Tamariki love moving. Physical activity is essential to te oranga hinengaro | children’s mental and emotional health. It is vital to their physical and spiritual wellbeing.
From te ao Māori and Pacific perspectives, physical wellbeing cannot be separated from strong connections to tīpuna, spirituality, and the environment.
Tips for physically active play at home#
Being physically active can happen inside or outside.
Just remember that safety comes first, so make sure there is enough space for tamariki to be physically active without the risk of hurting other tamariki. That said, managed risk is important for tamariki. If tamariki are climbing, swinging, sliding, or jumping, make sure there’s enough soft fall cushioning on the floor for safe landing.
Talk to your whānau | family and members of your wider community about games and physical activities they like to do.
Ideas for physical play equipment
Do activities such as:
- running
- balancing
- swinging
- crawling
- stepping
- climbing
- catching
- throwing
- pushing
- pulling
- hopping
- skipping
- jumping
- rolling
- crouching
- twirling.
Equipment you could use includes:
- skipping ropes
- large rope for pulling games
- ribbons or scarves
- balls of different sizes
- bean bags
- balancing boards
- traffic cones
- swings, slides, and other fixed equipment
- boxes, planks, and ladders
- other junk material.
Learning by being physically active#
Physically active play can help your tamaiti | child to develop:
- large muscles, strength and balance
- flexibility, rhythm and coordination including hand-eye coordination
- skills such as throwing, catching, hopping, skipping, climbing and balancing
- mathematical concepts such as long and short, big and small, wide and narrow
- awareness of space, such as over and under, in front and behind, on top and beneath, inside and outside.
It will also help your tamaiti to:
- learn their limits
- learn to cooperate and share
- learn about games and rules from their own and other cultures
- understand that physical activity is fun and can release tension.
Support your tamaiti#
You can support your tamaiti with physical activity by:
- making sure spaces are safe and free from obstructions
- making sure the equipment is safe, well maintained, and positioned safely
- letting them play around with equipment in their own way and at their own pace
- joining in and providing encouragement, advice, support and demonstrations such as different ways to land or throw a ball
- encouraging them to join in by taking turns
- modelling language that goes with the play
- making sure physical play resources and opportunities are available at all times.
