Kindergarten organizes a six-kilometer hike for six-year-olds to develop motor intelligence

 

       Recently, a 'children's sports' event has caught parents' attention: Chongwen No. 3 Kindergarten in Dongcheng District organized about 120 senior kindergarten children to celebrate their sixth birthday with a 'Six-Year-Old Six-Kilometer Hike' activity. Is this considered an extreme sport for children? How should younger children exercise? Are your baby’s exercise methods too conservative? Do you know that being 'overly' safe can severely affect a child’s age-appropriate development and learning?

　　  Can a child under 1 year old undergo 'upside-down' backflip training? Can you believe it?

　　  'Actually, this exercise is very good for a baby’s brain development and sensory integration. But when early childhood educators help the babies practice, some mothers scream on the spot, thinking the movement is too scary and dangerous,' recalled Xiang Jing, Teaching Director of KinderWorld Education Group in Singapore, describing scenes of parents accompanying their children to sports classes. The educator needs to patiently explain the purpose of the exercise to the mothers and also teach them how to assist the babies with aerial backflips. 'As long as you master the technique, it’s actually quite easy and not dangerous.' Most importantly, the child’s physical abilities get trained, and the babies also have a lot of fun during the activity.

　　  For the vast majority of Chinese parents, a child’s 'safety' far outweighs everything else. However, parents may not realize that being 'overly' safe can also seriously affect a child’s development and learning ability, leading to poorer motor coordination and subsequently safety issues — professionally termed as 'sensory integration dysfunction.' Yuan Chunfen, Principal of Chongwen No. 3 Kindergarten, believes that allowing children to engage in appropriate physical activities in nature not only plays an important role in their mental development, but is also the best form of 'parent-child activity' and a way to cultivate a sense of community and teamwork.

　　  When organizing the 'Six-Year-Old Six-Kilometer Hike' activity, Chongwen No. 3 Kindergarten took into account the physical characteristics of six-year-olds. Along the route, there was not only the beautiful scenery of the park lake, but the children also tried different walking postures, participated in trivia questions, had proper rest periods, and drank water.

　　  During the process, some children felt tired and wanted to give up, but teachers and other kids would encourage them, and then everyone walked the full course together. Parents can act as volunteers, but only as volunteers — the hiking activity must be completed independently by the children. 'During this process, children can experience many things, such as a sense of collective honor, the achievement of perseverance, while also getting physical exercise.'

　　  Feifei, 4 years old, is a bit different from other children. Every day after kindergarten, Feifei always hurries to hold her mother’s hand and go home, rather than playing a little longer with the other kids. Feifei is not only shorter in stature, but her less lively personality is what worries her parents the most.

　　  In terms of physical activity, Feifei is always a step behind the other children. When kids her age can slide down slides, Feifei is still afraid to climb stairs. While her peers ride bicycles around the neighborhood, Feifei refuses to pedal the wheels. As a result, her parents often criticize her, and over time, Feifei becomes even more reluctant to go out and play.

　　  It is understood that Harvard University Professor Gardner once proposed that children possess multiple intelligences ('Theory of Multiple Intelligences'), including linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and naturalistic intelligence. Each child has their own unique combination of dominant intelligences. For children aged 0–6, the development of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is particularly crucial, as it directly drives the development of other intelligences. Typically, children with well-developed bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are in good physical condition, have lively and cheerful personalities, enjoy interacting with others, and possess strong language expression skills. On the contrary, children who dislike sports may be either overweight or overly thin, tend to be more introverted, and prefer solitude. Meanwhile, the eight intelligences influence one another. Of course, different children choose different forms of sports, and parents need to select the most suitable ones based on their child’s individual traits.

　　  'Children who know how to play are smart.' Wang Liming, a lecturer in the Sports Rehabilitation Department at Beijing Sport University and a Doctor of Sports Medicine, explains this from a professional perspective: Taking children around six years old as an example, all of their systems are developing, especially their nervous and cognitive systems, which grow rapidly. If they lack necessary stimulation, it becomes much harder to improve these areas after the sensitive period has passed. 'Nowadays, children generally get too little exercise, have poor coordination, run with their arms and legs moving together, and have weak balance control.'

　　  Exercise is very beneficial for children’s neural responses, agility, and judgment. Therefore, children who are good at sports and know how to play tend to be more confident. Additionally, ages 6 to 8 and 12 to 14 are both sensitive periods for the development of the nervous system and cognition. The former is a critical time for coordinating the nervous system, including cardiovascular development, while the latter is important for the development of neural excitation, especially crucial for fostering speed and agility.

　　  Overall, 'before the age of 16, a child’s organs are gradually developing and improving. The more reasonable stimulation they receive, the better their development will be.'

　　  However, the reality is that many children, starting from kindergarten, are enrolled in various interest and specialty classes arranged by their parents. These 'classes' are mostly focused on intellectual activities and largely occupy the time children could spend exercising, especially outdoor activities. On the contrary, wealthier families are less limited by academic concerns for their children and instead encourage more participation in sports. Some even pay high fees to hire coaches to teach tennis, golf, taekwondo, and more. In their view, in their child’s long-term planning, academic studies and school admissions are just a small part, whereas a broader life plan is more important — one where confidence, a healthy mindset, and a strong physique matter more.

　　  In fact, guiding children to love sports is something every parent can do. Each child has their own characteristics and interests.

　　  Take Feifei mentioned earlier as an example. If she doesn’t like riding a bike, parents can try other sports or games. Parents should identify their child’s preferences and interests in sports to guide them, rather than criticize. Some children like martial arts but not running, some prefer dancing over taekwondo. Parents can let their children explore different types of sports, find the few they like the most, and encourage them to exercise 'in the joy of play.' It’s also recommended that parents join in with their children to strengthen the parent-child bond.

　　  ● Xiang Jing (Catherine Xiang), Teaching Director of KinderWorld Education Group in Singapore

　　  Abroad, some countries employ very extreme physical training methods, such as having babies roll in the snow, run barefoot, or swim in winter. I believe that developing various potentials in children, including motor intelligence, should be nurtured in an environment of 'love.' When training children, we should ask ourselves: Does this activity allow the child to feel 'love'? For example, a mother playing ball with her child on the grass, basking in the sunlight and joy, allows the child’s body and mind to develop well. If certain activities are unsuitable for the child, they may instead cause psychological harm. Here are some sports suitable for children of different ages.

　　  Ages 0–1:

　　  A critical period for the development of gross motor skills. Key movements like rolling over, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking are all accomplished during this time. I highly recommend crawling exercises. If I were to summarize the best early education in one word, it would be 'crawling.' Crawling provides excellent exercise for a baby’s brain nerve development, left-right brain division and circuit connections, and hand-eye-leg coordination.

　　  Home recommendation: Parents can clear out the living room, lay down eco-friendly mats, and create a 'gym' for the baby. Train crawling between meals, on an empty stomach, every day. Parents can use toys or snacks the baby loves to encourage forward crawling.

　　  Ages 2–3:

　　  Pre-preschool children can run and jump without problems. Physical training for children under 3 is mostly conducted through games. Daily activity should amount to about 1–2 hours.

　　Family Recommendations: Kite flying, cycling, soccer, ball bouncing, and other parent-child games. Families with the means can also enroll in professional early education programs.

　　Ages 3–6:

　　Children at this stage require a significant increase in physical activity. Swimming, jump rope, taekwondo, martial arts, dance, roller skating, and badminton are all recommended activities. Children in this age group should aim for at least three hours of physical activity per day.

　　Family Recommendations: You can take your child hiking or on nature walks in the suburbs to build their stamina and perseverance. It’s important to emphasize that “interest drives motivation.” Try not to force your child into sports they dislike, as it may cause resistance.