• Physical development is an important part of everyday life at Brookside. We want children to develop confidence in their bodies, enjoy being active and build the strength, coordination and physical skills they need for everyday life and future learning.

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• We have a dedicated Physical Development Lead who helps to champion physical development across the preschool, supporting the team to provide varied and meaningful opportunities for children to move, explore and develop their skills.

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• What does our Physical Development Lead do?

• Our Physical Development Lead helps us to:

• Promote the importance of physical activity and movement throughout the day.

• Provide opportunities that support both gross and fine motor development.

• Consider how our environment, routines and activities encourage children to be active.

• Support practitioners to recognise children's individual physical development needs and provide appropriate opportunities and challenge.

• Promote positive attitudes towards movement, activity and healthy lifestyles from an early age.

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• Physical development throughout the day

• At Brookside, physical development isn't limited to a particular activity or session. It is woven throughout our everyday provision.

• Our children have regular access to the outdoors, where they can run, climb, balance, negotiate different surfaces, explore the natural environment and challenge themselves physically. Our woodland and Forest School experiences provide further opportunities to develop strength, coordination, spatial awareness, resilience and confidence through real-life movement and exploration.

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• We also provide experiences such as:

• Dough Disco and fine motor activities – developing hand strength, coordination and dexterity to support children's growing independence and later writing skills.

• Core-strength and whole-body movement – opportunities to crawl, stretch, push, pull and move in different ways, helping children develop stability, balance and body awareness.

• Mindful movement – supporting flexibility, strength, body awareness and emotional wellbeing.

• Ballet – regular sessions led by our own ballet teacher, giving children opportunities to develop balance, coordination, rhythm, listening skills and confidence through music and movement.

• Physical challenges and obstacle courses – encouraging climbing, balancing, jumping, travelling in different ways and safely taking on physical challenges.

• Outdoor and Forest School experiences – using our natural surroundings to provide meaningful opportunities for movement, exploration and physical challenge.

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• Our aim is for children to experience movement as something enjoyable, purposeful and part of everyday life, helping them develop the foundations for healthy, active lives as they grow.