Key Takeaways
- Physical development in early childhood supports more than just movement; it also impacts your child’s health, confidence, and learning.
- Motor skills lay the groundwork for school readiness, including focus, writing, and classroom behaviour.
- Activities like toddler gymnastics build strength, coordination, and emotional resilience in young children.
Physical development in early childhood begins long before children even start walking. The first time a baby lifts their head, reaches for a toy, or rolls over, their body is already learning how to control movement. These early actions may seem simple, but they play a critical role in preparing children for more complex physical activities such as crawling, climbing, running, and eventually participating in sports or structured movement programmes.
In Singapore, where many young children are enrolled in preschools and enrichment centres, it is just as important to ensure that they have many opportunities to develop physical skills. With the rising focus on holistic development, parents are encouraged to look beyond academics and recognise how movement contributes to emotional, social, and cognitive growth. Here are a few reasons on why physical development in early childhood matters.
1. Builds Strong Bodies and Healthy Habits
In the first few years of life, children’s muscles, bones, and coordination systems develop rapidly. Encouraging regular physical activity strengthens these systems and helps children grow into healthy, active individuals. Moving, climbing, balancing, and jumping support posture, flexibility, and cardiovascular health. In warm climates like Singapore, it is also a good way to help young children burn energy safely indoors. Habits formed through movement-based play or toddler gymnastics improve physical development in early childhood, and are more likely to carry over into an active lifestyle later in life.
2. Lays the Foundation for School Readiness
Many skills needed for primary school are physical in nature. Sitting upright in a chair, holding a pencil, putting on shoes, or staying focused during lessons all require a certain level of motor control. These small, seemingly routine tasks are made possible through well-developed coordination and core strength. A child who struggles with balance or fine motor skills may also find it harder to keep up in class. In this way, physical development in early childhood directly supports school readiness, allowing children to engage more confidently and independently in a structured learning environment.
3. Develops Self-Regulation and Discipline
Movement-based activities are not just good for the body; they also support behaviour and discipline. In structured settings such as gymnastics for toddlers, children are taught how to take turns, follow rules, and stay on task. They begin to understand that instructions must be followed for safety and group cooperation. These small but meaningful experiences help them build patience, attention span, and emotional control—traits that benefit them both in and out of the classroom.
4. Enhances Sensory Integration
For children to move effectively, their brains must process information from multiple senses at once. When a child balances on a beam or hangs from monkey bars, they are practising sensory integration, which is the brain’s ability to interpret signals from the body and respond with the right movement. This is key to developing spatial awareness and smooth coordination. Without good sensory integration, children may appear clumsy, struggle to focus, or become easily overwhelmed by sensory input.
5. Promotes Resilience and a Growth Mindset
It is natural for young children to fall, stumble, or miss the mark when learning something new. However, each attempt helps them understand their own bodies better and builds resilience. Whether it is learning a forward roll in toddler gymnastics or balancing for the first time, children begin to see that improvement comes with effort. These small wins help shape a growth mindset, a belief that abilities can improve through practice and persistence. This mindset is valuable not only in physical challenges but in academics and life as a whole.
Physical development in early childhood is about far more than learning to walk or run. It is a critical part of a child’s overall growth, influencing how they learn, communicate, and relate to others. Strong physical foundations help children become more confident, more focused, and more ready for school and life.
At BearyFun Gym, we focus on creating safe, nurturing environments that support growth in young children through movement. Our gymnastics classes for toddlers are designed to develop strength, balance, and coordination in fun and engaging ways. Led by experienced coaches, our programmes also support emotional resilience, social skills, and a love for movement.
To learn more about our programmes and facilities, please contact us today.
