Course:KIN355/2020 Projects/Swaying
Defining the Concept and Its Importance
Fundamental movement or motor skills (FMS) are a specific set of skills that help children build a foundation for more complex or specialised movements using various body parts (such as feet, trunk, legs, and arm), that they will use throughout their lives (Kirchner & Fishburne, 1998). There are various categories classified under FMS, one of which are non-locomotor skills. These skills can be defined as bodily movements where one or more parts of the body maintain contact with the ground at all times and do not require the body to transport from one place to another (Kirchner & Fishburne, 1998). The bases of these movements are surrounded by the idea of maintaining a stable core support (Kirchner & Fishburne, 1998). Non-locomotor skills can be performed in various body positions such as while standing, sitting, kneeling, and can even be combined with other motor skills (such as locomotor or manipulative skills) (Kirchner & Fishburne, 1998). There are many different types of non-locomotor movements such as bending, bouncing, twisting, swaying, stretching, and shaking (Physical Education a Kindergarten Curriculum Guide, 2006).
Swaying, in particular, is a rocking motion produced by moving parts of the body back and forth in a sideways movement, while the body as a whole remains in a stationary position, either sitting or standing (Physical Education a Kindergarten Curriculum Guide, 2006). During swaying, it is important to keep the axis or base of support below the moving parts, which are usually the arms and/or the trunk of the body (Kovar et al., 2004, p. 56). This is an important fundamental movement skill for children to learn as a part of their childhood movement experiences because it has its own place in teaching them about their bodies in terms of basic movement and body awareness (Gabbard, 2011). Swaying also provides a strong understanding of the effects of gravity and how it not only plays a role in the environment around them, but also in relation to their own bodies, in terms of how each body part moves while others are able to remain stationary all within a single type of movement and skill (Gabbard, 2011). Not learning this skill during early childhood experiences can have dire consequences due to the fact that swaying provides a base for recreational physical activity and specialized sports or games (Kirchner & Fishburne, 1998), such as basketball (swaying back and forth as one dribbles a ball or tries to keep the ball out of reach from another player while standing in place), soccer (swaying when trying to fake a move), and tennis (when feet are stationary and one needs to sway their body in a left and right movement to hit the ball).
Stability skills, such as swaying, help provide motor skill proficiency in childhood that also translates over to adulthood (Rudd et al., 2015). These skills must be learned, and do not come naturally or automatically with maturation, they are a fundamental portion of physical literacy that requires practice to master (Rudd et al., 2015).
Role in Childhood Development and Contemporary Considerations
The fundamental motor skills that non-locomotor movements, such as swaying, provide are instrumental in the overall appropriate physical, cognitive, and social development of children (Kirchner & Fishburne, 1998). Learning the skill of swaying proficiently provides a strong base to learn future movements that may involve combinations of various fundamental motor skills, such as various specialized sports and games (Kirchner & Fishburne, 1998). This occurs due to the continual practice that a child does once a skill is learnt correctly; after which, in their early stages of life, a child will begin to refine and further develop the movement, which will eventually lead to combinations of specific and versatile activity through everyday life (Rudd et al., 2015).
Swaying should be introduced in the preschool and elementary years of a child’s life (between the age of two to five years) as this is the time when children should be building their ‘movement vocabulary’, including non-locomotor skills (Gehris et al., 2018). Children usually become confident or proficient in this skill by the time they reach the second grade which is about six to seven years of age (Physical Education a Kindergarten Curriculum Guide, 2006.). The role that swaying, as a stability skill, plays in the healthy development of children, is one that includes many crucial aspects of childhood movement experiences. Swaying introduces the understanding of being able to distinguish between body parts that allow for altering a child’s balance and giving them the ability to quickly, and accurately adjust to these changes with the correct or suitable counter movement, preventing them from toppling over (Rudd et al., 2015). In learning this skill, children acquire the fundamental cognitive understanding of the systems that surround postural control which are stability and orientation (Rudd et al., 2015). Postural stability refers to an individual maintaining a specific state of balance, whereas postural orientation is the ability to uphold a concrete relation between one’s body and the environment (Rudd et al., 2015). Both are crucial for a child as they build a concrete foundation which will translate over into their adulthood years. A lack of implementation of this non-locomotor skill during the crucial periods of a child’s preschool and elementary years, can result in a failure to obtain the developmental building blocks for an appropriately functioning motor domain (Gallahue, 1996). This often leads to the inability to combine the fundamental non-locomotor skills with other types of movement patterns such as locomotor or manipulative skills in adulthood (Gallahue, 1996).
The significant body movements that early educators and grassroots coaches should be looking for when teaching the fundamental motion of swaying to preschool and elementary school children are similar to that of swinging, which is also classified as non-locomotor skills (Gehris, 2018). Swaying occurs with a rocking motion produced by moving specific parts of the body in a back and forth movement (Physical Education a Kindergarten Curriculum Guide, 2006). The distinct difference between swaying and swinging is that during swaying, the axis of support (often the legs and or feet) must be kept below the moving parts (often the upper body including the trunk and arms), whereas during swinging, the axis of support is kept above the moving body parts (Kovar et al., 2004, p. 56). Swaying is a particularly useful skill to learn due to its promotion of agility and flexibility, which are beneficial since the percentage of body fat is decreasing and the amount of muscle mass is increasing in children entering their preschool and elementary years (Mandigo et al., 2010).
Early childhood educators, teachers, and grassroots coaches should try to implement individualized instructions for children, during initial introductions of non-locomotor movements, whenever possible (Mandigo et al., 2010). In doing so, they are able to overcome a challenging contemporary issue which is brought to light when a single set of instructions is provided to all children alike in a class room or team environment: when setting the same level of difficulty or standard of performance for every child, often times this may lead to an unsuccessful class or practice session due to anxiety, boredom, or disinterest from the children (Mandigo et al., 2010). By addressing this issue, it insures that each child can feel comfortable with the methods that suit the needs and abilities of their learning processes (Mandigo et al., 2010). Since non-locomotor skills are usually not as preferred by children as compared to locomotor skills, it is important that educators find a creative and engaging ways to introduce movements such as swaying (Kogan, 2004).
Practical Applications
As mentioned above, swaying proficiency provides a strong base for more developed movements involved various specialized sports and games. There are many activities that can be used to enhance motor development associated with swaying.
Activity 1:
Hula Hooping
The purpose of practicing hula hooping is to develop body awareness and learn body management through practice of swaying (of the trunk and hips back and forth/ left and right). This will help a child build a strong knowledge basis for concepts of human movement such as relationship awareness to objects; space awareness of directions, pathways, levels, self and general space; and effort awareness of flow time and force (Bredin, 2020).
The target age for this activity can start from 5 years old when a child has the schemas for understanding and developing coordination. The activity can continue on to progress in difficulty and complexity with mastery and development as a child gets older (Chen et al.,2019).
The apparatus you will need for this activity is a hula hoop that is your size. A way to correctly pick a hula hoop that is your size is to stand it on the floor against the front of your body and see if it aligns between your belly button area and your chest. For your selected environment, you can hula hoop anywhere you like as long as the ground is level and safe. Make sure you are in a place where you have enough space for the hoop to go all the way around your body without hitting anyone or anything (Mcgill et al.,2015).
Instructions (Varga, 2020):
1. Make sure you are in flexible and comforting clothing with athletic shoes.
2. Step inside the hoop. Pick up the hoop, keeping your hands shoulder-width apart.
3. Bring the hula hoop up to your waist level. Make sure the hoop is touching the small of your back and is parallel to the floor, so it goes around your body.
4. Step one foot in front of the other to gain balance.
5. Place your hands near your waist.
6. Give the hoop a great big push. If you're a righty, firmly spin the hoop counter-clockwise. If you're a lefty, spin it clockwise.
7. Gently sway front and back with the rhythm of the hoop to try and keep it up.
Modifications:
One modification you can try is instead of swaying back and forth, you can sway your hips from side to side to engage a different muscle group. As you get better at hooping, different styles of hooping can be adopted. You can learn hula hoop dancing and even incorporate hula hooping into gymnastics (Varga, 2020).
Activity 2:
Swaying Palm Tree Pose:
The purpose of this movement is to strengthen and develop the muscle groups used for the motion of swaying and to enhance the flexibility of the spine to allow better function and proficiency in motor control (Nanthakumar, 2018).
The target age for this yoga pose can begin as early as at age 3. However, yoga poses can be practiced by kids much younger at a lesser difficulty degree to develop the mobility needed for such movements. Likewise, yoga is beneficial for all age groups and should be practices by older kids even after the movement is mastered (Nanthakumar, 2018).
The apparatus you need for this movement activity is just your body. Make sure your environment is safe; you are on level ground and have enough space for you to move around.
Instructions (tripathi, 2010):
1. Make sure you are in flexible and comforting clothing with athletic shoes.
2. Stand with a straight back and feet shoulder width apart so that your hips are square. (do not go beyond shoulder width)
3. Interlock your fingers in front of you and slowly raise your hands up, bringing your palms above your head, touching your ears. Keep your arms straight, but do not stretch them (keep them loose).
4. Turn your interlocked palms so that they are facing the ceiling.
5. Throughout this motion, your legs and your hips will remain stationary. The only part of the body that will move is the area between your chest and your hips.
6. Slowly bend towards your left side, about at a 45 degree angle and feel the stretch on the right side of your body.
7. You may choose to remain in that position for a few seconds (1 or 2)
8. Sway to the right side without at about 45 degree in a single movement.
9. Continue this motion from left to right and right to left without pausing in the middle until you are calm and stretched out.
Modification:
This yoga pose can be decreased in intensity by bending less on each side for children who are younger or are not yet ready to practice the full movement. If more challenge is sought, you can always try to hold the pose on each side for a little bit longer or bend a little bit further on each sway (tripathi, 2010).
Summary
Swaying is a fundamental nonlocomotor skill that should be taught to children at a young age, as it is not automatically acquired. Swaying is a rocking motion that requires children to develop body awareness, by learning how to use their upper body, while balancing on a stable lower body. Swaying can be learned through instructional activities such as hula hooping and practicing the swaying palm tree yoga pose. It is imperative that children learn the skill of swaying at a young age, as it is a skill that is used in many sports, such as in basketball, soccer and tennis.
References
Bredin, S. S. D. (2020). Module Four: Developing Fundamentals of Movement. Canvas.
Chen, W., Yang, W., Liu, Y., Pan, W., & Liu, C. (2019). Effects of hula hooping and mini hooping on core muscle activation and hip movement. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part P, Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, 233(1), 110-115. Doi:10.1177/1754337118807821Gallahue, D. G. (1996). Developmental Physical Education for Today’s Children. Dubuque, IA: Brown and Benchmark.
Flexing your Spine with Swaying Palm Tree Pose. (2010). Youtube. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=htfjlejo-v4&t=138s.
Gabbard, C.P. (2011). Lifelong Motor Development (6th Ed). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Gehris, J., Simpson, A., Baert, H., Robinson, L., MacDonald, M., Clements, R., Logan, S., Schneider, S. (2018, August). RESOURCE TO SHARE WITH PARENTS:Helping Your Child Develop Physical Literacy. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.shapeamerica.org/uploads/pdfs/2018/publications/joperd/Helping-Your-Child-Develop-Physical-Literacy.pdf
Keep Up A Hula Hoop How To Hula Hoop For Total Beginners. (2020). Youtube. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=qdkk7rgmxrw.
Kirchner, G., & Fishburne, G. (1998). Physical Education for Elementary School Children (10th Ed.). Boston, Mass. WCB/McGraw Hill.
Kogan, S. (2004). Step by step: a complete movement education curriculum (2nd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Kovar, S. K., Combs, C. A., Campbell, K., Napper-Owen, G., & Worrell, V. J. (2004). Elementary classroom teachers as movement educators. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Mandigo, J., Francis, N., & Lodewyk, K. (2010). Physical Literacy Concept Paper: Ages 0 to 12 Years.
Mcgill, S. M., Cambridge, E. D. J., & Andersen, J. T. (2015). A six-week trial of hula hooping using a weighted hoop: Effects on skinfold, girths, weight, and torso muscle endurance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(5), 1279-1284. Doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000653
Ministry of Education, Province of British Columbia. (2006). Physical education k to 7: Integrated Resource Package 2006. Retrieved from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/physical_education/2006pek7.pdf
Nanthakumar, C. (2018). The benefits of yoga in children. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 16(1), 14-19. Doi:10.1016/j.joim.2017.12.008
Rudd, J., Barnett, L., Butson, M., Farrow, D., Berry, J., & Polman, R. (2015). Fundamental Movement Skills Are More than Run, Throw and Catch: The Role of Stability Skills. Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0140224