Physical Development and Health
Physical development is the process that starts in human infancy and continues into late adolescent concentrating on gross and fine motor skills as well as puberty.
Items to add to your dramatic play area include:
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Tooth Brushes
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Tooth Paste
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Hair Brushes
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Shampoo and Condition Bottles
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Gross Motor Activities: Jump Ropes, Hulla Hoops, Etc.
Name of Activity: Keeping Your Teeth Healthy
Originating Idea: Personal Care
Curriculum Area: Physical Development and Health
Materials:
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Class Set of Toothbrushes and Toothpaste.
Appropriate Age group: 4 and up.
Beginning of Activity
Opening statement:
Explain to the children that keeping your teeth brushed everyday will make them white and shiny! They use their teeth every day to chew their food. Read them a book that talks about the importance of oral hygiene.
Middle of Activity
Early:
Have these children try to put the toothpaste on the tooth brush and running it under the water. Have them try putting it on their teeth.
Middle:
Have the children brush their teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Later:
Have the children to start brushing their teeth.
Ask many questions during this process:
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How does the brush feel on your teeth?
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What do you taste?
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Do you like the toothpaste flavor?
End of Activity
Follow up with the children. Asking them how their teeth feel, if they like brushing their teeth.
Allow the children to take home tooth brush, following up with asking them days after if they like brushing their teeth.
Follow Up Ideas:
Adding Toothbrushes and Tooth Paste to your dramatic play area.
Take a vote at circle time asking the children who brushed their teeth before school or breakfast.
Name of Activity: Glitter Germ Spread
Originating Idea: Healthy Behavior
Curriculum Area: Physical Development and Health
Materials:
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Glitter
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Spray Bottle
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Water
Appropriate Age group: 4 and up.
Beginning of Activity
Opening statement:
Explain to the children when you cough and sneeze, there are small germs that come out that are trying to get everyone sick. They attach themselves to objects and wait to be touches and they attach onto them. I like to really get the kids attention with this subject because it is really important. So, I get a spray bottle and fill it with water, and put it on mist. When I pretend to sneeze I take the spray bottle and spray a water mist in the air and get the kids wet to show them how the germs spread through the air, just like the water did.
Middle of Activity
Early:
Ask the children to walk around the room and tell you the places that they touched that morning.
Middle:
Put glitter in a bowl, ask each child to stick their hands in the bowl, covering their hands in glitter. Allow them to walk around the room, picking up their favorites toys, or their favorite books, turning on and off lights and opening and closing doors.
Later:
Put glitter in a bowl, ask each child to stick their hands in the bowl, covering their hands in glitter. Allow them to walk around the room, picking up their favorites toys, or their favorite books, turning on and off lights and opening and closing doors. Ask them why the glitter is sticking to the objects and ask where they see the most glitter.
End of Activity
Follow up with the children. Asking them what they touched, where they see germs.
After all that is done, explain to children that we can prevent the spread of germs by coughing onto our elbows and sneezing into our elbows, preventing the spread of all the glittery germs.
Follow Up Ideas:
Go over hand washing with the children.
Post hand washing signs up for your children to see, adding pictures to give them a visual of how to properly wash their hands.
Name of Activity: Make it to the Finish
Originating Idea: Gross-Motor Skills
Curriculum Area: Physical Development and Health
Materials:
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Playground
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Hula Hoops
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Jump Ropes
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Cones
Appropriate Age group: 3 and up.
Beginning of Activity
Opening statement:
Talk to the children about what your going to do today. We are going to build an obstacle course on our playground. Ask them what they think that is, and what it consists of.
Middle of Activity
Early:
Ask these children if they'd like to jump through the hula hoops or jump over the ropes!
Middle:
Allow these children to run up and down the playground, then come down the slide, jumping through the hula hoops, after that going through the cones and jumping over the ropes.
Later:
Allow these children to run up and down the playground, then come down the slide, jumping through the hula hoops, after that going through the cones and jumping over the ropes. If the children do these tasks with ease, try to have them pick up the jump ropes and try and jump roping.
End of Activity
Ask the children if they used all their muscles to do this activity. Have the children enjoyed doing this obstacle course?
Follow Up Ideas:
Bring in the hula hoops and jump ropes and add them to your dramatic play area for the children to use when the time is right.
Have the children discus what their favorite obstacle was.