Page 8 - LESSION 13.pmd

How Children Learn (Early Learning and Teaching)

13.6.1 Health and Physical well-being:

Physical and motor development of children is crucial to their learning and is influenced
by many factors, such as genetic inheritance, nutritional status, general physical Notes
conditions as well as opportunities for movement and exercise.

Activities would include giving a nutritional supplement in the ECCE centre to
compensate for any nutritional deficiencies in the home diet. Milk, sprouted pulses,
protein biscuits, green vegetables with porridge (dalia), idlis, fruits can be suggested
for the school snack. Helping children develop good food habits through songs, rhymes
and stories will increase their orientation to nutrition and health.
Health is also dependent on preventive practices such as immunization which is a
schedule of preventing different diseases. Good health ensures that children stay healthy
and active. Outdoor play with swings, slides, jungle gym allow children to use their
muscles. Running, jumping, hopping, pulling and pushing are moments of play that
also assist in developing more complex motor skills. There is a need to monitor physical,
health and motor development an a regular basis.

13.6.2 Motor Development

You have studied that physical and motor development of children is influenced
by many factors. Motor development depends on neural and muscular maturation.
Children cannot learn any skill until they are ready for it. Motor development
follows a predictable pattern. There are individual differences in the rate of motor
development. Though the sequence remains the same, the specific age at which
different children reach different stages differ from child to child depending
upon the experiences and opportunities. You have read in Module 2 that motor
skills are of two types: gross motor skills and fine motor skills.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION 67