndoor Activities

• Promote large-motor developmentwith pull toys, push toys, trans-portation toys, large blocks, andballs. Containers to dump and refillattract much interest. “You pulledthe big dog all across the room.”

• Create low obstacle routes forchildren to navigate. Cushions,tunnels, and boxes to crawl under,over, and through attract toddlersand stimulate physical movement.New vocabulary can be an out-growth of the action. “Walk up,up, up the steps. Now you are walk-ing down, down, down.”

• Exercise young muscles with cre-ative movement to music.

• Encourage the use of small andlarge muscles using water andsand tables with containers thatare easy to fill and pour. Easelsat toddler height with easy-to-manipulate brushes and no-spill containers enable childrento refine their large- and small-motor skills. “Your arm is goinground and round as you paintbig circles.”

• Provide large pieces of paper fortoddlers to use their large andsmall muscles to tear it intopieces. Offer nontoxic, washablecrayons or markers to use on bigpieces of paper. Give them achoice of large and small writingtools to help develop properhand grip.

Outdoor Activities • Provide pretend lawn mowers

and other push toys, wagons,walk-and-ride scooters, and lowclimbers. Moveable tires, large,

Young children shouldnot sit for long

periods of time.


lightweight blocks, and bigboxes enable children to inde-pendently design their play. Asan adult describes their actions,they gain language skills and useboth hemispheres of the brain.“You rode around the large box inthe middle of the bike path.”

• Add water play, sand play, paint-ing, and other art activities to theoutside environment to encour-age small muscles to develop.

• Provide opportunities to walk upsteps, crawl, climb, and slide on avariety of safe, low climbing equip-ment on a cushioned surface.

• Incorporate short walks. Usethemes to focus attention onbugs, flowers, trees, shadows, orclouds. Provide time to jumpand run safely, too. “Your shadowis jumping with you!”

• Make available a variety of large,lightweight balls to roll, kick,and throw. One-on-one throw-ing with a caregiver gives chil-dren opportunities to learncatching and throwing tech-niques and to improve eye/handcoordination. “You threw the ballto me. I am rolling it back to you.”

• Offer bubbles to blow (whenchildren are old enough only toblow, not suck), modeling com-pound to squeeze, and largeblocks to add pizzazz to the out-side routine. Children can weavecrepe paper or ribbon intochain-link fences.

• Provide opportunities to swing,walk on a balance beam, climb,and slide to help children devel-op bodily control.

Keep 3- to 5-Year-Oldson the MoveAll activities for toddlers can beadapted for older children.

Indoor Activities• Use tumbling mats so children

learn how to do skills such assomersaults, cartwheels, crabwalks, hops, and jumps. Haveother activities available at thesame time or provide multiplemats to eliminate waiting time.Add music to provide rhythm.“You rolled all the way over on themat and did a somersault.”

• Exercise large muscles andencourage cooperation as chil-dren gallop, skip, and run.

• Provide scarves, hoops, paperplates, and rhythm ribbons tomove creatively to music andsharpen listening skills. Marchwith rhythm instruments tostimulate small and large musclesat the same time.

• Create an obstacle course usingindoor slides, a low balancebeam, moveable steps, tires,boxes, and masking tape lines.Encourage children to climbover, under, and through,walk, hop, and jump in a con-fined space. Learning to movein one direction with othersexercises muscles while learn-ing cooperation.

• Jumping Jacks, deep knee bends,and other exercises are fun, espe-cially when set to music. For achange of pace, children’s exercisevideos can lead the group on arainy afternoon.

Children�s safety and health

is paramount.

Physical activity helps the blood flow to the brain and helps move information fromtemporary memory to permanent memory.


Outside Activities • Provide a variety of climbing

apparatus that involves the use ofall parts of the body. Swings andslides meet kinesthetic and bal-ance needs.

• Add squirt bottles, a variety ofplastic containers, and scrubbrushes to water play. Largepaint brushes enable children touse their arms in a sweepingmotion as they paint with wateron walls, fences, sidewalks, orplay equipment. Fill water tablesand add boats or pouring andmeasuring containers. Turn on ahose and use sticks to create adam in the mud. “You paintedthe sidewalk with water and thecement turned dark.”

• Include equipment such asbuckets, shovels, sifters, andmolds in sandboxes or tables.Vary the play by wetting thesand, burying treasures (coloredrocks, pennies, and large mar-bles), or adding transportationtoys or plastic containers.

• Garden with shovels, hoes, andtrowels to give muscles a challenge.Watering with a hose or wateringcan requires concentration andstrength. Picking weeds aids eye-hand coordination. Include bookson gardening for consultation.

• Stimulate the use of many differentmuscles with large bubble wands,hoops, windmills, and dress-upclothes. Enrich the outside envi-ronment while challenging bothlarge and small muscles by addingbaby buggies, large transportationtoys, and jump ropes.

• Develop coordination and sparkcreative play using bikes, scoot-ers, and wagons on a paved path.Helmets are a must for safety.Add a large appliance box for agas station, drive-in restaurant,or car repair shop.

• Provide low basketball hoops,soccer balls, hockey goals, kick

balls, and footballs. Encouragebeginning baseball skills usinglarge plastic bats with light plas-tic balls placed on a cone. Ballskills can be developed one-on-one or in a small group. Dis-pense with the rules and let chil-dren practice swinging, kicking,and throwing.

• Go on movement walks inwhich everyone takes baby steps,giant steps, hops over sidewalkcracks, or jumps with feettogether past a tree. Crouchdown and take steps, walk ontiptoe, or pretend to skate as youproceed. Have a portable tape orCD player with a choice ofmusic and rhythm and bandinstruments for spontaneousparades. Take themed walks tolook for specific items. Distrib-ute magnifying glasses andsearch for insects. Carry journalsand colored pencils for childrento record what they see. Supervi-sion is required at all times.

• Provide suitable woodworkingexperiences. Children can ham-mer nails and turn screws intosoft wood. This activity requiresindividual supervision.

• Hammer leaves or flowers thatare placed between two pieces ofmuslin on top of a woodenblock. A stain shaped like theleaf or flower is revealed. Super-vision is required at all times.

• Bring out different dress-upclothes, dolls, doll carriages, largeblocks, and other props to encour-age a change in play themes.

• Put up a tent and go on a hike.Use fishing poles with magnetsto catch fish with paper clips(children decorate the paper fishfirst). Sit on a large blanket androw a pretend boat.

• Wash and wring out doll clothes.Hang with clothespins on aclothesline. Scrub easels andclassroom chairs. Wash a carus ing v igorous po l i sh ing

motions. Children are delight-ed to do meaningful tasks.

• Sweep pathways around theschool. Go on a litter walk. Weargloves to pick up paper trash.“You picked up five pieces of paper.You are holding the biggest one.”

Cooking ActivitiesChildren not only enjoy preparing

food, but in doing so, every sense isengaged, so multiple areas of the brainare stimulated simultaneously. Mea-suring, cutting, stirring, and pouringare good for eye-hand coordinationand small and large muscular develop-ment. Food preparation is a wonder-ful opportunity for children to learnsafety, cleanliness, and nutrition.Extend their cognitive skills by explor-ing how food is grown and processed.

Children are eager to sample theirown cooking. Taste and smell areparamount during cooking, and theirpride in the creation process booststhe emission of chemicals in thebrain that bring about feelings ofwell-being. Cooking involves thesenses of smell, taste, feel (both withhands and tongue), sight, and hear-ing. The more the senses are associat-ed with a given activity, the strongerthe synapses and the stronger thememory (Maria, 1998). When chil-dren are older and smell bread, theywill have fond memories of bakingbread. Here are just a few suggestionsfor cooking projects.

• Use a food mill to strain cookedapples to make applesauce. Thisrequires arm strength and stami-na. Children see sequencing firsthand when they follow recipesand see foods change from onestate to another.

The best classrooms arebusy and interactive.


• Vigorously knead bread dough.Pat refrigerated biscuits flat tomake individual pizzas. “You aremaking the dough flat with arolling pin.”

• With one-on-one supervisionusing sturdy plastic knives, cutup vegetables for soup. Extendlearning by reading and actingout stories such as “Stone Soup.”

• Pick vegetables from a garden.Wash and shake out the water.Tear lettuce, slice celery, and dicecucumbers. Grate carrots. Enjoya refreshing salad.

• Put pudding mix and milk intorefrigerator containers. Shakeuntil thick. Shake heavy creamto make butter. Sing as the ingre-dients are mixed.

• Measure, mix, and then roll outcookie or pie dough with arolling pin. Use cookie cutters.Brush on butter or milk mixedwith food coloring. Each usesdifferent muscles and requireseye-hand coordination.

Dancing IdeasChildren love to move to music.

Capitalizing on this form of physicalexercise when the choreography iseach child’s choice encourages cre-ativity and positive self-esteem.Dancing stimulates all regions inboth hemispheres of the brain.

Teach simple folk dances to chil-dren in pairs or small groups. Make

sure the activity meets the children’sabilities and interest levels. Mirror-ing movements of a partner, swing-ing arms together, and holdinghands are excellent times to developsocialization skills. These are someother possibilities.

• Simplify ethnic dances so thatchildren understand the uniquesteps. The music and beat differswith each culture.

• Teach square dancing steps. Do-si-do, swing your partner, andpromenade are all steps that areeasily taught and provide funexercise. Slow the music anddirections so children can follow.

• Use recordings, drum beats, andvoice chants as children dance.African rhythms lend themselveseasily to young children’s abilitiesand enable them to learn about arich cultural heritage. Swayscarves or ribbons as childrenmove to music of varied tempos,creating their own dances.

• Ask some children to beat adrum and play similar rhythminstruments while others createimaginative dances.

Creative Movement Possibilities

Moving creatively to eithermusic alone, or music coupled withwords, helps children understandthe tempo of music and the beat ofspeech. Several parts of the brain arestimulated at the same time. Chil-dren learn to move in sequence tothe words or the music. Besidesbeing fun, it helps children move inconjunction with others. Try thesevariations to add variety to move-ment activities.• Use recordings that give specific

d i rec t ions o f movement sdescribed by the words of thesong. Recordings by Al Rasso,Hap Palmer, and Ella Jenkins

Reevaluate group time. Integrate movement and gross motor skills whenever possible.Active groups learn faster and better then sedentary groups.


have easy-to-follow movementactivities. Define varied temposwith ribbons, exercise stream-ers, and scarves.

• Clap, wave, and twirl paperplates to the beat of music. Askchildren to mimic each other’smovements to learn cooperativeskills as well as feel the tempo.

• March to different rhythms.Children learn the concepts offast, slow, forward, backward,and side-to-side.

• Billow a bed sheet or parachuteto music as a group. Children usetheir large arm muscles and mustcooperate. Walk to the right orleft as a team, hold the fabrichigh or low, shake the parachuteto create waves. Roll a ball intothe middle and from side to sidewhile sitting or standing.

Learning CentersAs most early child educators

know, young children learn bestthrough their play while manipulatingreal objects. Piaget observed that chil-dren learn primarily from their ownspontaneous exploration of things andtheir subsequent reflective abstractionfrom those activities (Brainerd, 1978).

Children use their senses as theyinteract with the environment andmultiple parts of the brain becomeactive. Providing an experience is notenough. To really build brain connec-tions, teachers need to clarify, identify,and explain what is happening. This isTask-Centered Talking (Sousa, 1998a).

To extend learning, the adult addsa commentary to clarify what thechild just discovered. “You did a som-ersault!” This not only tells the childwhat has just happened and broadensvocabulary, but also helps the childuse the additional sense of hearingwhich involves more brain activity.

When children encounter newexperiences or things are novel, the

brain undergoes many changes. Chil-dren learn best in high ratios of oppor-tunity (Perry, 2003). An environmentwith a variety of learning materialsgives children more opportunities toexplore than a sparsely furnished area.When children only have two puzzlesto manipulate, the amount of learningthat takes place is limited. Providingan ever-changing assortment of puz-zles—plus suggestions to work thepuzzle outside the frame, upsidedown, or combined with another puz-zle—increases the opportunities forlearning to take place. Choice amonga variety of learning or interest centersprovides these opportunities daily.

Block AreasBrain growth takes place each time

children build with blocks. They canplay repeatedly in the block area andnever tire of the activity. The moretime they spend constructing, themore complicated the outcome. Eachcreation differs and offers new chal-lenges. Repeating actions helps placenew knowledge into permanent mem-ory. Thinking and learning takes placeas problems, such as how to fit twoshapes together, are solved. Brain path-ways are strengthened as a result.

When children play with blocks,the entire brain is activated. Brain con-nections are made in many parts of thebrain simultaneously. Both hemi-spheres of the brain are aroused. Rep-etition of both large- and small-motormovements brings about permanencein brain connections. Large plasticbricks, big cardboard blocks, or hollowblocks require the use of large muscles.

During block play, thinking andcreativity are at a high level. As chil-dren’s activity changes with variousprops and themes, different regions ofthe brain are stimulated (Maria, 2001).

Dramatic Play AreaPretend play engages every part of

the brain in a very intricate way.Children not only use their senses tointeract, they often make contactwith other children. As they play,language and movement cause differ-ent regions of the brain to be active.

Thinking, planning, and execut-ing thoughts make for a rich growthof brain connections. Emotions playa large role in dramatic play aschildren recreate feelings and situa-tions. Essential social skills are devel-oped. When children feel that theyare in control, their brains areremembering how to cope when theyencounter difficult situations.

Stimulation across both hemi-spheres occurs as children put onclothes, engage in dialogue, and pre-tend to cook or shop. Much of thewiring that is being establishedrelates to early reading skills. A fewsuggestions follow for enhancingchildren’s pretend play.

• Include opportunities to pro-mote balance such as putting ondress-up clothes, walking onpainted lines, or carrying trayswith pretend food.

• Moving furniture, stirring imag-inary soup, bathing and rockinga baby, and driving an imaginarycar not only spur creativity andincrease vocabulary, but alsorequire the use of various largeand small muscles.

• Develop prop boxes for themessuch as Pet Shop, Grocery Store,Beauty Shop, Doctor, Office,Fire Station, or Library to varythe experience.

• Link dramatic play and blockareas so children can expand theirimaginations. They might buildhouses wearing dress-up clothes.Going back and forth betweenareas, in an imaginary car, alsoincreases physical activity.


Art Area A creative art area enables children to

be independent and experience a diver-sity of actions. Creative activities ensurechoice and are open-ended, so eachproject is truly the child’s unique inven-tion. Learning takes place each timechildren approach art tools and media.

With very young children, art isprimarily kinesthetic. After childrenbegin to master the physical skills ofusing a brush, glue, marker, or scis-sors, they move on to master color,arrangement, and patterns.

Children’s knowledge and prob-lem-solving skills gained in a previoustask propel them into the next level.These new brain connections are rein-forced through repetition (Maria,2000), so children should draw, paint,glue, and cut daily. These are a fewpossibilities for creative expression.

• Offer a variety of methods to applypaint such as sponges and objectsfor printing to exercise muscles.Supply both large and small paintbrushes to let each child choose theimplement that is easiest to con-trol. Paint at easels, on the floor ortables, and outdoors.

• Suggest that children spread glueand pick up items to put into it.This aids muscle developmentand visual coordination.

• Provide scissors with wallpaperbooks, magazines, or strips ofpaper. Free-style cutting is greatmotivation to learn to cut. Sug-gest that children cut out grocerycoupons to share with families.Provide envelopes in which tosort mosaic pieces.

• Place a variety of sizes of coloredpencils, nontoxic crayons, andmarkers to encourage children toexperiment and find the size bestsuited to grasping. Rubber stampsand ink pads increase opportuni-ties for using different muscles.

• Provide exercise for hands andarms with modeling dough andreal clay. Add blunt scissors, craftsticks, plastic knives, rollingpins, and cookie cutters toincrease the variety of skills.

ConclusionGood early childhood environ-

ments stimulate all of children’s sens-es, enriching the brain with images,sounds, smells, textures, and eventastes. The best classrooms are busy,interactive environments where stu-dents are actively engaged in learning(Sousa, 1998a).

Changing the complexity of activ-ities enables more parts of the brainto work simultaneously. As plans aremade for each day, add movement tostimulate different areas of the brainas children move among group time,story time, outdoor play, and learningcenters. When children are successful,hormones are released that bringabout feelings of self-esteem and self-worth. Then the goal of bringingbrain research to the optimum levelof practice will be achieved.

BibliographyBegley, S. (1997). How to build a baby’s

brain. Your child—Special edition.Newsweek, Spring/Summer, 28-32.

Brainerd, C. (1978). Piaget’s theory of intelli-gence. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Clark, J. (2002). Physical activity guidelinesfor infants and toddlers. Reston, VA:National Association for Sport andPhysical Education.

Doheny, K. (2004). It is never too early toteach kids the activity habit. USA Today,News and Health, October 2004, p. 72.

Families and Work Institute. (1996).Rethinking the brain: New insights intoearly development. University of Chica-go: Author.

Gellens, S. (2000). Activities that build theyoung child’s brain. Sarasota: EarlyChildhood Association of Florida.

Maria, B., & Maria, B. (1998, Summer).Children Our Concern, The Journal ofthe Early Childhood Association of Flori-da, Inc., 23, 7-9.

Maria, B. (2001, January). Building a betterbrain. Symposium conducted at theUniversity of Florida College of Medi-cine, Gainesville, FL.

Palmer, H. (1969). Learning basic skillsthrough music, Vol. 1. Northridge, CA:Hap-Pal Music.

Perry, B. (1997). Incubated in terror: Neu-rodevelopmental factors in the “cycle ofviolence.” In J. Osofsky (Ed.), Children,youth and violence: The search for solutions(pp. 124-148). New York: Guilford Press.

Perry, B. (2003, May). Young children’sbrain development. Symposium con-ducted by the Florida Partnership forSchool Readiness, Quality InitiativeCommittee, Orlando, FL.

Rasso, A. (1990). Mr. Al sings colors &shapes. Cherry Hill, NJ: Melody House.

Rauscher, F. (August 1999). Responding to“Prelude or requiem for the ‘Mozarteffect’?” Nature, 400, 23.

Routh, D. (1997). Maximizing Florida’sbrain power: We need to use it or lose it.New York: Carnegie Corporation.

Schiller, P. (2002, September). Protectingthe rights of young children to play anddiscover knowledge. Keynote addresspresented at the meeting of the EarlyChildhood Association of Florida Con-ference, Orlando, FL.

Sorgen, M. (1998). Applying brain researchto classroom practice. Symposium con-ducted at the University of South Flori-da, Sarasota, FL.

Sutterby, J., & Thornton, C. (2005, May).Essential contributions from playgrounds.Young Children, 60(3): 26-27.

Sousa, D. (1998a, December). Is the fussabout brain research justified? Educa-tion Week, 18(16), 35-62.

Sousa, D. (1998b). Learning manual forhow the brain learns. Thousand Oaks,CA: Corwin Press.

U. S. Department of Health and HumanServices, Centers for Disease Controland Prevention. (2004). Trends in thehealth of Americans. Hyattsville, MD:National Center for Health Statistics.


Running, jumping, sliding, swinging, playing tag, andhide and seek were once the hallmarks of early childhood.These traditional physical games are rapidly being replacedby sedentary technology such as multi-channel television,videos, DVDs, electronic games, and computer programs.Children of today spend much of their time at home lockedsafely behind closed doors or at school where they are busywith sit-down-and-learn paperwork.

This societal shift from active toinactive lifestyles is a detriment to chil-dren’s health (see Denton, this issue).PBS has announced that the content ofits popular children’s program, SesameStreet, will be revised to reflect the con-cern about increasing numbers of chil-dren who are overweight or obese.

Annual developmental screenings conducted at theFamily Center Village Preschool at Nova SoutheasternUniversity in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, confirm the socio-logical trend of inactive children. Screening results overthe past 3 years have indicated a pattern of decline in grossmotor ability among preschoolers. Last year, resultsrevealed that 25% of the 3- and 4-year-old children in theprogram performed in the “questionable” or “significantconcern” ranges of the motor domains screened (finemotor planning, visual perception, proprioception,vestibular perception, balance, and gross motor planning).

Early childhood professionals understand that move-ment is a critical factor in healthy development.Through movement, children learn about the world inwhich they live. For example, by playing on a balancebeam children construct information about weight, bal-ance, and cooperation. As children independently mas-ter physical skills, such as hopping on one foot and skip-ping, they gain self-confidence. Consequently, grossmotor deficiency can affect children negatively: physi-

cally, cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Therefore, itis important to stimulate and educate children’s bodiesas well as their minds.

The goal of the Family Center Village Preschool’smovement/education project is to respect and teach thewhole child, body, mind, and spirit. Children’s naturalinstincts to move and explore are valued and capital-

ized upon. Teachers strive to offerdaily indoor and outdoor activitiesthat entice sedentary children to bephysically involved, and offer regu-lar movement activities that helpactive children focus their energy.

Equally important is attentionto individual physical accomplish-ment. The intention is to establish

an appropriate physical education program wherechildren are given the tools and opportunity to buildbasic gross motor skills. A range of activities is care-fully planned to encourage balance, coordination,flexibility, and strength. This acquired knowledgebase will in turn provide a solid foundation for

Movin’ and Groovin’:Integrating Movement Throughout the Curriculum

Charlotte (Penny) Bernath and Wendy Masi

Charlotte (Penny) Bernath, M.S., is Coordinator of Edu-cation, Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Stud-ies, Nova Southeastern University, in Ft. Lauderdale, Flori-da. Bernath is an early childhood consultant for WPBTPublic Education Television, and in 2004 received NovaSoutheastern University’s Distinguished Alumni Achieve-ment Award for early childhood programming.

Wendy S. Masi, Ph.D., is Dean, Mailman Segal Instituteof Childhood Studies, Nova Southeastern University, Ft.Lauderdale, Florida. She is a licensed psychologist. Masi isan associate author of Marilyn Segal’s series Your Child atPlay and is the author of Baby Play & Toddler Play. Cur-rently she co-chairs United Way of Broward County’s Suc-cess by Six Initiative.

Looking for ways to incorporate movement every day, indoors and out? This programis Movin’ and Groovin’, much to the delight of staff, children, and families!

Children�s naturalinstincts to move and explore are

capitalized upon.


children’s future physical advance-ment and success. Consequently,young children are expected todemonstrate a positive attitudetoward life, see themselves as smartand strong, believe in themselves,and trust their own capabilities.

Lessons FromMovin’ and Groovin’

The first step in integratingmovement into the early child-hood curriculum is to create a cul-ture that respects and celebratesappropriate movement. Tworesources that are especially usefulto the Family Center Village staffin understanding the topic areActive for Life (Sanders, 2002) andthe physical development, grossmotor section of Creative Curricu-lum Developmental Continuum forAges 3 to 5 (Dodge, 2002).

Given a strong backgroundabout the value of movement,staff can then plan effective

• physical environments• learning experiences• daily routines• schedules• strategies for parent involvementRecommendations for appropri-

ate practice based on experiences atthe Family Center Village Preschoolare offered here.

Physical Environments to Support Movement

Indoors, teachers deliberately setup classroom learning centers that

invite children to use different bodypositions. For instance, children sitat a table for snack, cross their legson the floor to do puzzles, stand andbend at the sensory table, lie downin the reading corner, push shop-ping carts in dramatic play, stand atthe easel to paint, and kneel at theblock table.

It is also important to create amovement center where containedlarge motor activity is expected andaccepted (Moomaw, 1997; Sanders,2002). The movement center is oftenset up to reinforce a motor skill, suchas throwing or tossing. Or it could beestablished to extend a theme. Forexample, in winter children throw

Encourage balance,coordination, flexibility,

and strength.

Photographs courtesy of the authors

Provide outdoor equipment that encourages gross motor development such as ridingand scooting vehicles, pushing and pulling toys, construction materials such as bigblocks, as well as digging and carrying tools.


aluminum foil snowballs at a targetor skate on laminated paper.

When planning the overall envi-ronment, allow enough space forcomfortable movement duringgroup gatherings such as circle time.Children can even help move low,light furniture as a transition tech-nique for circle time, which is agood gross motor activity in itself.

Outdoors, playgrounds shouldhave ample space for children to

freely run, ride, climb, build, anddig safely. Set up comfortable areaswith shade and benches for restingand water for drinking. Provideequipment that encourages grossmotor development such as riding

and scooting vehicles, pushing andpulling toys, construction materialslike big blocks, as well as diggingand carrying tools.

Learning Experiences toSupport Movement

Purposeful movement activitiescan be integrated into all phases ofstandards-based learning.

Math plans typically includehopscotch and beanbag games tohelp children learn number con-cepts, sorting, ordering, and pat-terning while they toss, hop, bend,and balance.

Art activities may include largemural spatter painting, easel paint-ing on various sizes of paper, anddrawing on covered walls or floors.Each of these activities encouragesupper-body development. Puddle-jump painting and giant-footsteppainting encourage lower-bodyexercise. With all of these activi-ties, extremely careful supervisionis essential to ensure that childrendo not slip.

Puddle-jump painting can bedone indoors or outdoors. Indoors,tape a large strip of butcher paper tothe floor. Place large, low trays (pud-dles) with a little water (and perhapswashable paint) in the center of thepaper. Children take off their shoesand socks, roll up their pants, andjump, hop, or stomp, in and out ofthe trays onto the paper.

After rainy days, puddle jump-ing can be done outside. Each childplaces white construction papernear a puddle and jumps from thepuddle to the paper to create pud-dle prints. A change of clothingmay be necessary.

For giant-footstep painting, tapea long sheet of butcher paper to the

Create a culture that respects and

celebrates movement.

Math plans may include hopscotch and beanbag games to help children learn numberconcepts, sorting, ordering, and patterning while they toss, hop, bend, and balance.


floor or hard outdoor surface. Chil-dren paint the bottoms of eachother’s shoes and make giant stepsacross the paper. Children enjoy try-ing to identify each other’s shoeprints. This activity is also a goodfollow-up for stories such as “Jackand the Beanstalk.”

Science learning might use chil-dren’s lotion to identify body partsand increase sensory exploration.Children engage in hands-on exper-iments such as filling different- andsame-size bottles with water to com-pare weight and volume, or measur-ing each other’s length when lyingdown to compare size.

Literacy is expanded by acting outfavorite stories, with or withoutprops and music. Listening, follow-ing directions, and using vocabularywords such as stretch, lean, andbreathe also enhance emerging litera-cy skills. With young readers, activegames can boost reading comprehen-sion. For example, children couldread and follow directions on exercisecards with pictures and words.

Problem-solving tasks can be set upto challenge children’s physical skills.Open-ended obstacle courses thatpromote body awareness and move-ment exploration are just one possi-bility for figuring out how to navi-gate one’s body. Obstacle courses canbe as simple as zigzagging chairs forchildren to maneuver around.

Physical development skills canalso be deliberately taught and prac-ticed. At the Family Center VillagePreschool, children engage in physi-cal activities daily at circle time andonce a week in a preschool fun andfitness class. Skills children learn,such as correct ball-kicking tech-niques, are reinforced throughoutthe day in the movement center andduring transitions.

Daily Routines to Support Movement

Circle time includes a planned andvaried physical movement learningcomponent to promote physicaldevelopment. Circle time oftenincorporates music, dance, musicalgames, rhythmic activities (Wirth,Stassevitch, Shotwell, Stemmler,1983), musical instruments, yoga(Koch, 1999), Brain Gym (Denni-son & Dennison, 1989), stretchingand exercise, movement stories (Lan-dalf & Gerke, 1996), movementprops such as a large parachute(Wilmes & Wilmes, 1985), and/orspecific movement activities (War-ren, 1996).

Transitions are thoughtfullyplanned to reinforce physical exer-cises. For instance, children mayslither like a snake to the play-ground, or spin and stop when theycome to circle time.

Schedules That Support Movement

Every day is a scheduled balanceof active and quiet times. Activetimes, indoors and out, are pur-posefully structured and arrangedso that children have a variety ofmovement experiences. Playgroundtime is unstructured, giving chil-dren the opportunity to play freelyand challenge themselves indepen-dently. The playground environ-ment is set up to include a varietyof enticing active play opportuni-ties.

Once a week, a special grossmotor fun and fitness class isscheduled. This class playfully con-centrates on appropriate grossmotor development. A knowledge-able early childhood physical edu-

cation teacher uses an assortmentof music and a variety of move-ment props such as a mini-trampo-line, hoops, and balls to encouragephysical participation.

During the class children learnabout general health and fitness,including the importance of stretch-ing and exercise. The teacher pur-posefully articulates fitness-relatedvocabulary such as healthy hearts,mighty muscles, and lunging legs. Inthis class, children

• focus on individual large-motorskill building such as slidingand galloping;

• engage in partner games such as“Row, Row, Row Your Boat”and throwing and catchingscarves or balls;

• take part in whole-group activi-ties with objects such as buddybands (a large stretchy loop)and dancing in conga lines; and

• play cooperative team-building

games through a variety of

relay races. Teachers attend the class as well,

so they can reinforce children’s learn-ing throughout the week, particular-ly during circle and transition times.

Once a week active outdoor waterplay is scheduled when weather per-mits, which is most of the time inSouth Florida. This promotes safeand fun whole-body sensory integra-tion. A hose and/or sprinkler are usedfor open, active play and movement.Organized water games such as Fillthe Bucket/Empty the Bucket relayraces may also be part of the fun.

Children and teachers seem

noticeably happier.


Parent Involvement That Supports Movement

Fitness for Preschoolers Tidbits aresent home once a week. These notesdescribe a large motor activity thatparents can play and enjoy withtheir children. The Tidbits reinforceactions that were introduced duringthe week’s fun and fitness class.

Family Members who knowabout a sport, dance, or physicalactivity are encouraged to sharetheir expertise with children inthe preschool.

Playground Parties are held everyother month in the early evening onthe preschool playground. Parentssign up to bring potluck dishes.Tables and chairs are set up outside.Students, siblings, parents, andgrandparents come, eat dinner, talk,and enjoy the playground together.Children love to play at night onthe well-lit playground with theirfriends and family members. It isgreat family fun and exercise. Play-ground parties could also be heldon weekends.

Values of Movin’ and Groovin’

Many other early childhoodteachers already incorporate ideas

such as those mentioned here. Theycreate environments that prompt avariety of physical postures, they planhands-on curriculum activities, theydance and move during circle andtransition times, and they involveparents in children’s learning.

Adopting a curriculum frame-work that thoughtfully supportscomprehensive movement activitiesadds an important dimension toearly childhood programs that seekto facilitate child development.When teachers know about andfocus on physical development,think specifically about movement,and honor what young children dobest—move and groove—children’sdevelopment is greatly facilitated.

Movin’ and Groovin’ has beenimplemented since September2004. It is a school-wide collabora-tive effort. Since it began, spiritshave lifted. Children and teachersseem noticeably happier. Exercisedoes seem to make people feel bet-ter. According to the teachers, coop-erating with young children’s natur-al instincts to move does maketeaching more rewarding. The entirestaff feels that they are making adifference. Put on some sneakers,take the children, and GO PLAY!

ReferencesDennison, P., & Dennison G. (1989).

Brain gym. Ventura, CA: Edu-Kesthetics.Dennison, P., & Dennison G. (1989).

Brain gym, Teacher’s edition (rev.). Ventura, CA: Edu-Kesthetics.

Dodge, D.T. (2002). Creative curriculumdevelopmental continuum for ages 3-5.Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies.

Koch, I. (1999). Like a fish in water: Yogafor children. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions.

Landalf, H., & Gerke, P. (1996). Movement stories for children ages 3-6. Lyme, NH: Smith & Kraus.

Moomaw, S. (1997). More than singing:Discovering music in preschool and kindergarten. St. Paul, MN: RedleafPress.

Sanders, S.W. (2002). Active for life, developmentally appropriate movementprograms for young children. Washington, DC: National Associationfor the Education of Young Children.

Warren, J. (1996). Four seasons movement.Everett, WA: Totline Publications.

Wilmes L., & Wilmes D. (1985). Para-chute play. Elgin, IL: Building Blocks.

Wirth, M., Stassevitch, V., Shotwell, R., &Stemmler, P. (1983). Musical games,fingerplays and rhythmic activities forearly childhood. West Nyack, NY: Parker.

Suggested Sources for Move-ment Activities

Active for Life by S.W. Sanders

Brain Gym, Teacher’s Edition Revised by P. & G. Dennison

Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum for Ages 3-5, physical development section by D. Dodge

Four Seasons Movement by J. Warren

Like a Fish in Water, Yoga forChildren by I. Koch

More Than Singing, Discovering Music in Preschool andKindergarten by S. Moomaw

Movement Stories for Children Ages 3-6 by H. Landalf & P. Gerke

Musical Games, Fingerplays and Rhythmic Activities for Early Childhood by M. Wirth, V. Stassevitch, R. Shotwell, & P. Stemmler

Parachute Play for Indoor and Oudoor Fun by L. & D. Wilmes

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For a complete list of the articles included in each CD, go towww.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org, click on Dimensions, and you’ll findproduct information there.

Nancy and Drew were eagerly dipping babyclothes into the soapy water in the outdoor watertable and then vigorously squeezing the water out.

“This one has lots of water!” exclaimed Nancy,showing Drew a terrycloth sleeper. “It’s heavy.”

“Look at this,” replied Drew. “It doesn’t get waterinside it." He held out a plastic bib for Nancy to see.

Hearing the conversation, Rob, their teacher,approached. “How can we figure out which babyclothes absorb the most water?” asked Rob. “Nancy,yours holds a lot of water. It absorbs a lot, but Drew’sbib doesn’t absorb any. What about the other babyclothes? How can we find out how much water theyhold?”

“We can squeeze them,” answered Nancy.“Let’s give it a try,” answered Rob. “What could

we use to help us tell how much water comes out?”He showed the children a clear measuring cup thatthey had been using in the water table.

Drew and Nancy examined the cup. “We couldsqueeze the water into the cup,” Drew said.

“We can see how many lines up it goes,” addedNancy.

Nancy and Drew took turns selecting clothes andsqueezing them into the cup. After a while, theydecided that the diaper held the most water and theplastic bib the least. Then they hung the clothes on aclothesline to dry.

When it was time to go inside, Rob asked Drewand Nancy if their clothes were dry. They eagerly ranto the clothesline to check.

“The bib is dry, and the baby dress is kind of dry,”they reported, “but the diaper and the sleeper arestill wet.”

“That’s interesting,” replied their teacher. “Iwonder how long it will take them to dry. Let’scheck them later.”

Teachers Guide Outdoor LearningAs this scenario shows, learning continues when children

go outside, and so does teaching. Through careful outdoorplanning and well-timed intervention, this teacher stimulat-ed children’s experimentation and thinking in both scienceand math. The children explored the scientific properties ofabsorption and the mathematical concept of measurement.

Unfortunately, teachers sometimes view outside time as“recess,” a break from regular classroom experiences. Infact, the outdoor arena offers many unique opportunitiesto introduce new concepts, consolidate previous learning,and encourage cognitive development through grossmotor play, particularly in the areas of math and science(Moomaw & Hieronymus, 1997, 1999). Gross-motorlearning offers unique cognitive benefits to children in allof these ways:

• Gross-motor play enables teachers to plan math andscience activities that are difficult to manage inside orare better suited to outdoor play.

• Some children learn math and science better throughgross-motor experiences.

• Outdoor play offers many opportunities for teachers to


Sally Moomaw, M.Ed., is Associate Director for Profes-sional Development & Clinical Faculty, Arlitt Child &Family Research & Education Center, University of Cincin-nati, Cincinnati, Ohio. She teaches curriculum courses inearly childhood education and is the author of nine booksincluding More Than Counting, Much More Than Counting,and More Than Magnets. She recently developed a MathTool Kit for the Ohio Department of Education to helpteachers implement mathematics content standards indevelopmentally appropriate ways.

Introduce new concepts outdoors.

Math & Science Go Outside Sally Moomaw

Children are captivated with math and science experiments, especiallywhen they’re messy and take place in the fresh air and sunshine.Make the most of every inch outdoors to promote children’s learningthrough gross motor play!


model math concepts and thescientific process in natural ways.

• Adding math and science goalsstimulates interest in gross-motor play.

• Incorporating cognitive goals in allareas of the learning environment,including gross-motor areas, max-imizes learning opportunities.

Outdoor Play–NewOpportunities forMath and Science

Gross-motor venues offer uniqueopportunities for learning in bothmath and science. For example, inthe math area, outdoor games sug-gest scoring to many children, andscoring requires them to quantify.

Kamii documented three levels ofthinking that children progressthrough as they construct conceptsof quantification (Kamii, 1982).Teachers can observe these stages inyoung children as they keep score,such as by taking beads to representhow many bottles they knock downwith a bowling ball.

1. Visual Approximation—Atthis early level, children usetheir senses to help themquantify. Children who usevisual approximation wouldlikely take a handful of beadsif they felt they had knockeddown a lot of bottles, but grabjust a few beads if only a cou-ple of bottles fell down.

2. One-to-One Correspondence—Children at this stage ofthinking are more logical.They realize that they needone object in their new set(beads) for each object in theoriginal set (bottles knocked

down). Children who havedeveloped one-to-one corre-spondence might pick up abead each time they touch abottle that fell down.

3. Counting—Children at thecounting level understand thatwhen they count, the lastnumber they say is how manythey have. Children who cancount simply count the bottlesthat fell down and then counta corresponding number ofbeads to determine the score.

Teachers can encourage childrento quantify in outdoor games byproviding support for scorekeep-ing. For example, children couldthrow beanbags at a stack of emptysalt boxes and use an abacus to helpkeep score. Each child playing thegame could use one color of beadsto represent the number of saltboxes knocked down. If desired,children could then compare howmany salt boxes they each hit.

Nancy P. Alexander

In the science area, outdoor play enables teachers to introduce messy activities that encourage children to apply aspects of the scientific process.

Gross-motor learningoffers unique

cognitive benefits.


To encourage children to repre-sent number, the teacher mightintroduce a dry-erase board orsidewalk chalk for scoring. Whilesome children may draw a circle ormark to represent each salt boxknocked down, others may beready to approximate writingnumerals (Moomaw & Hierony-mus, 1997).

In the science area, outdoor playenables teachers to introduce messyactivities that encourage children toapply aspects of the scientificprocess. One example is bubbleblowing. Teachers can supply chil-dren with tubs of bubble mixtureand a variety of wood or plastictools, such as slotted spoons, spools,cookie cutters, combs, and tradi-tional bubble wands.

As children attempt to createbubbles, they become scientists con-ducting their own experiments.With teacher support, they mayemploy one or more elements of thescientific process:

• Predict—decide which itemsthey think will make bubbles

• Experiment—try out varioustools and processes

• Observe—carefully watch whathappens

• Compare—judge among the bub-bles produced by various objects

• Measure—compare the size ofvarious bubbles

• Communicate—discuss the resultswith their friends

• Infer—reach conclusions, suchas that objects that are open,like the comb, won’t work forbubble blowing

Not only do experiences like thisencourage children to explore bub-bles, they also give them the thinkingtools to experiment and analyze inother situations.

Elements of the scientific process� Predict—decide what they think might happen

� Experiment—try out various tools and processes

� Observe—carefully watch what happens

� Compare—judge the different effects produced by various trials

� Measure—compare sizes, weights, or other aspects

� Communicate—discuss the results with others

� Infer�reach conclusions based on findings

Nancy P. Alexander

Some children may learn better through gross-motor activities than through more tradi-tional classroom experiences.


Accommodating Different LearningStyles

Children have different learningstyles. In fact, some children maylearn better through gross-motoractivities than through more tradi-tional classroom experiences (Gard-ner, 1993). The following exampleshows how moving math to the out-door environment helped a child whowas struggling with the concept ofone-to-one correspondence.

It was nearing the mid-pointof the school year, and the leadteacher, MariElana was con-cerned that Benny, a child withidentified cognitive delays,seemed to be avoiding all ofthe math games and materialsin the classroom. The otherteachers concurred that Bennyloved outside play, and heespecially liked the large wood-en cars and trucks. Afterwatching Benny in various playsituations, MariElana deter-mined that he might benefitfrom work on the concept ofone-to-one correspondence.

With that in mind, she usedsidewalk chalk to draw a largegrid on the concrete portion ofthe playground. When the classwent outside, the teacher askedBenny if he could help herpark cars in the new parkinglot. He eagerly agreed. Careful-ly, Benny rolled one vehicleinto each space, demonstratinghis understanding of one-to-one correspondence.

Each day Benny played withthe wooden cars, always beingsure to park one in each spacewhen he finished. The follow-ing week, MariElana expandedthe parking lot to include tri-cycles, and Benny enjoyed

parking his tricycle in a desig-nated space.

After several weeks of thisgross-motor play, for the firsttime Benny chose a math gamein the classroom and asked histeacher to play. Like the parkinglot, it involved one-to-one cor-respondence, with one noveltyplastic toothbrush for eachtoothpaste sticker on the gameboard. Having played withmath concepts in the outsidearea, where he felt secure,Benny was now ready to trans-fer his learning to the classroom.

Some children who are typicallydeveloping may also express theirskills with math concepts more easilyin gross-motor situations. In the fol-lowing example, a child astoundedhis teacher by demonstrating quan-tification skills in the gross-motorarea that she had never seen him usein the classroom.

Shawn loved the new game thatwas set up in the gross-motorroom. Children rolled a giant dieand then hopped along a pathmade out of nonskid carpetsquares to reach the finish line.The die went up to six dots.

Shawn accurately hopped theappropriate number of spaces eachtime he rolled the die. In fact, hewas so good at the game that heconfidently informed other chil-dren when they made mistakes.

Caitlin, his teacher, wasamazed. There were similargames in the classroom, inwhich children moved toy fig-ures along a path, but Shawnhad never shown such advancedquantification skills when play-ing with these games.

Opportunities for Modeling

Gross-motor play creates manyopportunities for teachers to modelmath and science concepts in appro-priate ways. Counting songs andgames have long been an establishedpart of childhood culture, oftenhanded down from one generation tothe next. Hopscotch and jump ropechants are just two examples.

Teachers can capitalize on this nat-ural connection between countingand movement to model importantelements of counting identified inresearch (Gelman & Gallistel, 1986):

1. Stable order—In order to suc-cessfully use counting toquantify, children must learnto say the number words inthe correct order.

2. One-to-one correspondence—Children must apply one-to-one correspondence to theircounting, saying one numberword for each object countedand counting each object oneand only one time.

3. Cardinality—Children mustunderstand that when theycount, the last number theycount represents the total.

Action songs provide a naturalopportunity for teachers and chil-dren to count. In the following song,children take turns demonstrating aparticular movement. Then everyonecounts as they repeat the movement ades ignated number of t imes(Moomaw & Hieronymus, 1995).

Model importantelements of counting.

44

Look at what Ann can do

I can do it five times, too!

Copy Cat Number Song

Sally Moomaw, © 1993

C G

C G7 C


Through this activity, the teacherhelps children learn the names andorder of the number words and toincorporate one-to-one correspon-dence when counting. Cardinality isalso modeled because the teachercounts only up to the number desig-

nated ahead of time. Other opportunities to model

counting in the outdoor area mightinclude: count jumps on a trampo-line; count to a predetermined num-ber before a child jumps off a box;count how many times the teacher

and the child catch a ball withoutdropping it; count how many stepsor jumps it takes to go from one side-walk crack to the next.

In the science area, teachers canmodel the scientific process as chil-dren explore special outside activi-ties. For example, the teacher mightcreate a large ramp by elevating oneend of plywood or a sturdy card-board box. As children roll a varietyof objects down the ramp, theteacher can focus questions on thescientific process, such as:

• Which things do you think willroll the best? (hypothesize)

• Could you try the cardboardtube to see what happens?(experiment)

• Which rolls better, the pear orthe orange? (compare)

• What happened when you rolledthe pear? (observe)

• How far did the orange roll?(measure)

Thinking Stimulates Play

While children naturally enjoyoutside play, they can become boredwith the same activities each day.Adding cognitive goals can stimulaterenewed interest in gross-motor play.

For example, at the Arlitt Childand Family Research and EducationCenter at the University of Cincin-nati, children became excited aboutplaying with doll strollers when anunder-used area of the playgroundwas converted into a giant mathgame. Rose, the teacher, used wash-

Cognitive goals renew interest in gross-motor play.


By taking math and science outside, teachers give children the opportunity to constructknowledge in the way they know best — by using their own bodies.


able tempera paint to divide a circu-lar sidewalk into spaces. Childrentook turns rolling a large die to deter-mine how many spaces they couldpush their stroller along the path(Moomaw & Hieronymus, 1999).When they got to the end of thepath, they could select baby toys fortheir dolls.

Not only did the game encouragethe children to be more physicallyactive, it also stimulated them tothink mathematically and quantify(figure out the amount on the die),create equivalent sets (move the samenumber of spaces as dots on the die),and construct one-to-one correspon-dence (move one space for each dot).

Scientific reasoning also increasesinterest in outside play. Sand boxes arestandard on many playgrounds. Toencourage children to incorporate sci-ence into their play, the CincinnatiLearning Center installed pulleys nextto the sand box. Children experiment-ed with the effect of the pulleys as theyhoisted empty or full buckets of sand.

Outdoor Play HelpsConsolidate Learning

Teachers can maximize learningby incorporating cognitive goals inall areas of the environment, includ-

ing outside. In the classroom chil-dren might experiment with pattern-ing, an important math concept, byclapping patterns at group time.They might also create patterns withbig and little cookie cutters dippedinto paint in the art area, or placealternating colors of barrettes in adoll’s hair during dramatic play.

Taking those same patterningconcepts outdoors, children mightrepresent patterns by stepping inwashable paint and creating foot-prints across a large piece of paper.They could also weave crepe paperstreamers through the fence, creatingan under-over pattern (Moomaw &Hieronymus, 1999).

In science, children might becomeinterested in a pendulum. A pendu-lum is a weight suspended by a cord,such as a ball attached to a string andhung from a hook. Indoors, childrencan use a pendulum to knock downtable blocks.

Outdoors, children may noticethat a tire swing is a giant pendulum.Sitting on the pendulum, in this casea tire, gives children a different feelabout the properties of a pendulum.Teachers might extend this learningby suspending a squeeze ketchupbottle from the climber. As the pen-dulum swings, children

can watch the elliptical pattern creat-ed on a large piece of paper below(Moomaw & Hieronymus, 1997).

“What the body does the mindremembers” often seems to be thecase. When children can actually uselarge body movements to representnumber or learn about the propertiesof materials, these concepts become apart of their understanding at themost concrete level. By taking mathand science outside, teachers givechildren the opportunity to constructknowledge in the way they knowbest—by using their own bodies.

ReferencesGardner, H. (1993). Frames of mind. New

York: Basic Books.Gelman, R., & Gallistel, C.R. (1986).

The child’s understanding of number(2nded.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Uni-versity Press.

Kamii, C. (1982). Number in preschool andkindergarten. Washington DC: National Association for the Educationof Young Children.

Moomaw, S., & Hieronymus, B. (1995).More than counting. St. Paul, MN:Redleaf Press.

Moomaw, S., & Hieronymus, B. (1997).More than magnets. St. Paul, MN:Redleaf Press.

Moomaw, S., & Hieronymus, B. (1999).Much more than counting. St. Paul, MN:Redleaf Press.

Where are the bookreviews?

They’ll return in the winter 2006issue. Space limitations made itimpossible to include them in thisissue. Among the book reviews comingin Winter: The Power of Projects:Meeting Contemporary Challenges inEarly Childhood Classrooms — Strate-gies and Solutions edited by Judy HarrisHelm and Sallee Beneke and PreschoolClassroom Management: 150 Teacher-Tested Techniques by Laverne Warnerand Sharon Anne Lynch.

Moving and PlayingSECA is offering this parent pamphlet at a special

rate to help you give your parents information aboutwhy keeping children active and engaged in learningis important. It's a bright, colorful handout witheasy-to-read information.

Special for this issue:Package of 50 pamphlets $5.00Limited quantities available.

Orders accepted by credit card, money order, or check.Call 1-800-305-7322 to purchase.


How can teachers ensure that young children are developing both their language skillsand their physical prowess? Integrate the two! These practical ideas are a springboardfor curriculum planning.

The Language Arts Get Physical:Fun, Fitness, and Fundamentals

Vikki K. Collins, Sallie Averitt Miller, and H. Marguerite Yates

Physical activity and the acquisition of literacy skillsare both vital aspects of young children’s lives. Vigorousphysical activities promote language learning, encouragefitness, and foster healthy growth and development. Foroptimum physical and language development, childrenshould routinely engage in integrated experiences thatengage both body and brain (Krull, 2002).

How Brain and Body Are ConnectedAt birth, a child possesses 100 billion brain cells or

neurons, a sufficient number to learn language (DeBord,1997) and to process the language arts skills to listen,speak, read, write, view, and represent visually (Tomp-kins, 2002).

As a result of everyday experiences, the infant’s brainand the body respond to environmental stimuli thatcause neurons to fire. Neurons send messages to oneanother by chemical and electrical impulses. The mes-sages speed across the synaptic gaps between neurons.These neural networks combine to form intellect,thoughts, and emotions. As more and more connec-tions are formed between brain cells, learning andproblem-solving abilities mature (Vollero, 2004). Withthe extension of experiences and learning opportuni-ties, the neural system becomes increasingly elaborate(Callender, 1999).

Physical exercise triggers the release of chemicals(neurotransmitters) that fuel thinking, planning, acting,and positive moods. These neurotransmitters include

• adrenaline (to release glucose), • dopamine and serotonin (to foster positive moods), • vasopressin (to relieve stress), and• norepinephrine and peptide (to enhance positive

moods and learning).Clearly, when the body is stimulated by exercise, the

brain is primed to learn (Vollero, 2004).

Information on brain development leads to the con-clusion that rich sensory input is essential to learning.More complex neural networks are enhanced by hands-on learning experiences that rely on more brainresources. By releasing neurotransmitters, exercise acti-vates the brain to strengthen and to expand neural net-works. Exercise, therefore, promotes thinking and learn-ing. Exercise may also help children to express what theyhave learned, and physical demonstrations may bolstertheir understanding (Callender, 1999).

During physical exercise, the heart rate surges tonourish the brain with oxygen. Exercise also increasesthe level of a brain cell growth hormone that aids in theability of neurons to communicate with one another.

Vikki K. Collins, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of EarlyChildhood Education, Columbus State University, Colum-bus, Georgia. She is a former classroom teacher, child devel-opment center director, and director of an Easter Seals pro-gram. Her research interests include effective preschool pro-grams, early literacy development, and an integrated earlychildhood curriculum.

Sallie Averitt Miller, Ed.D., is Associate Professor of Educa-tion, Director for the Center for Assessment and ReadingEducation, and Program Coordinator for the ReadingEndorsement Program at Columbus State University,Columbus, Georgia. Miller's areas of expertise include work-ing with educators using scientifically based reading research,supervising teachers and teacher candidates in diagnostic andprescriptive reading instruction, and writing curriculum. Shehas a strong clinical background teaching children and ado-lescents to read across grade levels and subject areas.

H. Marguerite Yates, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Edu-cation, Department of Education, LaGrange College,LaGrange, Georgia. Her research interests include early lit-eracy, professional development school partnerships, andteacher resistance to innovation.


Children’s regular exercise promotesmotor fitness, academic perfor-mance, and positive attitude towardschool while reducing stress(Vollero, 2004).

Influences of CurrentCurriculum Priorities

Schools have been identified as akey environment to promote publichealth strategies that address theissues of overweight and obesityamong children (U.S. Department ofHealth & Human Services, 2001).Because high-quality schools seek topromote physical and language devel-opment, an emphasis on stimulatingactivities to foster body and brainconnections can result in much-needed experiences for all children.

Brain development is most pro-nounced during the first decade oflife (DeBord, 1997) and researchfindings indicate the importance ofoffering stimulating educational

experiences during the early years(Ramsburg, 1997). Unfortunately,many young children in the UnitedStates do not regularly participate instimulating body-and-brain-con-nected activities.

During the primary years, chil-dren’s physical growth slows down incomparison to the rapid growth thatoccurs during the first 5 years of life.Primary-grade children gain greatercontrol over their bodies, and aremore fatigued by sitting for longperiods of time than by running,jumping, or being active.

Large- and small-motor activitieshelp children develop physical con-trol and skills. Physical activity is alsovital for children’s cognitive growth.Young children need to engage inactive learning to grasp unfamiliarconcepts (National Association forthe Education of Young Children,1997). Although the evidenceregarding the relationship betweenphysical activity and academic

achievement is limited, someresearch has indicated that physicalactivity and academic performanceare positively associated (Dwyer,Blizzard, & Dean, 1996).

Physical education policies varygreatly from state to state and arerarely enforced (Robert Wood John-son Foundation, 2003). The reportpoints out that most policy decisionsgoverning schools are made at thedistrict and school levels. However,school board policies may be outdat-ed and fail to make physical activitya priority. A key finding cited in thereport is that physical activity pro-gram implementation is hindered bythe increased emphasis on academicsand testing.

When the body is stimulated by exercise,

the brain is primed to learn!


Physical exercise triggers the release of neurotransmitters that fuel thinking, planning, acting, and positive moods.


The No Child Left Behind Act(NCLB) of 2001 (U.S. Departmentof Education, n.d.) emphasizes thegoal of closing the achievement gap incore subjects, predominantly mathe-matics and reading. Unintentionalnegative consequences of NCLBinclude diminished funding, support,and time for physical education,which is not defined as a core subject.

With increased pressure for acade-mic accountability, there is notenough time in the school day toadequately address all subject areasthat contribute to a good-qualityeducation. When physical educationtime is reduced, children are far lesslikely to engage in physical activity.

The National Association for theEducation of Young Children(NAEYC) advocates a curriculumthat integrates physical activitythroughout the day to allow chil-dren to “express themselves aesthet-ically and physically, represent ideasand feelings, and acquire funda-mental concepts” (1997, p. 174). Inaccordance with the NAEYC state-ment, research suggests that move-ment is the young child’s preferredmode of learning—and that chil-dren learn best through activeinvolvement (Elliot & Sanders,2003; Minton, 2003).

With limited time for physicaleducation and an emphasis on earlyliteracy, one solution seems to be tointegrate the two curricular areas. Inone survey, teachers’ support forincluding physical activities in theclassroom increased when programsincorporated academics (RobertWood Johnson Foundation, 2003).Also, teachers and parents both con-nected physical activity withimproved academic performance.

How can the language arts andphysical activity be connected? Thelanguage arts involve speaking, lis-

tening, reading, writing, viewing,and visual representation—all vitalparts of young children’s abilities tocommunicate. The language artstranscend all content areas, so move-ment is an important means of com-munication as children expressthemselves through body language(Pica, n.d.).

Minton (2003) believes that“ideas and feelings expressed inwords actually begin in the body....Before you write or speak, there is aphysical response in the body” (p.37). Movement and the languagearts are both important means ofcommunication and expressionthrough which children developsocial, emotional, and cognitive skills(Elliott & Sanders, 2003). Becauseyoung children are naturally interest-ed in physical movement and physi-cal activity is positively linked withacademic achievement, fun, fitness,and fundamentals can all be achievedwhen language arts and movementare integrated.

Ideas for IntegratedLearning

Constructing an appropriate,integrated curriculum has beendefined by NAEYC as best practice(emphasis added):

The curriculum is designed todevelop children’s knowledge andskills in all content areas (lan-guage and literacy, mathemat-ics, science, social studies, health,physical education, art, andmusic) and to help children

establish a foundation for lifelonglearning. Teachers know the con-tent they teach, are familiar withnational and local standards forcurriculum content, and designcurriculum to help childrenachieve standards for learning,while also supporting theirhealthy development in allareas—cognitive, social, emo-tional, and physical (NAEYC,1997, p. 169).

Similarly, the Council on PhysicalEducation for Children (2001), in aposition paper from the National Asso-ciation for Sport and Physical Educa-tion, indicates that children need avariety of movement experiences todevelop healthy minds and bodies thatare more capable of learning.

The authors, an interdisciplinaryteam of educators (mathematics, lan-guage arts, and reading) took a closelook at the physical activity aspect oflearning in early childhood educa-tion and developed several lessonplans to enhance learning by engag-ing children in physical activity. Theteam designed integrated lessonplans for classroom teachers whowish to use physical activity to teachacademic content.

These learning experiences cantake place in a classroom, openindoor space, or in an outdoor playarea. All of the following 13 integrat-ed lessons promote inclusion and canbe authentically assessed. By adapt-ing movement skills and/or choosingsimilarly appropriate materials, theseideas can be implemented withdiverse young learners. For example,

• children with disabilities may beassisted by partners or asked to modify their movementsaccordingly.

• light-weight large balls, bean-bags, plates, crayons, markers,and cards could be incorporatedas needed.

Brain development ismost pronounced during

the first decade of life.


• protective equipment such aspads and helmets may be helpfulfor some children.

• assistive technology, includingwheelchairs, scooter boards, andcommunication boards, couldbe made available.

Assessment strategies for the inte-grated lessons may include the use ofteacher-made checklists and rubrics.Videotapes of the activities could becreated and reviewed for progress byteachers and children. Completedwork samples, including journal writ-ings, can be evaluated. Anecdotalnotes made by teachers could serve asa record of students’ achievements.All of these authentic assessment pro-cedures are suitable for documentingchildren’s physical, language/cogni-tive, and social development.

Springboards for Integrated CurriculumPlanning

These thumbnail lesson plans arepresented in the same format:

• suggested grade levels, • areas of physical development

promoted, and • a description of the activity.1. Jump-Rope Alphabet (based on

Albrightson, 2003) reinforces youngchildren’s knowledge of alphabet let-ters. More experienced readers couldspell words and even make up jump-rope rhymes.

■ Grades preK-2, indoors oroutdoors

■ Non-locomotor skills: bend-ing, stretching, and twisting.Locomotor skills: running,jumping, walking.

■ Children use jump ropes toform letters. After the letter isformed, older children jumprope one time for each letterin the alphabet up to the lettercreated. If the letter is H, chil-dren jump eight times while

saying the alphabet letters inorder. Younger children couldjump without the rope.

2. Rhyming Words (Lemos,2001) integrates language arts andmotor skills.

■ Grades 1-3■ Muscular strength.■ Children explore rhyming

words. Cones with paper platebases are scattered in the gymor on the playground. Eachpaper plate has one word onit. Students ride scooters orother appropriate vehicles tofind two plates with rhymingwords. As age and grade levelincreases, the word selectioncan become more difficult.

3. Link Up (based on Heimlich,2000) provides spelling practicewhile using a variety of locomotorskills and movement concepts. It canbe used with small or larger groups.

■ Grades 1-2■ Locomotor skills, space aware-

ness, and movement concepts.■ Children help write three sets

of every alphabet letter onconstruction paper or indexcards. Each child in the groupchooses two or three lettercards. Children who have aletter found in the spellingword announced by the leader“link up” with classmates tospell the word correctly. Chil-

Michele Lucia Brener

Integration of language arts with physical activity stimulates crucial body and brainconnections and may well help to reduce the pervasiveness of overweight and obesity.


dren who do not have a letterin the spelling word form theletters in the word with theirbodies using upper- or lower-case letters (similar to the“YMCA” song).

4. Moving Through the Alphabet(based on Kuykendall, 2000) pro-motes movement through imageryinspired by words associated witheach letter of the alphabet.

■ Grades PreK-1■ Effort, space awareness,

and relationships.■ Children study the alphabet

in association with words andword meanings via move-ment. Starting with the letterA, the teacher (or groupleader) calls out each letter ofthe alphabet, a correspondingword, and an image to pro-mote movement. For exam-ple, for the letter A, applemight be the word. The chil-dren could pretend that theyare apple trees, stretchingtheir branches high into thesky, or that they are pickingapples, reaching high andbending low. After eachmovement, the letter andword are reviewed. Childrenthen call out the letter thatcomes next.

5. Bounce to Spell (McClure,2000) features eye-hand coordina-tion, cooperation, and spelling skills.

■ Grades 1-2■ Dribbling, passing, and catch-

ing a ball.■ Children work with a partner

to practice spelling words. Astudent bounces a ball to hisor her partner, saying the firstletter as the ball is passed. Thepartner says the next letterwhile catching the ball. Thisactivity continues until thestudents successfully spell thecomplete word. Children cansuggest different types of pass-

es, such as facing sidewaystoward your partner.

6. Name Ball Game (based onBuxon, 2004) focuses on throwingand catching while children learn thebeginning sound and letter of eachother’s names.

■ PreK-1■ Throwing and catching.■ Children sit in a circle in

groups of four. Each grouphas a ball. The child with theball calls the child’s name thathe or she is tossing the ball to,and then says the name andthe beginning letter sound.Younger students could callout their own names and evenroll the ball to each otherbefore engaging in this moredifficult activity.

7. Paper Plate Animals (based onWestbrook, 2000) is designed topractice spelling while developing avariety of throwing skills.

■ Grades 2-3■ Locomotor skills include

throwing, running, skipping,hopping, jumping. Childrenalso learn social skills, studyscience, and gain an in-depth,rich vocabulary about animals.

■ In advance, children draw twoor three different animals onthe front of separate paperplates and write the animal’sname on the back. Divide intogroups of four or fewer chil-dren with one beanbag pergroup. The groups sit behinddesignated team cones that arescattered around the peripheryof the gym or playground. Acollection of animals is scat-tered in the middle. These aresome possible variations.

■ Individual: Taking turns, stu-dents in each group run, skip,hop, or jump as directed bythe leader to a place about 4feet from the animal plate ofhis/her choice.

■ Individual: Students throw abeanbag underhanded oroverhanded as directed by theleader to an animal plate. Ifthe beanbag hits a plate, thestudent picks up the animalplate and takes it back to thegroup along with the bean-bag. If the beanbag does nothit the plate, the student takesonly the beanbag back to thegroup. Repeat until all platesare collected.

■ Small Group: Students spell thename of the animal using theirbodies to make each letter.

■ Small Group: Studentsdescribe the movements,appearance, sounds, habitats,or other characteristics that dis-tinguish the animals collected.

■ Whole Group: Each groupchooses one animal to introduceto the class. The class spells theanimal name and moves like theanimal. This could also beplayed like charades.

8. Body Words (LiVigne, 2004)encourages cooperation, spelling, andbody depiction of spelling words.

■ Grades K-2■ Non-locomotor skills.■ Discuss what the word cooper-

ation means and how impor-tant it is to work together.Divide children into pairs,each going to a separate area inthe gym or playground.

■ Partners are given paper and apencil to write five, two-letterwords. One at a time, chil-dren use their bodies (a leadercan specify their entire body,upper body, right side, or leftside) to form the letters tospell each of the words. Thewords must be spelled correct-ly, and other children must beable to read the words fromleft to right.

■ For more challenges, usethree-letter or four-letterwords and larger groups.


9. Physical Phonics (based onMajor, 2004) helps children learn thesounds that different letters make.

■ Grades preK-2■ Locomotor skills.■ Children help scatter three sets

of 26 paper plates or poly spots(9” diameter rubber poly spots

are available in colors) withone letter written on each.Divide the class into groups ofthree or four. The leader callsout a series of instructions con-cerning phonics (letter and let-ter sounds) along with a basiclocomotor skill. For example,

“Skip to the plate with the let-ter making the mmmm soundyou hear in monkey.”

10. Locomotor Letters (or Numbersor Shapes) (Duncan, 2002) giveschildren an opportunity to practicelocomotor skills and integrates writ-ing of numbers and letters as well asshape drawing.

■ Grades K-2■ Locomotor skills and follow-

ing directions.■ Children randomly place

hoops (one per child) in theactivity area. They place aclipboard with blank paperand one marker or crayon onthe floor inside each hoop.Children then wait in an areaoutside the hoops. When theleader begins the music, chil-dren move toward the hoopsusing a locomotor skill speci-fied by the leader. When themusic stops, they quicklymove into the closest hoop.Children then write the num-ber or letter, or draw theshape, that the leader is hold-ing up or calls out. For exam-ple, if the letter S is called,children write the letter S onthe paper.

11. Sentences in Motion (Whalen,2003) helps children learn punctua-tion marks (period, comma, questionmark, and exclamation point) whileusing locomotor skills.

■ Grades 2-4■ Locomotor skills and lan-

guage conventions.■ Write punctuation marks and

directions on a large poster,such as period = stop, comma =pause, question mark = move in

Nancy P. Alexander

Children's regular exercise promotes motor fitness, academic performance, and positiveattitude toward school while reducing stress.

Physical activity ishindered by the

emphasis on academics and testing.


the opposite direction, andexclamation point = jump stop.Students move about asrequested (run, walk, skip) untilthe leader calls out a sentence.Children perform the skill relat-ed to the correct punctuation.For example, if running is thelocomotor skill being usedwhen the teacher asks, “What’syour name?” the children startto run in the opposite direction.

12. 123/ABC Hopscotch (Hall,2002) focuses on alphabet recogni-tion, letter sounds, and numeralrecognition.

■ Grades K-1■ Locomotor skills-hopping,

jumping, and bouncing.■ Use colored chalk to draw sev-

eral hopscotch grids. Place avariety of numerals or lettersin each of the squares. Discusshow to play hopscotch. Chil-dren then toss small pebblesand hop or jump into thesquare in which the pebblelands. They identify the letteror numeral in the square. Tomake this activity more chal-lenging, students spell a wordthat begins with the letter orspell the name of the numeral.

13. Explore the Moon (based onJackson, 2003) integrates body andspace awareness themes with theRead Across America program.

■ Grades 1-2■ Locomotor skills and muscu-

lar strength.■ Read a children’s book about

the moon with students. Dis-cuss the concept of gravity (theforce that pulls you down whenyou are on Earth. Gravity isweaker on the moon than it ison Earth.) Scatter poly spotsand beanbags around the area(poly spots represent mooncraters and beanbags are moonrocks). Students sit on scooterboards (rocket ships) on the side

of the room. Children countdown to blast-off and ride theirrocket ships to the moon.

■ Upon landing, the rocket shipsbecome moon-mobiles to ridein different directions, avoid-ing craters and rocks. Studentspark their moon-mobiles andstep out to walk on the moon.They move slowly, collectlightweight moon rocks, andbalance them on differentbody parts while walking onthe moon.

These sample lesson plans can beadapted by teachers planning integrat-ed, developmentally appropriate cur-ricula (NAEYC, 1997). The NationalAssociation for Sport and PhysicalEducation (2004) guidelines also indi-cate that children need a variety ofmovement experiences to develophealthy minds and bodies. For youngchildren, the integration of languagearts with physical activity not onlystimulates crucial body and brain con-nections but may well help to reduceoverweight and obesity. As the lan-guage arts get physical, children bene-fit from fun, fitness, and fundamentals.

ReferencesAlbrightson, C. (2003). Let’s spell. Retrieved

July 8, 2004, from http://www.pecen-tral.org/lessonideas

Buxon, K. (2004). Name ball game.Retrieved September 2, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Callender, M. (1999). Smart moves: Whylearning is not all in your head. Retrieved December 16, 2004, fromhttp://wellspring.com/cat/Adult_books/smart_moves.html

Council on Physical Education for Chil-dren. (2001). A position paper from theNational Association for Sport and Physi-cal Education. Retrieved December 27,2004, from http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/pdf_files/pos_papers/current_res.pdf

DeBord, K. (1997). Brain development.Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Coopera-tive Extension Service.

Duncan, C. (2002). Locomotor letters.Retrieved September 3, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Dwyer, T., Blizzard, L., & Dean, K. (1996).Physical activity and performance in children. Nutrition Reviews, 54, S27-S31.

Elliott, E., & Sanders, S. (2003). The issues:Children and physical activity. RetrievedAugust 14, 2004, fromhttp://www.pbs.org/teacherssource/pre2/issues/202issue.shtm

Hall, G. (2002). 123/ABC hopscotch.Retrieved September 1, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Heimlich, L. (2000). Link up. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Jackson, M. (2003). Explore the moon withthe Berenstain bears. Retrieved Septem-ber 3, 2004, from http://www.pecen-tral.org/lessonideas

Krull, S. (2002). The theory behind develop-mentally appropriate movement activities.Retrieved August 15, 2004, fromhttp://www.earlychildhood.com

Kuykendall, J. (2000). Alphabet madness.Retrieved August 4, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Lemos, T. (2001). Rhyming words.Retrieved August 17, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

LiVigne, L. (2004). Body words. RetrievedSeptember 2, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Major, T. (2004). Physical phonics.Retrieved September 3, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

McClure, C. (2000). Bounce to spell.Retrieved July 31, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Minton, S. (2003). Using movement toteach academics: An outline for success.Journal of Physical Education, Recreation& Dance, 74(2), 36-40.

National Association for Sport and PhysicalEducation. (2004). Physical activity forchildren: A statement of guidelines forchildren ages 5-20 (2nd ed.). Reston,VA: Author.

National Association for the Education ofYoung Children. (1997).Developmentally appropriate practice inearly childhood programs (rev. ed.).Washington, DC: Author.

Pica, R. (n.d.). Linking literacy and move-ment. Retrieved December 19, 2004,from http://www.movingandlearning.com/Resources/Articles18.html


Ramsburg, D. (1997). Brain developmentin young children: The early years arelearning years. Parent News, 3(4) 25.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2003).Healthy schools for healthy kids. RetrievedDecember 18, 2004, fromhttp://www.rwjf.org/publications/publicationsPdfs/healthySchools.pdf

Tompkins, G. (2002). Language arts contentand teaching strategies (5th ed.). UpperSaddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Pren-tice Hall.

United States Department of Education.(n.d.) Executive summary. RetrievedDecember 15, 2004, fromhttp://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html

United States Department of Health &Human Services. (2001). The Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent anddecrease overweight and obesity. RetrievedDecember 16, 2004, from http://sur-geongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoac-tion/2_2_2.html

Vollero, M. (2004). Nurturing the body andmind in physical education withMozart. Retrieved December 17, 2004,from http://yale.edu/ynhti/curricu-lum/units/20016/01.06.07.x.html/#g

Westbrook, R. (2000). Buckets of zoo.Retrieved July 12, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Whalen, K. (2003). Sentences in motion.Retrieved September 10, 2004, fromhttp://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas

Jeannette Joyce Blocker Watson died Sunday, June 19, 2005 in Austin,Texas. As a long-time supporter of SECA, Jeannette served as Treasurer(1971-73), President Elect (1973-74), President (1974-75), and Past Presi-dent (1975-76).

A pioneer in child development, for 17 years Jeannette opened and oper-ated Child Development Center, one of Austin’s first private kindergartens.She served as the Volunteer Director of the Texas Council for Early Child-hood Education. In 1971 she was appointed by Governor Preston Smith asthe Director of the newly created Office of Early Childhood Development.

Advocacy on behalf of young children was a passion for Jeannette. In addi-tion to SECA, she contributed her expertise and enthusiastic zeal to numer-ous boards, including the National Association for the Education of YoungChildren, Parents As Teachers National Center, the Mental Health Associa-tion in Texas, and the City of Austin Child Care Council.

To recognize her many achievements, Jeannette received numerous awardsincluding the T. Berry Brazleton Award and a proclamation from the TexasState Senate. The city of Austin proclaimed May 27, 2004, as “Jeannette Wat-son Day.” Awards were also named in her honor, including The JeannetteWatson Texas Parents As Teachers Advocacy Award and the Austin Area Association for the Education ofYoung Children Jeannette Watson Award.

Although Jeannette has many achievements and commendations, her true legacy was in the quietmoments through the years as she mentored so many who had chosen the significant work of bringing joyof learning to young children. Even as multiple system atrophy overtook her body, she continued bedsidementoring to her many visitors. As one of those she mentored, ironically the week before she died, I hada dream in which Jeannette was her usual glowing, perky self, stylishly dressed with high heels clickingdown a long hall. As she disappeared and a door closed behind her, I heard her exclaim, “Look, every-thing in here is brand new!”

On behalf of young children everywhere, God speed, Jeannette.

Phyllis Jack Moore

In Memoriam

MemorialA contribution has been made to the Southern Early Childhood Association in the memory of

Tracy H. Moore, Father of Thomas Moore

by Dr. Pam Schiller

A video training series for child care professionals from the VelmaE. Schmidt Programs of the University of North Texas.

Designed to provide foundations in early literacy training tochildcare professionals, these video sets include seven tapes.

Introducing:

Success from the Start!

• SECA will work to help you "adopt" a program so that you can work directly with an early childhood program in the area to assist themin the re-building effort. (This can be a center or home program.) Your support can include fund raising, donations of materials, and any-thing else that is agreeable to both you and the recipient. This would be a good community service project for your children and lends apersonal touch to what can often be an impersonal process. Call us at 1-800-305-7322 to get on the list to "adopt a program."

"Hand to Hand and Heart to Heart" Helping Our Colleagues and the Children and Families of the Gulf Coast

We are currently facing the largest displacement of a civilianpopulation since the Civil War according to CNN. The city ofNew Orleans was under water, and the Gulf Coast has beenravaged. Families have been dislocated and, in the process,children have faced the trauma of the unknown. Early child-hood programs have been destroyed, and our colleagues facean uncertain future.

We know that you want to help, and the Southern EarlyChildhood Association is initiating three programs to assist inthe rebuilding of the early childhood community in the GulfCoast area. We will be able to assist immediately inMississippi, some parishes in Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida.The New Orleans area will take more time as local, state, and fed-eral authorities work to make the city habitable again.

Hurricane Relief FundSouthern Early Childhood AssociationP.O. Box 55930Little Rock, AR 72215

• Donations of books and teacher resources may be sent to:

There are three ways that you can help as the rebuilding begins:• SECA will accept financial donations that will be held at SECA until our state affiliates can assist us in determining the mosteffective way to distribute those funds. Your donation to SECA is tax-deductible, and you will receive a donation receipt. If you wouldlike to donate, please send your donation to:

Join SECA and our partners, NAEYC and the Gulf Coast Early Childhood Relief Project, to make a difference today

Child Care Hurricane ProjectFirst United Methodist Church412 W. Main StreetTupelo, MS 38804

Each tape is 30 minutes or less and can provide a springboard for discussion in a training you design for your staff.

Visit www.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org or call 1-800-305-7322 to purchase.

Special Price: $59 SECA members/$79 non-members

• Literacy Frameworks• Phonological Awareness• Motivation to Read & Literary Forms• Letter Knowledge & Early Word

Recognition

• Written Expression• Health and Wellness• Listening Comprehension and

Vocabulary Development

• Dr. T. Berry Brazelton & his National Seminar Series

• Marlo Thomas, the 2006 SECA Friend of Children

• Dr. Pam Schiller, author & former president of SECA

• The Honorable Bill Purcell, Mayor of Nashville, TN

• The Learning Station with Don Monopoli, national children’s recording and per-forming artist

• Mary Jo Huff, Storyteller

57th Annual ConferenceFebruary 1-4, 2006Opryland HotelNashville, TN

SE

CA

20

06

For complete information about theconference, (schedule, registration

form, hotel info, etc)., go towww.southernearlychildhood.org

or call 1-800-305-SECA.Registration materials have been

mailed to SECA members.

Special Appearances by:

Featuring

The T. Berry BrazeltonNational Seminar

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton Dr. Joshua Sparrow

Maria Trozzi Dr. Kristie Brandt

�Working in Harmonyfor Children�

SouthernEarly ChildhoodAssociation

of Early Childhood

Volu

me

33,N

umbe

r 3

Fall

2005

Dimensions

P.O. Box 55930 • Little Rock, AR 72215-5930Toll Free: 800-305-7322 • www.SouthernEarlyChildhood.org

SOUTHERNEARLYCHILDHOODASSOCIATION

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Little Rock, AR 72201Permit No. 2470

Theme Issue onInside Out, Outside In:Active Bodies and ActiveMinds

• Stop Obesity • Integrate Movement• Movin’ & Groovin’• Math & Science • Language Arts Gets

Physical

Check the inside back cover of this issue for complete information on how you can help.

"HAND TO HAND

AND

HEART TO HEART" SECA’s Response toHurricane Katrina

All i

mag

es ©

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siss

ippi

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permit no.2470 little rock, ar 72201 paid … · start! • seca will work to help you ... movin’...

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