INTENTIONAL PLANNING FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA)

MARY SONNENBERG, DELAWARE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD (DIEEC)

Lesson Plan Edits

What is important when planning PA?

Think intentionally • It’s common for teachers to list “outdoor time” with no plan

• Think about the skill development you need to support

• Think about the interests of the children

• Think about how to imbed PA into daily transitions

• Think about adding a PA center in your classroom

• Think about the materials you need as you plan

• Help teachers see themselves as important role models

Provide opportunities for both adult-led and child-led PA

For both structured and unstructured PA• Set up a supportive environment• Encourage teachers to model enjoyment

Structured PA: teacher-led, developmentally appropriate• Age-appropriate motor skill development• Engages children with minimal or no waiting• Vigorous: gets children breathing harder for short

periods

Unstructured PA: child-led free play• Activities that encourage children’s individual interests• Requires teacher engagement with children

Lesson Plan Edits - Physical Activity

Physical Activities from Lesson Plans

Materials

Needed

Why are we doing

it?

How/when? How would you increase

PA?

Balance beam

Bubble play

Scarf waving to music

Walking up and down stairs

Freeze dance

Roll the ball to your name

Recess/Exercise/Outside

Walking

Lesson Plan Edits - Physical Activity

Physical Activities

from Lesson Plans

Materials

Needed

Why ? How/when? How would you increase

PA?

Next steps…

On your tables are some materials from our bag of “goodies”. Think about how you could use these to increase physical activity in your programs.

Extra lesson plan editing forms are on the tables and in your binders for copying back at your programs.

There is a second, similar lesson plan editing form on the tables and in your binders that we will introduce later: Integrating Healthy Eating (HE) and Physical Activity (PA) and Early Learning Guidelines or Standards into Planning. It gives a prompt for thinking about linking across domains.