Author Rae Pica is constantly asked by elementary physical education teachers, “What am I supposed to do with the little ones?” Most PE programmes don’t address the issue either, but in her latest book, Physical Education for Young Children: Movement ABCs for the Little Ones, she comes to the aid of teachers who are stumped when it comes to the developmental needs and abilities of young children.
- Learn about the unique needs of 4- to 8-year-olds and write developmentally appropriate lesson plans to meet these needs.
- Provide a logical progression of movement skills and awareness of the elements of movement (space, shape, time, force, flow and rhythm).
- Develop children’s motor skills, manipulative skills and fitness while making connections across the curriculum.
Physical Education for Young Children places the focus squarely where it needs to be: on the fundamentals. The book provides teachers with the following tools:
- A logical progression of movement skills, including the ABCs of movement, body-part identification and non-locomotor, locomotor and manipulative skills
- Awareness of the elements of movement: space, shape, time, force, flow and rhythm
- An understanding of the developmental differences between younger students and their older counterparts
- Guidance in understanding the unique needs of 4- to 8-year-olds and writing developmentally appropriate lesson plans to meet those needs while making connections across the curriculum
- Many activities that develop motor skills, manipulative skills, fitness and the understanding of the elements of movement
In addition, Physical Education for Young Children offers guidance in teaching across subject areas to provide an interdisciplinary approach, offers sample lesson plans to meet the unique needs of the little ones and lists resources for children’s music, equipment and props.
With Physical Education for Young Children, PE teachers will no longer need to ask what to do with the little ones – they will know. They will be able to build a physical education curriculum that serves the unique needs of 4–8-year-olds.