Physical Development

Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives. Gross and fine motor experiences develop incrementally throughout early childhood, starting with sensory explorations and the development of a child’s strength, co-ordination and positional awareness through tummy time, crawling and play movement with both objects and adults.

By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, adults can support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility. Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being. Fine motor control and precision helps with hand-eye co-ordination which is later linked to early literacy. Repeated and varied opportunities to explore and play with small world activities, puzzles, arts and crafts and the practice of using small tools, with feedback and support from adults, allow children to develop proficiency, control and confidence

Physical Development at Woodcroft is about:

• supporting children to take measured risks
• providing an environment where children can move freely and joyfully
• developing confidence and skill in climbing, balancing, running and riding bikes
• developing skill and confidence using tools
• developing children's understanding of the importance of physical exercise
• developing children's understanding about what constitutes a healthy life style
• developing children's fine motor skills through developing large gross motor actions
• developing finger dexterity using media such as play dough, corn flour, water beads and clay
• Developing independence and self-help skills.