Social and cognitive development

An understanding of rules, social sensitivity as well as frustration tolerance, cooperation and consideration are among the basic social qualifications that should be achieved in physical education. The educator, however, faces a lot of age-specific problems in social education. Infants under 3 years of age accept anyone who plays with them.

Only at the age of 3 do infants choose their own friends. At the age of 3-4 years, children are not yet able to put themselves in the position of others. Feelings are recognized, but the reason is not.

Only from the age of 6 are children able to foresee the feelings and reactions of others and to adjust their own actions accordingly. The educator should pay attention to the following points when bringing up children. Children should not be guided in their decisions, but it is important to ensure that their behaviour is fair and appropriate. The intervention should be recognized and not be done prematurely. The children must be given the chance to solve problems independently in order to acquire social skills such as empathy and consideration.

Motor development

From birth, infants have innate reflexes. In the first year of life (infancy), they develop the ability to grasp things purposefully, to stand upright and to move independently. At this age children learn best.

The direction of development is cephalo-caudal and proximal-distal. In the 2nd – 3rd years of life the basic forms of movement running and walking are developed. Sensory stimuli are perceived in a differentiated manner.

However, the movements are still characterized by hypertonic muscle tension (uneconomical). In the pre-school age (4 – 6 years of age) the basic forms of movement are refined, and for the first time movements can be combined. The attention span increases, the thirst for knowledge, play and the need for movement increase.

The importance of playing

In movement education, the following games are distinguished. The aspect of the game is the end in itself of the game with numerous positive side effects. Children learn while playing, but still play for fun.

It is about getting to know new situations. Creativity and fantasy are stimulated and encouraged. BUHLER and SCHENK- DANZIGER distinguish in:

Movement games (learning with fun)
Play action from the children’s adventure area (bring in your own experience)
Games with tactile perception (promote language development)
Common game situation (verbal or non-verbal)
Discussion of game rules (pronunciation, vocabulary expansion, grammar)
Language games (encourage speaking)
Games with children’s songs (combining music, movement and speech)
Functional games (0-2 years, discover your own body)
Construction games (2- 4 years, creating, planning, combining products)
Fiction- illusion games (2- 4 years, stimulating the imagination)
Role playing (4-6 years, experience and fantasy roles, performing game)
Rule games (from 5 years of age, fixed rules, order, continuity, social behaviour)