Many questions are asked about the importance of Physical Education in school’s curriculum. And today we will talk about its importance and how fundamental it is to have it in our daily routine, especially in Early Childhood Education, where everything begins and the entire universe of knowledge and learning is sharpened in a powerful way.
Early Childhood Education is the child’s first contact outside the family environment. This first stage aims at the integral development of the physical, psychological, intellectual and social aspects. To enhance the evolution of motor, cognitive and emotional skills, Physical Education classes are extremely important and provide healthy lifestyle habits and future life quality. At this stage, children expand their perception of the universe that surrounds them and Physical Education helps in promoting a great diversity of experiences, such as: discovering one’s own body and its limits, relating to others, expressing themselves emotionally and activating creativity. There are several studies that prove that Physical Education is an essential part of the development of our little ones and all those who practice it. The countless possibilities that students experience in classes make their motor repertory even more improved and enriched and encourages them to seek new challenges and opportunities to experience the new.
I usually say that we don’t know what our children are capable of, often limiting them by their age group or comparing them with other children, but each individual has their own specificities and ways of acting to stimuli and new learning. Our role as educators is to stimulate our little ones more and more and transform their daily lives more and more into new discoveries and introduce them to the new and what challenges them, so they get to know what they are capable of.
The partnership of parents and guardians is extremely important to progress in this learning process, being the main incentives for the practice of activities and physical exercises in addition to the Physical Education teacher during the classes. However, if this work is done together, the student will gain inside and outside the school environment.
I end this text with a sentence that I really like and makes us reflect even more on our responsibility to provide countless experiences to our little ones and that they have the opportunity to experience the most fantastic experiences in the world.
“Whoever sees a child free, full of autonomy, does not even suspect the inner work of the adult who accompanies him/her.”
May we be responsible for making them fly!
Written by Natalia Brandão Camacho – Physical Education, Circus and Artistic Gymnastics Teacher at Green Book School – Early Childhood Education.
