Motor Development in Inclusive Early Childhood Education

Catalog description

This course integrates both theory and practice of motor development and movement for children from birth through grade 4 in inclusive environments. Content includes motor development of young children birth-3, 3-5 and K-4. In addition, content will include the importance of physical activity for young children; recommended physical activity guidelines for varying stages of childhood; developmentally appropriate movement for children; methods of motor task variation and adaptation for children with varied abilities; and contemporary methods for teaching children movement education. Students will learn and evaluate a variety of teacher behaviors specific to physical education and inclusive classroom environments. The facilitation and integration of physical activity throughout children’s daily lives and methods for teaching content from other disciplines through movement using developmentally appropriate practices will also be emphasized. A focus of this course is working to intentionally embed activities around these developmental areas into inclusive settings.