Developing a Physical Lifestyle for Children

Out student's health should be a top priority as a physical educator. Possessing particular fundamental skills that are learned through physical education helps our students accomplish and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness that with follow them into their future and is goaled toward leading a physically active lifestyle. According to the American Obesity Association (www.obesity.org), 81% of the parents of elementary, middle, or high school children are concerned with their children’s getting adequate daily physical education.  For that reason, physical and skill assessment is extremely important for our students.  This way, we can continuously be aware of our student’s physical development as well as their fundamental skill development. As children progress and advance their essential skills, they are also enhancing their cognitive development as well as their motor domain. Continuing this type of impression and awareness increases the child’s movement skill acquisition as well as help the child make adaptive change toward their proficiency in movement and increased motor control. Since we want our students to be healthy and fit, educating them on nutrition and illness is an important aspect to our profession as well. Children that face malnutrition or are unaware of the vitamins and minerals that our body needs, may never entirely reach the growth means for their age level.  It is particularly vital for us as physical educators to recognize and demonstrate the factors affecting childhood motor development. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (www.nichd.nih.gov) really clarifies how play facilitates cognitive and affective growth in young children. It also explicates the important means of developing both fine and gross motor skills and how affective development is very dramatic during the preschool years.I am happy to read that as more parents become more concerned about healthful living, there has been considerable public attention being drawn to children's fitness levels. This encourages me to join the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) considering they are focused on improving youth fitness levels and providing quality physical education daily.