Early Childhood Professionals' Perspectives: Physically Moving and Attending to Structured Tasks

Limited research is available on how physical movement affects attending behavior in preschool-aged children. The primary purpose of this case study was to identify how early childhood educational team members perceive the use of physical movement to increase attending behavior in structured activities within inclusive preschool classrooms in one Minnesota public school setting. A survey was electronically distributed to 22 early childhood professionals and 17 surveys were returned. Overall, the participants in this survey agreed that physical movement activities increases preschool-age children’s attending behavior in structured activities within an inclusive preschool classroom. Participants’ responses also indicated that they perceive improvements in preschoolers’ communication, cognitive, motor, and social skills when movement activities are combined with early childhood structured activities. As a result of this study, participants expressed their understanding of the importance physical movement has on young children’s overall learning and development