Any teacher knows that attention span is related to academic achievement.  Now a researcher has identified a link between physical activity and attention span.

A recent study out of the University of Granada has linked participating in physical activity with longer attention spans. Better cognitive abilities such as time perception were also higher in physically active participants. It has been generally known that physical activity lends …

According to the Voice of America news, childhood obesity is effecting the courses taught in school and a new offering is play. In fact, one school in Vermont is devoting one third of the school day to active outdoor play.

The idea of having to teach kids how to play outside leaves Anita Caldwell, a teacher at Calvary Preschool in Pittsford, Vermont, dumbfounded.

"You just kind of take for granted that kids want to go outside and play but th…

Contributed by Andrea Bossenmeyer

Yet another research study is emerging showing that if you stick Dora or Shrek or any other popular cartoon character on the front of a box or a banana that is what the child will choose to eat. The study shows preschoolers will choose the higher-calorie, less healthful foods over more nutritious options.

"The bottom line is that when kids are presented with a choice of graham crackers, fruit snacks or carrot…

MODEL Health! Promoting Nutrition and Physical Activity in Children learning kit (the Kit) is a collection of supplementary lessons on nutrition and physical activity with an emphasis on role modeling. Intended as a teacher resource in the early childhood classroom, the Kit is most appropriate for use with children ages three to five. (Kit description).

This kit is available for free download and was developed by Maryland State Department of Edu…

I met Sharon Krull over 20 years ago. You may know her by her blog, "Sharin' with Sharron." She has a blog on movement, play and physical activity for children.

Today's blog activity is called, "Ducking out of Duck, Duck, Goose." It is a great activity to check out and she renames it, A Tisket, A Tasket, My Fruit & Veggie Basket

How to play:
1. Sit young children (players) in a circle.
2. One child is chosen to hol…

Children Learn to Play Peacefully



Peaceful Playgrounds Comprehensive Kit

Peaceful Playgrounds Physical Education (Fundamental)

Feeding and fitness for preschoolers

Harvard University researchers propose these guidelines for healthy preschoolers. Aimed at child-care centers, they also are good goals for parents.

• Two hours of daily physical activity, half in structured play and half in active free play

• No more than 30 minutes of sitting at a stretch

• Only 1 percent or fat-free milk for kids 2 and older

• No more than 6 ounces of 100 percent juice a day

• No sugar-sweetened…

More time on the playground.

Children who are enrolled in play-oriented preschools do not have a disadvantage. In fact, there were neither short-term nor long-term advantages of early academics versus play, and there were no distinguishable differences by first grade.

More on Preschools that emphasize play.



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The LEGO Children’s Fund will provide quarterly grants for programs, either in part or in total, with a special interest paid to collaborative efforts and in providing matching funds to leverage new dollars into the receiving organization. We will give priority consideration to programs that both meet our goals and are supported in volunteer time and effort by our employees.

The Foundation awards grants to qualified tax-exempt organizations (as d…

Stuart Brown has released an new book on play in which he identifies 10 reasons play is important. You can check out longer descriptions of all 10 reasons that play is important in either his book, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul or from an article in US News and World Report entitled, 10 Reasons Play Can Make You Healthy, Happy, and More Productive.

1. Play is good for the brain.
2. Play teaches th…

Have you ever wondered why children are beginning to spend less and less time outside?

An article in the NY Times suggests its the what they call, "the flip flop factor." Outdoor play at day care centers is often stifled because a child arrives wearing flip-flops or without a coat or because teachers don’t feel like going outside.

A study by Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center held focus groups with staff member…

A study released in the January/February Issue of Child Development found that preschoolers were mostly inactive at play. The study conducted by researchers from the University of South Carolina looked at 30 minutes of indoor and outdoor play viewing approximately 300,000 episodes. Overall the researchers determined that during the course of a typical day, 89 percent of children's activities were sedentary, 8 percent were lightly active an…

A new study out of the University of South Carolina found that 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds in preschool are anything but physically active, even during playtime outdoors.

Given recent findings and data on childhood obesity, the results should unsettle parents and health professionals. An estimated 60% of the nation's 3- to 5-year-olds who are not in kindergarten are enrolled in center-based preschools, and previous studies show more than one-qua…

Which is more important in preschool development, learning your ABC's or learning to play nice? It turns out both are equally important, according to a study in Head Start preschools in Pennsylvania.

Researchers found out that "both skills are intertwined according to Penn State University psychology professor Karen Bierman. Educators that focus on facts are missing the mark because play is the vehical that drives motivation for learn…

Getting preschool kids moving is simple. Give them a ball, hula hoop, or tricycle. The expensive play structures are not required when concerned about childhood obesity according to a surprised researcher. "We were surprised but encouraged to find that inexpensive equipment could add to kids' opportunities to be outside," says senior author Dianne Ward of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Public He…

A study by researchers from University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill School of Public Health found that children did more moderate and vigorous physical activity if the child-care center: had more portable play equipment, such as balls, jump ropes, hula hoops and riding toys; offered more opportunities for indoor and outdoor active play; and provided physical activity training and education for staff and students.

Contrary to popular belief, c…