COVID-19 pandemic impacts children’s physical and movement development
COVID-19 pandemic impacts children’s physical and movement development
2023-04-05
A new survey from the Hsin-Yi Foundation has found that children’s movement abilities have been affected by the pandemic. After three years of disrupted education, as well as mandates to stay indoors and wear masks, many children don’t have the physical skills that would normally be seen in their age group. But experts encourage parents to be optimistic. Kids benefit from being given lots of encouragement to get active. Parents who make movement fun can help their kids develop in their own time.
Children follow their teacher in a dance routine. The moves have been specially designed by early childhood education specialists.
Wang Tzung-teng
Physical Education Department, University of Taipei
Basic movement skills are extremely important for the future development of exercise for a child. What that means is, if parents can give children some more chance to practice, when they’re small, and give them a bit of extra encouragement, and some guidance, then the child’s future movement development will be much easier.
Over the last three years, children’s movement capacities have dropped on average, due to spending large amounts of time wearing masks or having to stay indoors. Overall mental and physical health has suffered too. Two surveys by the Hsin-yi Foundation looked at the movement skills of kids aged 2-6, from the perspective of both parents and kindergarten teachers. With a sample of more than 8,000 respondents, they found that exercise can promote children’s physical capacities, as well as cognitive and emotional development. The more parents actively participate in their kids’ movement and offer encouragement, the more kids’ capacities improve.
Liao Jui-wen
Hsin-Yi Foundation COO
Early childhood educators notice that children’s physical skills have indeed deteriorated from before the pandemic to after the pandemic. There is a bit of falling behind on the development of some movement capacities. But we also want to encourage parents not to worry too much, because physical movement skills develop gradually as children get older.
For parents’ reference, the foundation has compiled a comparison table of physical and movement skills, organized by age. Parents are advised to adopt a variety of games and strategies to encourage kids to get active in developmentally appropriate ways, building health and strength for the future.
疫情影響幼兒活動力 籲父母多陪伴鼓勵運動
2023-04-05
近3年受疫情衝擊，各種防疫措施嚴重影響幼兒活動力。信誼基金會針對父母和幼兒園老師，調查2到6歲的幼兒在疫情期間身體動作發展的狀況。結果發現，幼兒普遍出現身體動作能力表現衰退、體能也下降，就連孩子的認知與情緒發展都受影響，呼籲父母應該多多陪伴、鼓勵孩子運動。
小朋友跟著老師蹦蹦跳跳，這些是幼兒團隊針對孩子們設計的動作。
[[台北市立大學體育系教授 王宗騰]]
“基本動作技能對於小朋友未來的一個運動發展，是非常重要的，也就是說如果爸爸媽媽如果在小朋友小的時候，可以讓他們有多一點練習的機會，能夠多多鼓勵他們，能夠給予他們一些指導的話，對小朋友未來動作發展會更順暢。”
這3年來，長時間戴口罩、居家時間變多，幼兒不僅動作能力下降，身心發展也受影響。信誼基金會分別針對家長和幼兒園教師，進行2至6歲幼兒身體動作能力調查，回收超過8千份的問卷，結果發現，運動能促進孩子體能、認知和情緒發展，父母越積極參與、鼓勵，孩子的身體動作能力表現越好。
[[信誼基金會營運長 廖瑞文]]
“幼師會發現，在疫情之前跟疫情之後的孩子確實體力變差了，還有一些動作能力的發展上有稍微落後的情況，但是我們也呼籲父母不要過於憂心，因為身體動作能力，會隨孩子年齡發展逐步地發展出來。”
基金會也依孩子年齡，彙編「身體動作能力調查分齡對照表」供父母參考，同時也呼籲家長順應各年齡的發展特質，運用不同遊戲策略，幫助孩子動出好腦力。
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