Early Childhood Ecudation Activity Program

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Early Childhood Education –Activity Program Justine McGranahan Brandman University Early childhood education normally focuses on children’s development for the ages of three to five. During this development period, we should be equally focused on the mental and physical development of children. In the recent decades, there has been an emphasis placed on mental development which in turn has put a de-emphasis on physical development. Mental and physical development goes hand in hand and we shouldn’t consider the two separate during this development stage. Physical development for children is just as important as their mental development. A lack of physical activity is considered a risk factor for health problems. The benefits of physical activity go beyond just the physical, physical activities help with motor skills, cognitive development, and emotional maturity. Early childhood is a great time to start teaching healthy behaviors that will carry on into adulthood. Educators can combine activities to help with both the physical and mental development. Children love to play. Their play lets them explore, experiment, and work on mastering the beginnings of literacy, numeracy, and science. During play they are talking to each other and playing together so their social skills are being developed as well. The behaviors of children’s play already have activities that include some sort movement like finger play, movement games, or building blocks. The type of play that has the most effect on children is dramatic play. Dramatic play provides opportunities for them to practice language and literacy because of the use of props and objects, combining roles and themes, and by creating a make believe scenario and solving disagreements. Educators can allow time for children have dramatic play, reading, writing, and physical play. The physical play can be
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