Five Ways to Support your Child’s Physical Development
This week we’re talking about the things that you can do to really support your child's physical development.
You’re busy! So these are high level things that are very easy to incorporate in to your life.
Number One
Provide your child with as much outdoor, free play as possible. This one is so great, and so valuable, while also being free and relatively simple.
Even if you're living in an urban setting, you can head to a local park! You can always find ways for your child can explore their movement through play outdoors.
The more time that your child can spend climbing over logs, jumping from stone to stone, playing hide and seek in the trees, rolling in the grass, the better. In whatever that's most appropriate for you in your community, outdoor free play as much as possible is the single best way to support your child's physical development.
Number Two
Augment that outdoor free play with some structured learning activities. In structured programs your child can learn skills that they can practice and play with in their outdoor free play time, so these first two really work in partnership with each other.
Want to know more about choosing a great program for your child? That's what next week's email will be all about!
Number Three
When you are enrolled in programming and it doesn’t seem like the best fit? Speak up about it. Maybe your child isn’t ready for it, maybe it’s not developmentally appropriate.
If you or your child aren’t feeling totally comfortable about it, talk to your coach, your teacher, your program leader. They might know of a better class or program, or just a way to make it a more enjoyable experience.
Don’t walk away feeling frustrated. Demand great programming for your kids and your community, and find a place where they’re really thrive.
Number Four
Encourage your child's development, but don’t rush them to do things the adult or “correct” way.
This one is tough for so many of us! We often have an image in our mind, for example, of playing ball with our kid, and so the second they show an interest in picking up a ball and tossing it, we want to start teaching the technique and skill and how to throw a ball “properly."
So we say something like, “OK, kid, this is the way we do it. Pick up the ball and you're going to really lean into it and rotate those shoulders and snap at the end of your wrist….”
It comes from a really genuine, excited, place. But at this age, when we try to impose on them the way they should be moving, they become disillusioned so quickly.
Does that mean you shouldn’t guide their movement? Of course not! This is about the time for them to free play and explore their movement in the widest way possible.
So this is your opportunity to instead of saying, “That's not how we throw,” try something like, “That's an interesting way to throw. Could you try it with the other hand?”
“What would it look like if you tried to throw it farther? How about if you tried to throw it higher?”
“What if we threw something heavier or something lighter?”
“What if we tried to throw it between our legs?”
Get creative, think outside of the box and get your kid to try and explore. Don't try and force them into doing it the proper way just yet. Those skills will come a bit later.
Number Five
With your encouragement, let your child lead the way. As they grow, they’ll start to tell you what they're most interested in.
And you are going to, while continuing to introduce them to new things, follow along.
That means is that if you go to the park and for six weeks straight, your child might only want to do the slide.
Up the ladder and down the slide. And up the ladder and down the slide. And up the ladder and down the slide.
Your job is to cheer them on for six straight weeks of nothing. but. slide. Yes, it will drive you crazy.
Now, you can always suggest, “Hey, did you want to try the swings this week?” or, “That teeter totter over there looks like a lot of fun...” And sure, they might take you up on something new you point out, but you might also be watching the slide cycle for the 84th time.
And that’s okay. That repetition is their way of learning. Doing the same thing again and again cements that learning and also builds the confidence in them to want to try new things.
So to recap, here are the five ways to support your child's physical development, at a high level:
1. As much outside free play as you can
2. Supplement that free play with structured programs
3. Make sure that program is a great one, and a good fit developmentally
4. Give your child the freedom to move whoever they like, without imposing adult “corrections”
5. Let your child take the lead
Have any questions or comments? How do you think you can incorporate these ideas into your everyday life? We’d love to hear them from you! Drop us a comment or head to our instagram and let’s chat!
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