While many parents are concerned about the progress that their children make in physical, mental and emotional development, 6-year-olds have fairly basic physical education goals that they can usually accomplish through simple activities and games. Parents and educators can help young children progress in their physical development by giving them opportunities to be active, coordinate their body movements and manipulate balls and other objects.
Motor Skills
According to the West Virginia and Indiana Departments of Education, physical education for 6-year-olds should involve basic movements that build strength and increase coordination. The types of coordination skills developed during early childhood are mostly gross motor skills like running and jumping or manipulation skills such as kicking, throwing and catching. You can help your 6-year-old accomplish these physical development goals through participation in little league sports or just through non-competitive games of catch at home.
Learning an Active Lifestyle
According to Kids Health, one of the goals of early childhood physical education is to lay the groundwork for kids to develop a healthy and active lifestyle. Physical development for young children, then, should include about an hour daily of moderate to physical activity and several additional periods of daily physical activity lasting at least 15 minutes. Kids Health also reports that young children should avoid being inactive for more than 2 hours at a time. Maintaining an active lifestyle throughout childhood and adulthood improves self-esteem and reduces risk of weight-related health conditions.
Teamwork
Early childhood physical education goals may also include children's ability to take part in a cooperative social environment. According to the West Virginia Department of Education, school-aged children should also learn to respect physical differences between people through physical education.
Family Involvement
Having home physical development goals for your 6-year-old can also encourage valuable family time if you plan your whole family to take a walk or play together, for example. According to Kids Health, even involving kids in the family chores from early childhood can provide them a source of physical development while they accomplish practical tasks and learn responsibility.
Considerations
Kids Health cautions parents that sports activities do increase the risk of injuries to children. Take precautions and make sure your child wears protective gear when playing sports, since an injury can set back physical development during a particularly crucial period. Learning how to safely engage in physical activities while avoiding injury is also a part of physical education programs. Since all children have physical development goals to meet, make sure that children with health issues or mobility needs also have opportunities for physical education. These include adaptive activities if they require physical modifications.
