Physical development and physical education
Physical health is the main condition for the spiritual and moral health of a child. During preschool childhood, the foundation of health is laid, vital motor skills and abilities are formed, and important physical qualities are developed, which indicates the need for proper physical education, which should contribute to the recovery and full development of the child.
Physical development is the process of changing the morphological and functional characteristics of the body, the basis of which are biological processes caused by hereditary genetic factors, environmental conditions and upbringing.
Indicators of physical development are:
— anthropometric and biometric data: height, body weight, vital lung capacity, chest volume;
— development of basic movements (walking, running, jumping, throwing, climbing, etc.);
— level of physical qualities (speed, agility, strength, endurance, flexibility);
— the level of indicators of posture formation (curves of the spine, distance between the angles of the shoulder blades, etc.).
The growth and development of a child are not identical processes: growth is an increase in the size of the body and its individual parts, and development is the differentiation of tissues and organs. The child grows and develops unevenly. During periods of slowing growth rates, the processes of tissue differentiation and formation occur more intensively, and during periods of intensive growth, the rates of development slow down somewhat. However, the processes of development and growth are interconnected and continuous. Their sequence and sequence are largely determined by the age characteristics of children.
During the first year of a child's life, growth processes prevail over differentiation processes. The neonatal period (the first 2-2.5 months of life) is especially important, when the body adapts to extrauterine conditions of existence: pulmonary respiration, constant blood circulation, independent digestion and other vital processes are established. The degree of physiological fullness and development of the child in subsequent periods depends on how quickly the adaptation process occurs. During the first year of life, the child's body length increases by 24.3-25.4 cm, weight - by 6950-7300 g, during the second year it grows by 10-15 cm and 2.5-3 kg, respectively. Then the growth rate stabilizes: annually the body weight increases by 1.5-2 kg, and height - by 4-5 cm.
In early childhood, motor abilities, coordination, and muscle strength develop rapidly. Differentiation of the central and peripheral nervous systems determines the development of speech, emotions, etc. In preschool age, the growth rate decreases and there is an intensive development of physical strength, agility of movements. The parameters of physical growth and development of children are not unchanged. Over the past 20-30 years, the phenomenon of acceleration has been observed - accelerated development and an increase in anthropometric indicators. The weight of newborns is now 100-133 g more, and by adolescence children are 15-20 cm taller than their peers 100 years ago. The weight of 6-year-old children has increased by 500 g over the past 75 years, their height by 1.5 cm, and that of one-year-old children by 1.5-2 kg and 5 cm, respectively. According to scientists, this is caused by various environmental factors, in particular the influence of solar radiation, electromagnetic waves, urbanization, changes in nutrition, etc. Sometimes the acceleration is explained by changes in the genetic code of people as a result of marriages between representatives of different races and continents. The human body is a holistic biosocial system that exists in unity with the environment and is regulated by the central nervous system. In the process of physical development, heredity and environmental factors constantly interact, determining the characteristics of the organism. According to the teachings of Russian physiologists Ivan Sechenov (1829-1905) and Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), the external environment influences the development of the innate data of the organism, regulates its functional capabilities. The interaction of heredity and environmental factors determines the features of the body structure, higher nervous activity, and the abilities of the child. An organism can exist and function successfully only when it is in equilibrium with the environment, under the influence of which it has to change its physiological functions, that is, to show reactivity.
Reactivity of the organism is the ability of the organism to change physiological functions under the influence of the external environment.
In everyday life, the reactivity of the organism manifests itself through peculiar protective reactions that counteract the harmful effects of the surrounding reality, help it to adapt to the external environment as best as possible.
A child comes into the world with certain innate predispositions and abilities, and its full physical and mental development requires educational influence from the first days of life, aimed at forming a personality in the unity of physical and mental manifestations. The intensive growth and development of the organism of a preschool child and the high reactivity inherent in it require special professional skills and efforts of teachers. The high plasticity of the nervous system makes it possible to systematically influence the child's organism, develop innate predispositions, and create the necessary conditions for the development of new qualities of the organism.
The physical development of a child is also associated with the regime of motor activity, which is a biological need of the organism and can be satisfied in the process of physical education. The famous French doctor of the 17th century. Tissot claimed that “movements can replace any medicine in their effect, but all the remedies in the world are not able to replace the action of movement”. In preschool age, the child’s motor activity is one of the stimuli for the development of all body functions, improving the reserve capabilities of its physiological systems.
Despite rapid growth and development, the organs and systems of a preschool child are at the stage of formation and development, and the body’s defenses are the weaker the smaller the child. This requires constant attention to the timely development of the skeletal system and the entire musculoskeletal system, the formation of correct posture, as well as the correct development of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, and the respiratory organs. Skillfully organized by a teacher, motor activity is a prerequisite for improving the functions of all systems, because, as the Russian hygienist and teacher Lydia Chulitskaya (1870—1938) argued, movements are the foundation of a child’s development.
Thus, physical education contributes to the full physical development of the child, increasing the level of functional and adaptive capabilities of the body.
Physical education is connected with other educational aspects, since, as V. Sukhomlynsky noted, caring for the child's health is not just a set of sanitary and hygienic norms and rules, but above all, caring for the harmonious completeness of all his physical and spiritual forces.
The child's health is a prerequisite for his success in any activity, because full physical development ensures a high overall working capacity of the body. Motor activity contributes to the development of the analyzer system, activates the work of the sensory organs, accelerates the development of speech, helps the formation of mental actions. The child practices in knowing the world around him, develops spatial ideas, and expands his horizons. Physical education and sports classes temper his will, activate the emotional sphere.
Proper organization of physical education of children helps to awaken their interest in motor activity in general, as well as in specific types of physical exercises. The development of interest in movements occurs on the basis of the child's vital need to be strong, brave, and agile.
By mastering the rules of hygiene, the child acquires the skills of a culture of behavior, and the organization of physical education classes with bright equipment, toys, and appropriate clothing develops aesthetic feelings.
Motor activity in the process of physical education prepares the child for labor activity. In physical education classes, during morning gymnastics, discipline is brought up, the desire to achieve success, perseverance is developed. Successful motor activity in a group of peers, positive assessment of the child's efforts by adults, self-analysis of the quality of performing exercises, the joy of participation in outdoor games - all this contributes to the development of the emotional and sensory sphere.
A healthy, physically developed child, as a rule, believes in his own strength, is cheerful, cheerful, more fully masters the principles of noble behavior in interaction with peers and adults, cares about the harmony of his being, and is attentive to other people.