OCR

Skill for Care and Development

Table of Contents

Importance of physical activity1

Safe and challenging environment for young children2

Physical Activities for young children3

Walk3

Storytelling redefined3

Role of paediatricians4

True toys4

Relationship with parents5

Everyday physical activities5

Assessment of the programme6

Creativity - a tool for wellbeing7

Definition7

Theories of creativity7

Potential Benefits of different types of creativity8

Difference between formal and informal creative activity9

Valuing creativity10

Supporting children to take part in creative activities10

Participating in the creative activity with children11

Importance of positive relationships12

Different types of relationships12

Child development and well being12

Restricted relationships and supervised contact13

Maintaining positive relationships13

Helping children deal with relationship difficulties14

The legislation16

Supporting children to learn what they want17

Monitoring performance17

Working with others18

Importance of effective communication19

Restrictive interventions20

Proactive and reactive strategies21

Promoting positive behaviour22

Challenging behaviour23

Supporting individuals and others following an incident of challenging behaviour23

Review of the approaches24

References25

Skill for Care and Development

Importance of physical activity

United Nations High Commission for Human Rights recognizes play as the basic human right of every child. It is important for the emotional, cognitive, social and physical wellbeing of children. Play is an important opportunity that helps the children build relationship with their parents, their siblings, teachers and other children their age. In spite of the establishment of the belief that physical activity and play have many benefits for children, it is ironic how many the time that children in today's age spend playing has reduced significantly. There are many reasons for this reduction. These include a change in lifestyle where people are busy most of their time, more focus on academics than play and changes in the family dynamics among others (Ginsburg 2006, p. 184). Optimal development milieu requires that a balance is maintained between study and play.

Physical activity helps children give meaning to the world around them and fosters the curiosity in them. Most children are very active physically from a very young age innately. This can be assessed by observing a group of children in a playground. Most of these children will be playing, jumping, running and doing other things that show their interest in movement and physical activity. Movement and play comes naturally to children (Ginsburg 2006, p. 185). But the question arises if movement and play comes naturally to children why is there a need to come up with physical movement programmes and why is there is a need to increase awareness on the importance of movement and physical activity in children.

To answer this question, it is important to highlight the many problems associated with lack of physical activity in children. The change in lifestyle such as children spending many hours sitting in front of the television and computers, going to school in vans and cars and other such activities have given rise to a sedentary lifestyle. It is because of this sedentary lifestyle that many children are overweight and obese. Obesity is one of the biggest social and health issue in the developed countries today (Eliott, 2011).

Obesity is pregnant with many risks of chronic diseases such as heart attack, diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension and others.

Children who are obese have often found to remain obese for ...