 Welcome to our first edition of the early years' physical development bulletin, which will be coming to you every month. We will be sharing advice and links regarding physical development in the early years which you are welcome to share with your parents too.
It is really important for children to learn healthy habits in their preschool years so that they can develop correctly, protect their health and also ensure they have firm foundations for their health and wellbeing in future years.
 As the weather has turned cooler, we probably all feel like hibernating and curling up in a cosy corner with books. But all year round the children in our care need lots of physical activity opportunities throughout the day.
Do you know how much physical activity children should have each day?
Even our small babies need to spend time being active in order to develop their muscles which helps them to move onto the next stage of their development.
Physical activity ensures children are healthy, happy, can sleep better and are ready for their next stage of development.
The NHS have issued physical activity guidelines for children and recommends that:
- Babies and under 1's should have at least 30 minutes of "tummy time" each day
- 1-5 year olds should have 180 minutes of physical activity a day
Find out more and take a look at some suggestions on how they can achieve this here. The exercise doesn't need to be all at once and is best broken up into small chunks of activity, but check periodically to make sure that your children are having enough opportunities for physical activity throughout the day.
Water play...
Add in a range of fresh vegetables such as brussels sprouts, corn on the cob, leeks and cherry tomatoes to your waterplay tray. Encourage the children to talk about the shape, size, colour and texture of the vegetables. Use pans, cups or tubes to try and catch them in the water. Encourage children to feel and smell them and if edible, help them to chop them up and let the children taste and chew them, asking what they taste like/if any of them have eaten them before. You could compare sizes and use mathematical language such as which is bigger, smaller, longer, lighter, heavier etc. Ask your children where the vegetables grow. Is it above or below the ground and what do they need to thrive? Whist touching and feeling the vegetables the children will be developing their fine motor skills and may also be adding to their activity time if they are actively stirring, transporting water or lifting a heavy vegetable.
 Ideas to share...
Encourage your children to look around at trees, plants or autumn leaves blowing in the breeze and encourage them to try and move in similar ways to the leaves etc. Younger children can crawl towards a treasure basket filled with autumn treasure or items coloured red, orange and brown that you have selected for them to explore. You could also suggest that parents make a simple delicious warming soup with their children or try it yourself in your setting! A great idea for snack time! Take a look at our recipe below.
 Don’t forget healthy eating and its importance in physical development too. This is an easy way to encourage even the fussiest of eaters to eat some vegetables. It can be made with any vegetables and stock or you can use the recipe below. Please check for any food allergies/intolerances in your children and omit or replace any items as required. Also please be careful as hot soup can scald a child.
Vegetable soup
- 1 tbs cooking fat
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 3 celery stalks (sliced)
- 1 potato
- 1 swede (peeled, diced)
- 3 carrots (peeled, sliced)
- 1 parsnip (peeled, diced)
- 1 courgette (sliced)
- 2 L vegetable stock (can be from cooked vegetables or made up with water and a stock cube)
- 400g canned chopped tomatoes
- A sprinkle of herbs (mixed herbs, coriander, thyme or basil all work well in soups)
In a pan, melt fat and add onions, garlic and celery and cook until translucent. Add in potato, swede, carrot, parsnip and courgette and fry for 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Check seasoning and add in pepper or herbs to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked. Soup can be served whole or can be pureed for a smoother consistency.
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