Does Your Preschooler Get Enough Exercise at Daycare?
Probably not, says a new study.
According to a focus group study of child care providers by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, children ages 3-6 who are in some form of non-parental day care don't get enough physical activity on a daily basis. The providers who were interviewed for the study, which included 49 staff members from 34 child-care centers in the Cincinnati area including Montessori, Head Start and centers in the inner city and suburban areas, said it was often pressure from parents to make classroom learning a priority over outdoor activities as well as fear of injury and the costs associated with playground design and upkeep.
"Child care providers told us that many parents were more focused on their children learning cognitive skills such as reading, writing and preparing for kindergarten than their participation in recess," says Kristen Copeland, MD, a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the study's main author. "And yet childcare providers realized that some of the most valuable lessons in science, nature, cause and effect, and even important social skills such as problem-solving and peer negotiation, all come from playing outdoors on the playground."
CCHMC suggests a few ways that day care centers can increase physical activity, including:
- Partnering with a landscaping architect to put more shrubs and hills on the center's property to encourage children's climbing
- Placing a wooden dance floor in the school playroom to encourage dancing
- Offering workshops that teach child care providers fun games to play with children outside
- Encouraging sporadic movement during the day, such as small music breaks when children can get up and move along to songs
My kids have never been in day care, but when we were evaluating preschools, one of our most important considerations was that weather-permitting, they were given time outside to play. I was astounded at the number of preschools in my area that didn't make this a priority. We eventually chose a school where unless it was raining or the temperature was very low, the kids were brought outside every day.
What sort of physical activities does your day care center or preschool offer your little one?
Related:Physical Activities to Build Your Preschooler's Gross Motor Skills | Fitness Guidelines for Preschoolers
How sad that fear of injury and expense are two of the biggest reasons sited for this lack of physical activity. Wouldn’t we all love to keep our kids in a bubble to keep them safe – we don’t though because we know we have allow them to be kids.