ABSTRACT

Evidence suggests that the first 10 or so years of life create the foundation for subsequent participation in recreational and health-related physical activity. This book brings together researchers and practitioners with expertise in issues related to physical activity, physical education, and sport during the primary/elementary phase of schooling, to explore these important issues.

Combining inter-disciplinary perspectives, the book addresses the inherent complexity of researching with young children. It looks at the evidence on development during the first 10 years and how that evidence relates to physical activity and to sport, in pre-school, school and out of school. Finally, the book offers a series of national case studies, from Asia, Europe and Africa, demonstrating the importance of age-appropriate sport and physical activity.

This is important reading for any student, researcher, educator or policy maker with an interest in physical activity and health, education in the early years or at primary/elementary level, paediatric exercise science, or youth sport.

part I|80 pages

Researching physical activity in the first ten years

chapter Chapter 1|11 pages

Researching children’s physical activity

The importance of theory for research methods

chapter Chapter 4|11 pages

Physical exercise and cognitive development

Influence of training modalities and characteristics

chapter Chapter 5|15 pages

Cognitive and motor performance

Shared processes during the first ten years of life

part IV|43 pages

Education

chapter Chapter 13|15 pages

The active school concept

chapter Chapter 15|10 pages

Physically active play in the early years