Get preschoolers moving more at school: tips from a preschool teacher

Why is moving with preschoolers actually so important? Gineke Muller – a teacher at De Eendragt primary school in Wormer – believes that all learning begins with movement. “No child learns anything if they remain seated in a Maxi-Cosi. To discover the world, you have to get moving. Preschoolers first learn with their bodies: passing a ball, counting on their fingers. Only later can this become more abstract and can they learn more through their minds. That is when they really learn to count and understand terms such as left and right.”

Mirka Janssen, a lecturer in physical activity in and around schools at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, adds that movement also forms the basis for other areas of preschoolers’ development: “Through movement, they develop their social skills, learn to recognise emotions, resolve conflicts and develop a sense of spatial orientation. All of that is part of young children’s play.”

Start the day with singing and outdoor play

Because movement is so important for preschoolers’ development, Gineke links it to the learning objectives. This gets the preschoolers moving throughout the day, and it can start with something small. For example, Gineke begins every day with a song. “I only have to move my hands and the preschoolers are already jumping up. Especially with the traditional songs that include gestures, such as In de Maneschijn. This also works when telling stories: for example, have them creep along like a tiger.” Mirka explains that words accompanied by gestures are remembered better. “When you use more senses during learning, you store the information in more places in your brain, making it easier to retrieve that knowledge.”

Make space in the classroom

So, a movement-rich start to the day. But how do you create enough space in an average classroom to continue this? Gineke: “The traditional setup in every preschool classroom includes a construction corner, a home corner, a theme corner, and so on. We have divided these corners among the different preschool classrooms, so that we literally create space in every room. This also allows them to learn to work with different materials, such as large PVC tubes or wooden slats of varying lengths, which the preschoolers use to create patterns. We also use part of the hallway for play.”

There are now only eight tables for 20 preschoolers, and Gineke no longer has a desk. “Children who want to draw or do puzzles can do so at a table if they want, but almost always while standing. This gives them more freedom to move their arms and bodies.” The preschoolers can play on their stomachs or on their knees—whatever they themselves find most comfortable for an activity. “This allows them to discover which posture best suits the task they are doing.” Does all this movement not cause restlessness in the classroom? “No,” says Gineke, “it is actually more restless when preschoolers are required to sit still for a long time; that is when you get all the fidgeting. Building in space for movement prevents restlessness.”

Go outside for learning through movement

The school playground also offers plenty of opportunities. Gineke: “For example, we first do an exercise in the classroom in which preschoolers learn to recognise number symbols. Then we go outside and play a game using the same numbers, but one in which the children do plenty of running. Mirka emphasises that this variation makes repeating the exercise much more enjoyable for young children. “And thanks to that repetition, what they have learned sticks better and better.”

Offer purposeful outdoor play

At De Eendragt, the preschoolers play outside twice every day: for an hour in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon. The teacher plays an active role. “The days of the preschool teacher sitting happily on the edge of the sandbox in the sun are over,” Gineke jokes. In the morning and afternoon, her school playground has different ‘zones’ with movement activities.

“In the morning we have wheeled toys, such as go-karts, bicycles and scooters. And every day we create a movement course they can complete, with constantly changing obstacles. This helps preschoolers develop many personal skills, such as persevering when something is difficult and making a plan for how to tackle it.” In the afternoon, the wheeled toys remain in the shed and we offer games such as tag, hopscotch or a circle game with a ball. This allows us to provide variety in motor development and learning objectives.”

Thinking in terms of ‘zones’ helps keep things safe, for example by not allowing children to run between the bicycles. It also creates space to move at full speed in another zone, Mirka explains. “For example, you need to be able to build up speed on a balance bike or scooter in order to learn to balance. And balancing is one of the motor skills we work on purposefully,” says Gineke.

Ensure successful experiences at each child’s own level

Successful experiences are essential for preschoolers, Mirka explains. “They build their self-confidence, which is crucial for preschoolers. That is the key to continuing to develop and enjoying physical activity throughout life. It is adults’ responsibility to help them have those successful experiences.”

Of course, every child must also learn to cope with things that do not work out, Mirka notes. “But if your self-image becomes negative, you lose the enjoyment of physical activity and drop out. Think of games in which less-skilled children are quickly out. Those children often sit on the sidelines, giving them even fewer opportunities to practise their skills. That is why we say: make sure they quickly rejoin the game. We need to learn to look at physical activity from a more pedagogical perspective.” Read more about the relationship between self-image, motor skills and enjoyment of physical activity later in life in this article [link to overarching article about preschoolers that is still to be published on AOS].

Develop a school-wide vision of physical activity

What can the school do to support classroom teachers in getting preschoolers to move more? Mirka: “As a school, develop a vision of physical activity, make room for it in the daily schedule and look for the knowledge and examples that already exist. Also make room to experiment together, to see what works at your school. Our research [link to Mirka’s factsheet] also shows that you need to invest in the classroom teacher’s competencies. They need to have the confidence to work actively on learning objectives, for example on the school playground. Give yourself time to grow in this.”

Gineke herself has had very positive experiences working with a specialist teacher, especially with preschoolers. “I learn so much from that! Discussing the learning objectives together and developing suitable movement activities, looking at how to structure a lesson effectively, and so on. Their input and expertise are extremely valuable.”

Final tips

To conclude, Gineke has two more tips: “To find out what knowledge and examples already exist, you can also get in touch with colleagues at other schools. You do not have to reinvent the wheel or apply something to your school on your own. And make sure to provide variety. One week we use a large red ball, which the children get very excited about. After a while I put it away, and the following week they can happily carry and build with pallets again. This keeps the preschoolers motivated to keep moving!”

Primary school is an important place for every child’s positive, active future in sport and physical activity. Good and sufficient physical education in particular lays the foundation. Read more here about the positive effects of more sport and physical activity at school.