Physical Dev

How we as nursery practitioners aid a child’s physical development.

Environment influences a child’s health and activity level, which then in time contributes to a child’s physical development. We as nursery practitioners can encourage healthy nutrition, and appropriate physical activity.

We can do this by providing children with a healthy balanced diet which may include five portions of fruit and vegetables per day an appropriate serving of fish, chicken or meats, including a variety of dairy and whole grains, and providing plenty of fluids throughout the day. According to WaterUK (2006) Water is one of the most important nutrients for children. It improves physical and mental performance.

The recommended daily intake for infants and children is as follows in the graphs shown in the appendices, this show that we need to provide and encourage adequate fluid intake throughout the day as this may affect a child’s physical performance which in turn may affect a child’s physical development.

As well as a healthy balanced diet we also need to encourage appropriate physical activity in order to further their physical development, children will need to be encouraged to participate in physical activities, almost every physical activity will provide a chance to further skills, such as balance and co-ordination known as fine motor skills, which will then lead up to developing their gross motor skills.

Activities which we can provide and encourage as practitioners to develop a child’s fine motor skills can include cutting paper, writing, drawing, zipping and buttoning.

Furthering a child’s gross motor skills we may encourage a child to engage in outdoor activities which give them the chance to walk, run, jump, and throw.

We as practitioners should only encourage a child to engage in activities suited to their own levels of ability.

Children need to be active in childhood, because regular and lively physical activity builds muscle strength, lung capacity and bone...