This book provides a scientific foundation for the design of physical education and movement education in early childhood, focusing on the key development stage between 3 and 6 years of age. Drawing on cutting-edge contemporary research, the book examines physical education as a process for promoting holistic development and well-being of children…

Teachers of young children know the importance of designing developmentally appropriate activities to encourage motor development but are not always prepared with the information they need to accomplish this design. When teachers choose movement activities, motor development theory must be understood and utilized in the planning of activities to…

A comprehensive activity program requires a conceptual framework to guide appropriate curriculum design. An understanding of motor development and of the ways physical settings interact with the learning child are essential to program construction. (JN)

Educators have recognized the limitations of artificial assessments and called for more authentic assessments of student performance, i.e., assessment that is contextualized. In the field of movement education, teachers have typically tended to evaluate their students by administering skill tests, categorizing children for their developmental…

In this supplement to the "K-12 Physical Education Curriculum Guide," developed by the Manitoba Department of Education, the focus is on perceptual-motor programs for children in kindergarten and the first grade. Section I contains a discussion of the rationale for perceptual-motor programs, a curriculum outline, and definitions of terms used in…

This monograph on sport skill development: (1) raises questions concerning the teaching and learning of sport skills; (2) provides a general information base from which answers may be derived; and (3) identifies teaching strategies which appear to facilitate sport skill learning. The monograph's intent is to raise questions as well as to suggest…

Curriculum theory is a rationale for defining purpose, selecting objectives, and determining content. Two rationales, movement analysis, and developmental stages are discussed and evaluated, in terms of their purposes, objectives, content, and teaching methods. (JN)

Physical education programs at the nursery and elementary school levels should stress the development and refinement of fundamental movement patterns and a wide variety of sport skills instead of dealing with specialized skill development through refined performance experiences. The developmental model of physical education is based on the…

A taxonomy of psychomotor skills provides a classification of all human movement forms. The development of motor skills in this hierarchy begins with the reflexive physical responses of the infant. The stages of growth include basic interactive movement forms, skilled movement forms, and functional and creative movement forms. This taxonomy offers…

Separate papers discuss: (1) sensory deprivation; (2) effects of high rise housing; (3) clumsy children; (4) screening and labeling "at risk" students; (5) Piaget's conceptual development stages; and (6) movement education. (CP)