Physical development

Foster physical development in early childhood CHCFC502A

This unit is about planing and providing experiences to enhance children's physical development.

 

Requirements

1. Give children planned and spontaneous experiences to foster their physical development.

  1. Identify and monitor children's physical skills and development
  2. Experiences need to be developmentally appropriate and foster children's fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills. These experiences need to:
    • challenge the physical skills and abilities of children
    • promote physical fitness
    • challenge the physical endeavours of children
    • practice physical skills and expand/extend children's physical activities through active play
    • use outdoor space and the natural environment
    • ensure suitable clothing to promote outdoor play in all weather conditions
  3. Select and provide equipment to encourage spontaneity in physically active play
  4. Set up the venue and arrange equipment to:
    • provide challenge and choice,
    • encourage independence, and
    • facilitate physically active play
  5. Support children and families to understand the relationship between physical activity and good health while still respecting family and cultural values
  6. Include experiences physical activity based on music and dance

 

2. Create opportunities for children to develop a wide range of physical skills

Opportunities will vary according to factors such as the physical environment, the purpose of the service, the amount and kind of support and participation from parents, the level of support available to the service from external bodies (e.g. specialist services), the frequency and regularity of use of the service by the child, and the age of the child.

Opportunities to develop relevant physical skills will vary according to the age and ability of the child and must include infants, toddlers and 3 to 5 years olds.

  1. Develop opportunities for physical activity within the context of the service
  2. Select and provide a variety of toys, materials, equipment and spaces to encourage the development of a wide range of fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills
  3. Identify when children need specialist help and ask for advice
  4. Create opportunities to support emerging skills of individual children where necessary
  5. Encourage children of both genders to participate in the full range of activities
  6. Give children opportunities to consolidate their physical skills and become more independent.
  7. Give children opportunities to interact positively with other children and to accept individual differences giving due regard to age, cultural, and development of children

 

3. Interact with the child to foster skill development

  1. Use a variety of strategies to encourage children's physical skills and development
  2. Acknowledge positively children's efforts to participate
  3. Participate in relevant experiences with children
  4. Show enthusiasm for physical activity
  5. Encourage children to express ideas for physical experiences
  6. Respect each child's level of participation in physical experiences and opportunities
  7. Encourage children's confidence and safety awareness when participating in physically active play

 

4. Other skills

  1. Reflect on practice
  2. Accept each child's rate of development, needs, interests and strengths
  3. Do developmentally-based, child-focused planning
  4. Interpersonal skills, listen actively, empathy
  5. Organize your work and manage your time
  6. Value differences among children - stage of development, needs, interests, strength
  7. Treat all parents and children equitably, including Indigenous people
  8. Work with cultural diversity.
  9. Apply the following skills identified as underpinning national child health and well being core competencies, where they are applicable to the work role:
    • implement effective evidence-based service delivery
    • Coordinate service delivery to families with an interdisciplinary teamwork approach and where possible collaborative interagency practice
    • Support infants and toddlers to master key developmental tasks
    • Identify early emerging trends in child needs and address them
    • Manage children's health needs, eating behaviours and physical activity
    • Provide children with safe environments and relationships
    • Engage with parents/carers and families and work with them.