Strategies for Teachers to Promote Physical Activity in Early Childhood Education Settings-A Scoping Review.

Toby C T Mak,Derwin K C Chan,Catherine M Capio

doi:10.3390/ijerph18030867

Abstract

Recent evidence has emphasized the importance of the early childhood years for developing lifelong physical activity patterns. As such, evidence-informed programs that create opportunities for young children to engage in physical activity are needed and education settings present an important context. This review aimed to identify strategies that are implemented by teachers to promote physical activity in early childhood education and care settings. This is a scoping review that followed the framework proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Searches were conducted using the databases of PubMed, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, SPORT Discus, ERIC and Web of Science for publications up to September 2020. From a total of 8974 articles, 19 were deemed eligible. Ten types of strategies, performed by teachers with the intention to improve physical activity-related primary outcomes, were identified. Physical activity promotion by teachers in early childhood settings is recommended to take a multi-strategy approach, in conjunction with professional development training opportunities and continuous follow-up support for teachers. Future work is warranted to fill the evidence gap in other regions (e.g., Asia, Africa and South America) and strengthen the evidence base to establish best practice standards.

Highlights

Clear evidence shows that engaging in regular physical activity at a young age results in numerous benefits, such as associated improvements in physical, psychosocial and cognitive development domains and eventual academic performance.From a health perspective, adequate physical activity can reduce the risk of obesity, but it can promote bone health and facilitate psychological, social and fundamental motor skill development for preschool-aged children [3,4,5]
A synthesis of evidence is needed on strategies or programs that teachers implement and deliver in school- or early childhood education and care (ECEC) center-based settings to promote physical activity in young children and this current review aims to address this need
After the removal of 76 full-text articles using the eligibility criteria, the final search output was 19 published articles that focused on strategies or programs that are implemented by teachers in school- or ECEC

Summary

Introduction

Clear evidence shows that engaging in regular physical activity at a young age results in numerous benefits, such as associated improvements in physical, psychosocial and cognitive development domains and eventual academic performance (for example, see [1,2]).From a health perspective, adequate physical activity can reduce the risk of obesity, but it can promote bone health and facilitate psychological, social and fundamental motor skill development for preschool-aged children [3,4,5]. Efforts in creating opportunities for young children to start engaging in physical activity at an early stage are warranted and evidence-informed programs are needed. We would like to offer a scoping review on strategies or programs that teachers implement and deliver in school- or early childhood education and care (ECEC) center-based settings to promote physical activity in young children. Childhood educators who are adequately trained and enabled with knowledge are ideally placed to promote physical activity engagement amongst their pupils [16]. Their critical role is in providing quality opportunities and creating active experiences for children’s development within the school setting [17]. To the best of our knowledge, evidence supporting these approaches by teachers to promote physical activity in playgrounds or classrooms has yet to be synthesized

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