Active play, thriving minds

Every day presents new opportunities to support young children’s health and well-being through movement and play. While media outlets report constantly on issues such as rising childhood obesity rates and physical inactivity, the World Health Organization recommends that young children engage in at least three hours of physical activity each day. Providing children with daily opportunities for movement and physical activity is essential, and as educators, we play a key part in making this happen.

Within the last ten years, children’s access to community play environments has diminished, with nearly 500 play spaces sold off or closed in England. This deterioration of play is having a negative impact on children’s well-being. What can we do to change this?

I’m Helen Battelley, an education consultant, and I believe educators should offer children access to a variety of play environments, from outdoor forest play to indoor block play. Playing together is an ideal way for children to practice communication and social skills, negotiate terms of play with others, and develop creativity.

Strong bodies, strong minds

Physical development is one of the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage, alongside Communication and Language, and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. Together, these areas form an interconnected foundation for children’s learning and growth.

Research highlights just how powerful physical activity can be. On average, children who engage in physical development interventions make five months of additional progress in cognitive outcomes (EEF, 2022). Movement doesn’t just build strong bodies – it fuels the brain.

Equally important are the social dimensions of physical play. Interactions with peers play a crucial role in developing motor skills, while the absence of these experiences – as seen during the pandemic – has been shown to have lasting negative effects on children’s motor systems. Basic motor skills are more than milestones of physical activity; they are building blocks for healthy development. All of this underscores the urgent need to prioritise movement play and active opportunities for every child.

Design an active and engaging curriculum

Creating an enabling environment that supports physical development involves:

• Offering varied movement spaces with different levels, surfaces, and terrains, both indoors and outdoors.
• Embedding regular opportunities for movement: running, jumping, dancing, and play on large equipment.
• Encouraging risky and natural outdoor play such as climbing, digging, and exploring.
• Supporting gross motor development as the foundation for fine motor skills.
• Promoting freedom, agency, and collaboration through physically engaging activities.
• Bringing stories and learning to life through movement, gesture, and imaginative play.
• Involving staff in sharing physical interests and shaping a shared policy for active play

Activity ideas to support physical development

Pirate ship

Last week, I worked with a reception class of 30 children. I set up the indoor gym with wall bars, vaults, and benches, then added some pirate-themed background music to spark their imaginations. I explained that we were climbing aboard pirate ships and navigating obstacles on deck, demonstrating the movements and highlighting safety. With the class teacher present, keeping an eye on children who needed closer supervision, we set off on our adventure.

The 50-minute session was a great success – the children were fully engaged, learning to move their bodies across different surfaces while also negotiating pathways with their peers. These experiences develop fundamental movement skills (FMS), the essential building blocks for all later, more complex movement competences.

Sensory pathway

One of my favourite activities to support physical development in young children is to work together collectively to build a sensory pathway. This can be offered indoors or outdoors.

What you need:

• Buckets, tubs, brooms, spades, brush and dustpan
• Shingle
• Chips of bark
• Slate
• Pebbles
• Wooden planks
• Bricks
• Pond plastic

To set up the activity, begin by clearing a space for the pathway and working with small groups of children to shovel materials into buckets. Dig a shallow path about 3–5 cm deep, making it as long as you wish, and then arrange the materials along it – for example, shingle first, followed by slate and bricks. Next, lay pond plastic on the floor, securing it with bricks or pebbles, and fill it with a shallow layer of water, no more than 3–5 cm deep. Once prepared, children can remove their shoes and socks and follow the path, experiencing the different textures underfoot.

For a more permanent feature, you can plant meadow grass and scented flowers along each side of the pathway to create an inviting, sensory-rich environment.

Sock activity

What you need:

• Socks: odd, long, short
• Space to move
• Music

Here’s how to approach the activity:

1. Give each child a sock, or they could remove and use their own socks!
2. Find some ‘happy, upbeat’ music.
3. Play the music and use the socks as streamers.
4. Wave them high, low, to the side, or spin around.
5. Finally, stretch them and ping them as far as you can.

The sock activity is a fantastic way to support a child’s physical and creative development. It enhances gross motor skills as children move their arms, stretch, and spin, while also improving coordination and spatial awareness. The activity encourages creativity as children explore different ways to move with their sock streamers. Additionally, the playful nature of the activity fosters self-expression and boosts their confidence, while the rhythmic movements to music help develop a sense of timing and rhythm. It’s a simple, joyful way to keep kids active and engaged!

Conclusion

In a world where screens and sedentary habits are taking over, it’s time to bring movement back to the forefront of childhood. From hopping aboard “pirate ships” to dancing with socks, creating opportunities for children to climb, run, jump, and explore isn’t just about keeping them active – it’s about sparking their imaginations, and giving them the tools they need to thrive. With a little creativity and a lot of enthusiasm, we can transform everyday moments into adventures, and make learning so much more fun! Let’s get those little feet (and big ideas) moving!