Amid a flurry of paperwork, key learning intentions and planning, the importance of providing for children's physical development can easily be lost. Some would argue that physical development is one of the areas of learning in the Foundation Stage that is most fundamental to a child's overall development. Not only does it build and develop children's fine, gross and locomotive skills, it also increases their confidence and feelings of well-being.
A good level of physical fitness is also important for children as they start school. 'It's easy for us adults to forget that school is a tiring place for young children,' says Louise Burnham, a reception teacher from Hayes, Middlesex. 'I have noticed that more co-ordinated and active children seem to cope better, probably because they have to put less effort into things such as getting coats on or tidying up.'
Interestingly, physical development has long been considered an important part of the early years curriculum in many other countries. The development of fine and gross motor skills as well as overall co-ordination is considered to be an essential precursor to reading and writing. In France, for example, children in the Ecole Maternelle follow a structured programme of 'psychomotricite' to promote physical co-ordination and skills.
'We begin with the belief that physical development is crucial to the very young child in an almost spiritual way,' explains Francoise San, a key worker in the Creche Municipale of Merignac. 'Gaining control of the body "liberates" a child so that he can use his body to serve his mind.'
While the physical development area of learning in England's Foundation Stage does not have the same 'spiritual' essence, it does direct practitioners towards providing opportunities to build a whole range of physical skills in children, not just fine motor skills.
'Before the Foundation Stage, there was a lot of pressure on practitioners to get children to sit down to learn, and there was a definite push towards writing,' says Brenda Lewis of Clive Vale Nursery in Hastings. 'Although we always resisted this pressure, the Foundation Stage emphasis on play and being active is really helpful.'
Finally, from a health perspective, the new emphasis on physical development is welcomed by organisations such as the British Heart Foundation who report that one in five children aged four are overweight, and a staggering eight per cent are clinically obese. Research has shown that attitudes towards food and exercise are formed in childhood, which makes the 'health and bodily awareness' aspect of the curriculum particularly important.
Professor Sir Charles George, the British Heart Foundation's medical director, commenting on a recent study being carried out in nurseries to prevent later heart disease, said, 'It is worrying that the levels of obesity in children are increasing while the amount of physical activity they take is going down. Unless we can improve education about these issues we could face an increasing level of coronary heart disease and diabetes in the future.'