Exercise

Small children are basically always exercising when they are awake. They never sit still and when they are playing they are always moving about. That's one of the reasons why they are always warm when we are cold from sitting down and watching them.

Exercise can take many forms - formal and informal.

I focus on the fun aspect rather than the exercise itself so the children do not realise they are exercising. They experience it as 'playing'.

We do a lot of music and movement, which is very good exercise as well as being fun and good for their development of rhythm.

• Running around when playing indoors and outdoors

• Rocking on rocking horse
  

• Playing with balloons
  

• Going for farm walks
  

• Playing in the outdoor playground - trampoline, swings, climbing frame, slide, see-saw...
  

• Music games, e.g. nursery rhymes, etc. (ring-a-ring-a-roses, hokee-pokee...)
  

• Ball games
  

• Other activity games, e.g. playing animals - e.g. hopping like a kangaroo..
  

• Parachute games