If you are reading this post you have either read Part 1 of this series or you have stumbled upon it accidentally. If you are a member of the latter group I encourage you to read Part 1 of this series to get a sense of the nature of the topic we’re discussing. If you are a member of the former then I’m so glad you’ve decided to hang with me on this PIE series and see what’s next. As you remember, the pie we’re talking about is not the dessert of choice by many of us but an acronym signified by P-practice, I-instruction, and E-encouragement. In this second post of the series the focus will be on the “I” of pie representing the importance of instruction.
One definition of instruction that fits this context is “imparting knowledge”. When there is knowledge imparted that usually means that there is someone who is doing the imparting (the teacher) and someone who is receiving the knowledge (the learner). Most of the time parents and family members are the teachers of their preschool-aged learners. Little kids don’t automatically know to say “please” and “thank you” without being instructed to do so. They often learn how to read by crawling up in the lap of Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, or Grandpa and having books read to them over and over. They rarely learn how to throw a ball correctly without their parents, big brother, or big sister showing them how.
The teacher (that’s you!) is extremely important in this preschooler learning equation. But to be an effective teacher a basic understanding of a few things is required. The teacher needs to understand the “what”, “how”, “when”, and “where” as they relate to teaching the young child movement skills that lead to sport skills.
“What to Teach”
If you are trying to teach a young child foundational movement skills then knowing some basic mechanics of the movement is important. For example, if you are trying to teach your preschooler how to hit a Nerf ball with a plastic bat, it helps if you know how the hands should grip the bat, the side-wards body position stance, and that the bat should swing parallel to the ground. Otherwise young children tend to face forward and swing at the ball like they’re chopping wood. I will be providing a description of the mechanics of a wide variety of movement/sport skills in future blog postings, so keep checking the preschoolathlete.com website regularly. Or better yet, sign up to become of member of the Preschool Athlete community and I’ll keep you posted anytime something new is added to the website.
“How to Teach”
Children learn how to perform a movement skill by receiving information from their senses. They use their eyes – they watch what you do when you demonstrate. They use their ears – they listen to instructions. They use their muscles and joints – when you move their bodies in certain positions there are signals sent from the muscles and joints to the brain to remember those positions. When you teach movement skills to your child you want to tap into all of the senses that can be used. When information from the senses travels to the brain it is tucked away and then reinforced with practice. Little by little that information becomes memories which are called upon the next time that skill is needed when your child is playing.
“When to Teach”
Recognizing when a young child is ready to receive instructions is very important. Developmentally most 1½ to 2 year old children aren’t at the point where they can learn any of the complexities of a sport-related skill. Even older preschoolers are not developmentally ready to perform some movement skills at a proficient level. In her book, Physical Education for Young Children, Rea Pica, an international leader in early childhood physical activity, comes right to the point and states:
“little ones can’t perform the same skills (as older children). And it’s not just a matter of practice; rather, there’s a whole lot happening on the inside developmentally that precludes young children from performing as we may expect them to. — Eye-hand and eye-foot coordination usually aren’t fully developed until the age of 9 or 10. How, then, is a child of four or five to successfully connect bat to ball, stick to puck, or foot moving soccer ball?”.
In future blog posts I’ll discuss a wide variety of factors that play a role in whether or not a young child is developmentally ready to handle complex movements. That doesn’t mean you should wait to play catch, run, jump, or kick a ball with your child until he is older. Exposing your child when she is very young to these activities is very important, but it’s equally important for you as a parent to keep your expectations in check. And if you are looking for some activity ideas make sure you take a look at some of the video clips provided at the Preschool Athlete website.
In my next post I’ll finish this series by discussing the “E” of PIE and give you some insight into providing the right kind of “encouragement” for your child. As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or comments at john@preschoolathlete.com. I welcome your feedback. Also, if you haven’t already done so please consider joining our community of parents and family members of preschoolers. By registering I’ll keep you updated of any new videos, blog posts, suggested resources, new sports, and other materials when they are added.
Parents and family members… God bless you in the challenging and rewarding experience of raising a young child.
The Preschool Athlete
Helping parents have a positive impact on their young child’s future athletic development
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