Giving Physical Development its rightful place within the early years curriculum should heighten awareness within the sector of its importance in providing the foundations for early learning. Its new status also gives early years practitioners the perfect opportunity to review their practice and maximise the range of 'physical' experiences that they offer children, both indoors and out.
Thismay not be an easy process, however. The early years sector has traditionally paid much less attention to Physical Development than to PSED and CL. There has not been as much research into this area, and so there is not as much guidance to draw on. There have been some misunderstandings about what PD entails.
Under the revised EYFS, therefore, everyone will have to work harder at providing the right experiences and resources for young children.
We hope this Physical Development special issue of Nursery Equipment will help you in that process. In our opening feature, outdoor specialist Jan White sets out the importance of physical development and explains the core experiences that you should aim to offer children across the EYFS age range.
Then, our team of experts explore different aspects of Physical Development and suggest plenty of resources and activities to promote them. Let's all get moving!
