At our Sure Start Children's Centre we are involved in different projects, one of which focuses on developmental movement play. We have introduced a movement area to encourage children to move and give them the opportunity to use their bodies, visiting innate movement patterns that all babies and young children are meant to do. The movement area is a soft, safe, comfortable area and is accessible to the children throughout their time at nursery.
Developmental movement play has many positive impacts on the development of connections in children's brain and on all their future learning and skills.
Parents and carers often restrict children's movement without actually realising it. Sitting children in car seats, bouncy chairs or baby walkers may have an effect on their future development. As practitioners working with families, we need to 'shout out loud' about giving children the time and space to explore moving their own bodies. We need to encourage families to put babies on their tummies, on the floor so they can crawl, belly crawl, roll and spin.
We also need to share with other practitioners the positive impact of movement areas within nurseries. Children who have the experience of a movement area and are given freedom to explore movements with their whole body grow into confident people with a strong sense of self. They will have greater confidence to engage in all activities and new experiences, which will inevitably increase their all-round development and skills.
I would like to see movement areas given the same status and respect as other areas of provision, such as the book or number area.
* Kate Johnson, assistant manager, Parklands Children's Centre, Seacroft, Leeds
