Across the modern world, adults live increasingly sedentary lives, and there is a lack of opportunities for physical play. Less play means reduced development of physical skills, with likely negative impacts on children’s overall health and wellbeing. Research shows that a child’s early experience of movement influences their attitudes towards physical activity into adulthood.
Some countries’ early years workforces, however, are better trained and place greater emphasis on physical activity than others. Finland is a commonly cited example. It has ten principles for teaching physical activity, called ‘joy, play and doing together’, which include statements such as ‘Being active is inspiring, too much sitting is boring’, and ‘Physical activity is a right for every child and therefore needs to be in every early childhood education setting’.
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