Enabling Environments: Physical Development - It's all go

Dance, bikes and outings to the woods emerged as clear favourites with our children at Little Treasures private day nursery in Cumbernauld and have become key elements in our efforts to promote children's physical development and well-being.

We believe that health and well-being are central to developing children's learning, which is why we continuously seek ways to challenge the children. These experiences have most definitely helped support them in becoming 'successful learners', 'confident individuals', 'responsible citizens' and 'effective contributors' - the four capacities in Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence.

We surveyed our children's favourite activities through a questionnaire that we asked parents to complete with the children at home, and then acted on the findings.

Since then, North Lanarkshire Council has encouraged us to share our practice with other settings and we have now entered the Active Nation category of the Scottish Education Awards 2012.

DANCE

Keen to promote dance as part of a healthy lifestyle, we hired dance teacher Stephanie Fulton, a qualified HNC Dance Artist, in 2009 for one morning a week. When dance proved an instant hit with the children, her time was increased to two days per week.

While the dance sessions she provides are structured, with the children encouraged to learn particular dance moves and routines, the children are also given the freedom to dance when they want, with ready access to a radio, CD player and iPod dock. All staff agree it is beneficial to offer children a balance, giving them access to every possible kind of music from street to classical.

All our staff have observed the many benefits that dance can bring and how it promotes:

• self-esteem. Staff have noted that children who are naturally quiet or have additional support needs often come alive while dancing, causing their confidence to soar

• friendship and confidence in one another

• understanding of how their bodies work and the changes that occur when physically active. The children often describe how they feel, using such words as 'thirsty' and 'tired'

• co-ordination

• appreciation of an active life

• ability to follow instructions

• spatial awareness

• risk management.

Children have the opportunity to experience dance both indoors and out, which in turn helps support their understanding that being active is a healthy way to be.

BIKES

Bikes may have fallen out of favour with many nurseries in recent years, but not at Little Treasures. Noticing the enjoyment and confidence that children were gaining from using new balance bikes, we decided to ask a qualified cycle trainer to run regular Bike Ability sessions over three months. The children were to taught how to maintain a bike, assess and manage the risks involved in cycling and to ride the two-wheeled bikes that the nursery had bought.

At the end of the first training block, the children were confident in riding the two-wheelers in the correct way, which was a great achievement because none of them could when they started. To celebrate their achievements we invited local MP Greg Mc Clymont to present the children with a certificate and badge.

The nursery viewed the training as such a success that one staff member has now trained as cycle trainer assistant, giving more children the opportunity to ride a two-wheeler.

Cycling proficiency is mainly run with pre-school children in groups of seven. However, all children have been participating in road safety lessons as one aspect of cycling proficiency.

The children can often be found using their knowledge to support and encourage their peers, which in turn supports the development of positive relationships.

FOREST OUTINGS

As increasing numbers of early years settings do, the children at Little Treasures also make regular visits to a piece of local woodland, which is owned by the Scottish Woodland Trust. Organised in eight-week blocks, sessions are held every term. In the woods the children have lunch, make dens and are given the opportunity to further develop their interests.

We find different children are interested in different things, so activities are based on the children's individual learning. The last group were interested in the water, for instance, but this group are more interested in how animals live, and last week we found a badger's set. (See RSPCA panel, left.)

So, forest school, like dance and bike ability, has become a very influential and major factor in developing not only the children's health and well-being but also their literacy and numeracy skills. Children, staff and parents and staff alike intend that they will continue to play a key role at Little Treasures Nursery.

As told to Ruth Thomson by nursery manager Christina Saville and staff team Maryanne Neil, Linsey Fulton and Jacqueline Davis, who are early years practitioners at Little Treasures Nursery in Cumbernauld