NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
May 28, 1998
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has released the first physical activity guidelines specifically designed to meet the developmental needs of pre-adolescent children. A North Dakota State University researcher says those recommendations provide parents with opportunities to teach positive lessons their young children can use for a lifetime.
"If you have an inactive child, it's likely you're going to have an inactive adult. The research has confirmed this fact for a long time," says Brad Strand, chair of NDSU's health, physical education and recreation department.
One NASPE recommendation is that children of elementary school age accumulate more than 60 minutes of developmentally appropriate activity each day—and up to several hours a day. Strand says some of this activity should last for 10 to 15 minutes and be moderate to vigorous. Bicycling is an example of a moderate activity, and running, a vigorous one.
Most activities young children engage in will be intermittent, alternating between moderate and vigorous with brief periods of rest and recovery. Strand says, "This should be encouraged. Most kids between the ages of 5 and 8 don't yet understand the concept of pacing themselves."
What is a developmentally appropriate activity? Simply put, it's one in which children can best focus their attention.
"Playing the adult version of basketball in second grade is not developmentally appropriate," stresses Strand. "Young kids don't understand the concept of competition, of winning, losing and teamwork. I think it's better to have kids this age involved in activities where everyone is moving rather than competing."
Fundamental-movement skills include running, hopping, jumping, skipping, sliding, galloping, throwing, striking and catching. Strand says it's more appropriate for a second grader to dribble a basketball or play catch with it than to play an organized game.
Within the category of movement skills, Strand says there are various definitions. For example, striking can mean kicking a soccer ball or swinging a golf club or a baseball bat or a tennis racket. He adds, "When you talk about developmentally appropriate, it may not be appropriate for a 5-year-old to hit a baseball with a baseball bat. Parents can modify this activity by using a larger ball or a lighter bat or a broader bat."
Opportunities to develop movement skills are everywhere, Strand says. For instance, parents can create obstacle courses when they and their children go on family walks. Walking around trees and up and down steps, balancing on railroad tracks, and going under, over and through a fence are all activities that aid physical development and learning.
"Kids need to be taught concepts like over and under. They just don't understand them automatically," Strand says.
Engaging in a variety of activities is also important. Strand says the key is to get young children to enjoy as many types of activities as possible. Their enjoyment, then, will help build proficiency later on and an interest in remaining physically active.
"If you focus on the process, the product will come," Strand concludes. "What we're trying to do here is create healthy adults."
###
Source: Brad Strand (701) 231-9718
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136