Moving on

Physical development often plays second fiddle to literacy and numeracy, but it is important for both health and behaviour

Children develop more rapidly, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially during their early years than at any other time in their lives, and each aspect of this development is interdependent. Research stresses this inter-relation, the importance of movement and the development of gross motor skills for intellectual development (Sutcliffe et al, 1987).

Children learn from being active, and make sense of the world around them through multi-sensory, physical interactions.

Sally Goddard Blythe (J Lindon, 2000) believes that attention, balance and co-ordination are the foundation on which all later learning depends, that activity is 'normal' in young children and that 'the most advanced level of movement is the ability to stay totally still'. Some early years professionals would, therefore, argue that physical development is one of the areas of learning most fundamental to children's overall development.