1 As part of their physical development children need to develop confidence in movement.
* Encourage confident children to extend their experience of movement, and the less confident to build on previous achievements. Make it a total experience, by moving quickly, slowly, heavily or lightly, pretend to be big and small, tall and short. Plan to accommodate all the children at their individual levels.
* Communicate movements verbally and non-verbally to increase children's body awareness and vocabulary. Cross reference to C11 and C15.
2 Activities need to be lively and interesting enough to encourage children to participate.
* Use a variety of learning aids to stimulate hearing, touch and sight. For example, use tape recordings of music, songs and sounds; home-made or multi-cultural musical instruments; singing; pictures; hoops, ribbons or other lightweight fabrics.
* Avoid stereotyping by encouraging all children to participate; don't view some activities as more suitable for boys or girls.
* Encourage children to listen to instrumental music and singing, including music from other cultures.
3 Children can develop skills in locomotion and balance with the use of large or small equipment.
* Make full use of the equipment in your setting and opportunities outdoors. Prepare an obstacle course where children can practise different skills like balancing on bars, climbing on a climbing frame, sliding down a slide, jumping in a hoop, walking along a painted line and skipping on the spot. Design a route that encourages co-operation between children.
* Dancing is a useful exercise that uses the whole body. Try different kinds of dancing that is appropriate to children's developmental levels, such as disco and traditional country dancing. Provide music and props such as hats to encourage the children to dance spontaneously.
4 An important element to consider when using equipment is safety.
* Demonstrate to your assessor that before using equipment you check it, that during its use the children are adequately supervised and that it is packed away safely. Also take care when moving large or heavy equipment.
* Show children how to use equipment safely, and to be aware of others when using equipment.
5 Use the opportunities available during physical activities to reinforce good practice by avoiding stereotypes, being inclusive and promoting equality of opportunity.
* If you hear a sexist remark, like 'boys don't skip', or 'girls don't play football', make a note of it and write it up as a reflective account for your portfolio. Describe the circumstances in which you heard the remark, how you dealt with it and any suggestions for addressing these issues in a non-threatening way as part of the planning process.
* Plan activities in which both girls and boys can participate and take leadership roles. Girls and boys can both help carry equipment and support one another.
6 Physical development is divided into two areas: gross motor, which refers to the large muscles, and fine motor, which refers to small movements.
* Show how you can safely encourage children to use a variety of objects like bats, balls, hoops, beanbags, skipping ropes and Frisbees to develop the skills required for physical control.
7 Plan activities with children with special needs in mind.
* Share with your assessor details of how standard equipment can be used and adapted for children with disabilities.
8 Children need practical experiences and lots of practice to develop hand-eye co-ordination.
* Imagine you have a budget of 250 to spend on toys and equipment to support the development of children's motor skills. Identify, from an early years catalogue, what you would buy. Explain your choices to your assessor.
9 Use opportunities within the regular routine to help develop fine motor skills.
* Give the children time to fasten their coats, put on shoes, undress and dress themselves for PE, pour drinking water, and set the table to develop their physical control and foster independence.
10 Top tip! From her experience Debbie Fogg, NVQ tutor and assessor at Tamworth and Lichfield College, thinks it is important to 'List all equipment before planning a physical activity'.