your current early care and education program in a center or family child care

home

people everywhere are talking about the obesity problem in america

and the health problems associated with obesity not only impact adults

but our children

as a caregiver, you are in a special position

and uniquely qualified to help children develop

healthy eating

and age-appropriate physical activity

and limited screen time viewing habits

to help them avoid childhood obesity

physical activity and movement are essential to help children gain new skills

and enhance their development

as well as their social

an emotional well-being

infants are completely dependent on their parents

caregivers and teachers

for opportunities to be active

for many years the american academy of pediatrics has said

back to sleep

and tammy to play

here are just a few ways to encourage infant in your care

to move in play while awake and playing on their tummies

you are on your stomach

looking right at the baby

make eye contact

smile

talk and encourage the baby to keep his head up

and move his arms

place the object so at least some effort is required to touch it

at first babies may fuss or struggle and be uncomfortable in this position

if you give the babies in your care a chance to be in this position

for a short time everyday

or even several times during the day while awake

they should be able to tolerate this activity for longer and longer periods

of time

tummy time helps build babies muscle strength and prepares them for being

able to slide on their bellies and then crawl

and eventually walk

it's important to provide frequent position changes for the babies in your

care

moving them from one position to another

or one place to another with a few different toys provides a whole new

world for your babies to explore

you can encourage and direct some movement for your babies even if they

can't get very far on their own

while smiling and talking to the baby

move the baby's legs in a bicycle motion

try to get the baby to continue the motion even after you stop moving the

legs

after the leg movement, gently stretch the baby's arms up and over his head

and then down again

once or twice

as you reach for a nearby toy

put the toy within easy reach and give praise when the object is touched

you might even sing a little song to the baby during this activity

as a caregiver there are times when you need to interact with adults who come into

your room

and yet care for the children remains your priority

notice how the caregiver is able to engage with the adult

continuing to pay attention to the child

encouraging movement from the child

and making the child the center of attention

giving babies opportunities to move is critical to their overall health

early brain development and development of social skills

and motor skills and the maintenance of the healthy weight

how have these motion strategies changed the children's day?

oh, the children are so happy when they are able to move around and explore their environment

can and should these strategies be used with children who have special needs?

yes of course they should be used with children that have special needs

because those children need that as well. They need the

physical activity. All children need physical activity and sometimes we may have to adapt some

of the activities but all children should be able to have that opportunity

does it take additional funds to implement these strategies?

um...

for us

the simplest things are just things that we use in the classroom that are free

how have you involved the parents in your movement activities?

by modeling behavior. Having them

come in and see

me being silly with the kids. See me running. See me crawling after them on the floor

I think that alone

kind of eases the parents into, oh this is okay

this is something that's appropriate. You know, they do it at their school and it's okay to do at home as well