English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Background: The purpose of the study was to evaluate motor skills of children participating and not participating in corrective gymnastics activities. It has been assumed that children participating in additional physical activities conducted in nursery school have better motor skills than those staying out of this type of activities. Material/Methods: Tests were carried out in two stages. For quantitative research a questionnaire was conducted among headmasters of nursery schools in Gdansk. The qualitative and quantitative research involved: observation, document analysis, tests of educational performance verifying the level of motor skills. A total of 286 fiveand six-year-old children were recruited from different preschools (eight preschools and three primary school preschool programs in Gdansk). Results: Comparing groups of preschoolers participating and not participating in the activities of corrective gymnastics showed that among five-year-olds attending corrective gymnastics greater skills were noticed only in two of the seven tests: I – walking on a balance bench and II – crawling on an inclined balance bench. Among six-year-olds only in one test: VI – throwing a ball against the wall and catching it. Conclusions: Corrective gymnastics viewed as additional physical activity exercise in preschools does not contribute to the development of new motor skills of fiveand six-year-olds. Word count: 4,840 Tables: 9 Figures: 7 References: 36 Received: February 2013 Accepted: December 2013 Published: June 2014 Corresponding author: Dr Magdalena Rokicka-Hebel Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport in Gdansk Dep. of Recreational Sports Kazimierza Gorskiego St. 1, 80-336 Gdansk E-mail: mrokickahebel@awf.gda.pl; phone: +4858 5547308 M. Rokicka-Hebel, Corrective gymnastics and motor skills of fiveand six-year-old children 115 Introduction The period of early childhood (till the 5 or 6 year of age) is characterised by the most dynamic pace of motor development and great mobility of a child. It is called “the golden motor period” or else “the first motor apogee”. Strong needs – “hunger for movement” and motor “wastefulness” are the features of a small child’s mobility. Considering motor fitness, a five-year-old child steps in the “perfect” pre-school age or golden age” of childhood [1, 2, 3]. We can draw from it practical conclusions: this moment should be utilised and not let escape. It is particularly important for pre-school educators and parents. In this period a child should be taught correctness of the performed movements and activities, should expand its interests by motor games and by proper equipment and proper organisation of activities. If this period is missed in a healthy child and if stimuli are not created for motor development – the child may become retarded in fitness development in general. A pre-school child may achieve a high level of motor fitness if it is not subject to systematic exercises proper for its development and corresponding to natural interests and needs of a child [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Children have an irresistible need of mobility, and everyday they express it in a way impossible to miss. Children associate physical activity with spontaneous, unrestricted movement, which may be changed at any time and adapted to own possibilities. It is a teacher’s task to direct this natural need for movement and to stimulate the child’s development. It should be stressed that motor activities correctly conducted in preschool have an immense influence on arising and forming interests of children in widely understood physical culture. “Movement for a child has an aim in itself; it is direct and unaffected, always soft somehow undefined” [7, p.178]. In this situation the teacher and her/his attitude towards physical activity is particularly important. Specialists’ research [2, 8, 9] indicated that in the pre-school period intensive development of physical fitness and mastering techniques of performed activities occur. Movements become more precise, economical and purposeful. A pre-schooler has abilities of precise performance of a movement. That is why this period should be used, among others, for creating proper body posture. It results from the examinations of sixand seven-year-old children conducted for years in the Centre of Health Promotion and Fitness of a Child in Gdansk that there are more and more children with excess fat tissue. Deviations in body built (within shoulder, hip girdle and big joints of upper and lower limbs) are noticed in 73%, and scoliosis of a light degree in 13% of children [10]. Body posture in a pre-schooler undergoes very quick changes. By properly conducted corrective gymnastics, a teacher may correct abnormalities that occur in the body posture. One of the main reasons for incorrect body formation is limiting children’s spontaneous activity. B. Woynarowska claims that during the period of early childhood, little spontaneity in physical activity of a child is a deviation from normal behaviour and it may be a sign of disturbances of his/her development and health, and limiting spontaneous physical activity can early and permanently stop the need for movement, disturb a child’s development and create risk for his/her life. Such limitations should be treated as a form of motor neglect of a child and in extreme cases of hurting him/her [11]. An appropriate level of physical activity in childhood and youth, and connected with it positive experience, create a chance for physical activity that will last for the whole life. The recommended level of physical activity for children and youth should take at least 60 min. daily of physical effort of moderate intensity. Activities directed at the development of motor apparatus (as the result of high physical effort) should be taken at least two days a week [12]. According to WHO recommendations, physical activity of children between the 5 and the 17 year of life should include at least 60 minutes of physical effort daily of average to high intensity. Most of these activities should have a character of aerobic efforts and include activities of maximum intensity, which should last up to 5 minutes, in order to maximise mobilization of the oxygen supply function. Efforts stimulating the development of stamina and muscle strength should appear at least three times a week [5, 13, 14]. An example of a daily “portion” of movement maybe activities during which warming up takes 2-3 minutes, moderate and intensive exercises – 14-15 minutes and at the end, cooling down of the organism – 2-3 minutes [15]. M. Rokicka-Hebel, Corrective gymnastics and motor skills of fiveand six-year-old children 116 It has been observed that intensified physical effort of a child takes place for at least 5-10 minutes in a run [16]; however, most children take up such effort very infrequently [17]. It results from the fact that a child’s activity seldom lasts longer than 5-10 minutes [18, 19], with an advantage of less than 5 minutes [20]. Research showed [21] that children of 6-10 years of age on average proved to be able to perform continuously physical effort lasting 20 seconds [22]. It is an essential indication for preschool teachers, since too long and too simple tasks make children bored easily, and too complicated and hard to complete tasks dishearten them. Demanding care and preciseness, corrective gymnastics, in spite of eliminating jumps, struggling, lifting heavy objects as well as an essential decrease in “administering” runs do not have to be boring. Corrective classes, next to its basic – therapeutic – task, should also educate, entertain and bring up [23]. Daily demand of children for physical activity to a certain degree could satisfy properly planned and conducted extra motor classes in preschools in a form of corrective gymnastics. The aim of the present research is to assess motor skills of children participating and not participating in extra motor classes on the example of corrective gymnastics. It seems to be natural that children who are subjected to a higher amount of exercises will be fitter than those who do not participate in additional motor classes. That is why it has been assumed that the children participating in additional motor classes conducted in preschool have greater motor skills than the children not participating in this kind of activities. This research problem will be solved when answers to the following questions will be given: 1. Is the level of motor skills in fiveand six-year-old children participating in corrective gymnastics classes higher than of the children who do not participate in this kind of classes? 2. Has there been an improvement in motor skills in fiveand six-year-olds after a year lasting participation in corrective gymnastics classes? Material and methods The study was realized in two stages. The first quantitative one, according to the scheme of survey research, within which the method of a diagnostic poll was applied used a questionnaire for preschool headmasters and concerned organization of preschool work and physical activity of preschool children. The research was conducted on a full sample of preschools and in preschool units in primary schools in Gdansk. Table 1. The number of returned questionnaires relating to the number of institutions in the area of Gdansk Type of establishment The total number of facilities Number of returned questionnaires filled by headmasters Public preschools 64 54 Nonpublic preschools 19 6 Units in primary schools 68 26

Corrective Gymnastics and Motor Skills of Five-and Six-Year-Old Children