Nursery World - Physical Development: Hang on

Have you ever asked young children what they think about physical
development? Dr Lala Manners did - with some interesting results.

For the luminaries of 20th century pedagogical thinking, physical development (PD) was central to their overall understanding of young children's development. Inheritors of Plato's 'play leap' and Rousseau's Emile, they had a profound belief that a child's ability to move competently played a crucial role in establishing self-hood, values, friendships and life-long dispositions relating to health and well-being.

Without recourse to research data or neurological mapping, but rather through close observation and engagement alone, they recognised and responded to their findings. Critical was their conclusion that movement skills and physical play are of intrinsic value to children themselves.

How have we moved so far from their belief in the high status of PD in children's lives to a point at which it has become an 'issue' that must be tackled, addressed, managed, highlighted by curricular activity guidelines - and often exclusively linked to health and obesity 'initiatives'?

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