Research on the Construction of a Kindergarten Physical Education Game Curriculum System Based on “Three-Dimensional” Motor Skill Development ()
1. Introduction
The kindergarten stage is a critical period for physical and mental development. Sports games play an important role in promoting children’s physical, cognitive, and personality development. In recent years, with the continuous updating of early childhood education concepts, how to promote children’s comprehensive development through scientific and rational curriculum design has become a research hotspot. This study is based on the unique cultural background and sports traditions of the Lingnan area, with “three-dimensional” motor skill development at its core, to construct a set of kindergarten sports game curriculum systems with local characteristics. It aims to provide new ideas and practical paths for early childhood education.
2. Theoretical Foundations
2.1. Theory of Motor Skill Development
Motor skills are an important part of children’s physical and mental development. According to the theory of motor skill development, children’s motor abilities can be gradually enhanced through systematic training and game activities. Research shows that early childhood is a sensitive period for motor skill development. Diversified sports games can effectively promote the formation and consolidation of children’s motor skills. For example, studies have indicated that children begin to develop basic motor skills such as running, jumping, and throwing at the age of 3 - 4. The ages of 5 - 6 are key stages for the gradual proficiency and refinement of these skills. Targeted sports game design can help children better master these basic motor skills, laying the foundation for more complex sports activities and healthy living in the future.
2.2. Theory of Education as Life
Dewey proposed the concept of “education as life,” emphasizing that education should be closely integrated with children’s lives (Dewey, 2001). Kindergarten education should provide children with rich experiential opportunities, allowing them to learn and grow through games and life. For example, in kindergarten sports games, teachers can create situations related to children’s life experiences, such as simulating supermarket shopping or park visits. Children can engage in sports activities in these familiar contexts, better understand and master motor skills, and at the same time, develop their ability to solve practical problems.
2.3. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow believed that human needs are divided into physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs, from low to high. The spirit of bravery and fearlessness in challenges exhibited by children in games is a manifestation of their self-actualization needs. For example, when children climb tall sports equipment, they may feel afraid. However, with the encouragement of teachers and their own efforts, they can overcome their fears, complete the climbing task, and gain a sense of achievement and self-confidence, thus satisfying their self-actualization needs.
3. Curriculum Philosophy and Objectives
3.1. Curriculum Philosophy
This curriculum is centered on “enjoying sports”, “rich in experience”, and “brave in challenge”, emphasizing children’s subjectivity in sports games. Through diversified game activities, it promotes the comprehensive development of children’s physical, cognitive, and personality aspects.
3.2. Curriculum Objectives
3.2.1 General Objective
To construct a kindergarten-based rural sports game curriculum with Lingnan characteristics based on “three-dimensional” motor skill development, promoting children’s “enjoying sports”, “rich in experience”, and “brave in challenge”. This aims to drive the coordinated and healthy development of children’s physical, cognitive, and personality aspects.
3.2.2. Specific Objectives
Motor Ability: Promote “three-dimensional” motor skill development, learn self-protection in sports, and enhance abilities such as speed, strength, endurance, agility, coordination, flexibility, and balance. For example, by designing diversified jumping games, such as single-foot jumps, double-foot jumps, and cross jumps, children’s leg strength and jumping abilities can be gradually improved. Balance games like balance beams and narrow bridges can enhance children’s balance and body control abilities.
Physical and Mental Health: Master knowledge and skills related to sports, promote healthy development in physical, psychological, and social aspects, and strengthen physical fitness and functions. For example, integrating health know-ledge into sports games, such as warm-ups before sports and relaxation after sports, allows children to understand correct sports methods and health care knowledge. At the same time, through cooperative games, children’s team spirit and social skills can be cultivated, promoting their social development.
Sports Morality: Cultivate good qualities such as unity and cooperation, rule-following, hard work, and bravery in challenges. For example, setting clear rules in sports games and requiring children to follow them, and through group cooperation to complete tasks, children can experience the importance of teamwork. At the same time, encouraging children not to give up easily when facing difficulties and challenges, and to be brave in trying, can cultivate their tenacious willpower.
Home-Kindergarten Cooperation: Build a healthy education community through home-kindergarten cooperation, change parents’ educational concepts, and promote teachers’ professional development. For example, by holding parent schools and parent-child sports activities, scientific early childhood sports education concepts and methods can be promoted to parents, guiding them to actively participate in children’s sports games and forming a good atmosphere of home-kindergarten cooperation. At the same time, providing professional training and research opportunities for teachers can improve their professional literacy and teaching abilities in early childhood sports education.
4. Curriculum Content and Characteristics
4.1 Curriculum Content
4.1.1. Basic Courses
Basic Movement Games: Including basic movements such as walking, running, jumping, throwing, climbing, crawling, and drilling. Through situational activity design, children’s interest in participation is stimulated (Liu, 2020). For example, designing a game called “Little Rabbit Picking Mushrooms,” children imitate the jumping movements of rabbits to exercise their jumping abilities. Or creating a situation of “Little Navy Breaking Through,” children complete tasks through crawling, drilling, and climbing movements, improving their body coordination and flexibility.
Regional Sports Games: Based on the activity skills and material requirements of children of different age groups, regions are reasonably arranged, and effective materials and equipment are provided for children to freely choose game projects. For example, in the outdoor area of the kindergarten, a vehicle area is set up, providing various small toy vehicles for children to practice pushing, pulling, and riding movements, developing the strength and coordination of large muscle groups. A field combat area is set up, with soft throwing equipment and targets, allowing children to engage in throwing games to improve their hand-eye coordination and upper limb strength.
Folk Sports Games: Folk sports games are sorted, adapted, and innovatively applied to explore their educational value. For example, the traditional “rope skipping” game is adapted into various forms such as single-person skipping, double-person skipping, and group skipping, increasing the fun and challenge of the game. Or the game of “Eagle Catching Chicks” is innovated, allowing children to play different roles such as the eagle, mother hen, and chicks. Through running and dodging movements, children’s reaction and running abilities are exercised, and at the same time, their role awareness and team spirit are cultivated (Huang, 2023).
4.1.2. Special Courses
Weightlifting (Weight-Bearing) Games: Combined with the cultural characteristics of Shilong Town as the “hometown of weightlifting,” a series of weightlifting (weight-bearing) game courses suitable for children are created. For example, designing a game called “Little Strongman,” children use light soft dumbbells, sandbags, and other equipment for weight-bearing exercises, such as lifting dumbbells and carrying sandbags, to exercise their upper limb strength and body stability. Or creating a situation of “weightlifting competition,” children are divided into groups to challenge weight-bearing tasks, cultivating their competitive awareness and spirit of bravery in challenges, and at the same time, allowing children to feel the charm of local sports culture.
4.2 Curriculum Characteristics
Based on children’s Developmental Patterns: The curriculum design fully considers the developmental characteristics of children, following the principle of progressing from easy to difficult and step by step. For example, for younger children, mainly simple basic movement games such as slow walking and jumping on the spot are conducted. As children grow older and their motor abilities improve, the difficulty and complexity of the games gradually increase. Middle-class children can engage in games such as single-foot jumping and crossing obstacles, while older children can attempt more complex movement combinations and team cooperation games, such as relay races and cooperative construction. This ensures that the curriculum content is adapted to the developmental level of children and promotes the gradual improvement of their motor abilities (Feng, 2024).
Incorporating Local Cultural Characteristics: The sports culture traditions of the Lingnan area, especially Shilong Town, are integrated into the curriculum to form a kindergarten-based curriculum with local characteristics. For example, in the weightlifting (weight-bearing) game courses, the history of weightlifting and stories of famous weightlifters from Shilong Town are introduced to children, allowing them to understand the local sports culture. At the same time, elements of Lingnan folk sports games, such as lion dancing and dragon dancing, are incorporated into sports games, allowing children to feel the unique charm of local culture and enhance their sense of identity and pride in their hometown while playing games.
Emphasizing Home-Kindergarten Cooperation: Through home-kindergarten cooperation, a healthy education community is built to promote the comprehensive development of children. For example, the kindergarten regularly organizes parent-child sports activities, such as parent-child fun sports meetings and family outdoor hiking, allowing parents and children to participate in sports games together, enhancing parent-child relationships, and at the same time, enabling parents to better understand children’s performance and development in sports games. In addition, through parent WeChat groups and home-kindergarten contact books, children’s sports activities in the kindergarten are fed back to parents, guiding them to conduct suitable sports games at home and forming a combined force of home-kindergarten cooperation to jointly promote children’s healthy growth.
5. Curriculum Organization and Implementation
5.1. Curriculum Organization Structure
Collective Sports Games: Collective sports games, including basic movement games, regional sports games, and folk sports games, form the basic curriculum. For example, 2 - 3 collective sports game activities are arranged weekly, each lasting 30 - 40 minutes, organized and guided by teachers to ensure that every child can participate in the games. At the same time, through collective games, children’s collective consciousness and team spirit are cultivated.
Special Courses: Weightlifting (weight-bearing) games form the core of the Lingnan-characteristic rural sports game curriculum. For example, 1 - 2 weightlifting (weight-bearing) game activities are arranged monthly, each lasting 20 - 30 minutes. Combined with children’s age characteristics and physical development, different weight-bearing game contents and intensities are designed to allow children to exercise their strength and endurance while experiencing the local characteristic sports culture.
5.2. Curriculum Implementation Path
5.2.1. Child-Centered
The curriculum emphasizes children’s subjectivity, promoting their comprehensive and harmonious development. For example, in sports game activities, teachers should fully respect children’s interests and choices, encouraging them to explore and try different game methods independently, rather than strictly following the teacher’s preset plan. At the same time, individual differences among children should be paid attention to, and personalized guidance and support should be provided according to their different developmental levels and needs, so that each child can gain a sense of success and satisfaction in the game activities.
1) Three Dimensions: The objectives of children’s sports game activities are based on three dimensions: cognition, skills, and emotions.
Cognitive Objectives: Younger children should initially grasp the rules and requirements of sports games, avoid dangerous actions, and not interfere with others’ activities. Middle-class children should be able to follow the rules and requirements of sports games, have a certain collective consciousness, be able to solve simple problems, and play games with peers cooperatively. Older children should be able to follow the rules and requirements of sports games, have a strong collective concept, be able to independently solve some problems, and play games with peers in a coordinated manner. For example, in the “musical chairs” game, younger children only need to understand the basic game rules, such as quickly finding a chair to sit on when the music stops. Middle-class children need to learn to cooperate with peers during the game, such as reminding and yielding to each other. Older children can try to set game rules or solve contradictions and problems that arise during the game, such as how to fairly allocate chairs when there are not enough.
2) Skill Objectives: Younger children should know the terminology of basic movements, initially master the basic movements of their age group, have certain balance, agility, and coordination in sports games, and have a certain awareness of self-protection under the reminder of adults or peers. Middle-class children should initially master the basic movements and movement skills of their age group, improve balance, agility, coordination, strength, and endurance in sports games, and initially learn self-protection in sports games. Older children should be proficient in the basic movements of their age group, be able to perform some simple combined movements, improve balance, agility, coordination, strength, and endurance in sports games, and initially have the ability to actively avoid risks in sports games. For example, in the development of jumping skills, younger children can first practice jumping on the spot with both feet, gradually transitioning to jumping forward. Middle-class children can try more challenging jumping methods such as single-foot jumping and cross jumping, and pay attention to maintaining body balance and safety during the jumping process. Older children can perform more complex jumping combined movements such as continuous jumping and jumping over obstacles, improving the flexibility, coordination, and strength of jumping.
3) Emotional Objectives: Younger children should be willing and happy to participate in basic movement sports games such as walking, running, jumping, drilling, and crawling, feel the joy brought by sports, initially experience the fun of playing games with others, and show a strong interest in cooperative games. Middle-class children should like and actively participate in basic movement sports games, experience the happiness brought by games, show interest in learning sports games, and initially feel the frustration of failure and the tension of challenging difficulties in sports games. Older children should love and actively participate in basic movement sports games, initially form good sports habits, experience the tension in sports game competition, and feel the sense of success and frustration of competition failure. For example, in the “tug of war” game, younger children may simply enjoy the fun of pulling the rope with peers and feel the pleasant emotions brought by the game. Middle-class children will pay certain attention to the outcome of the game, experience the joy of victory and the regret of failure in the game, and at the same time, stimulate their interest and desire to learn the game. Older children will be more actively involved in the tug of war game, have a certain competitive consciousness and team spirit, and be able to correctly view the results of the game, cultivating good sports morality and psychological quality from it.
5.2.2. Nine Steps
The nine steps for designing sports game case studies include design intention, activity objectives, activity content, activity preparation, activity process, case description, case analysis, case countermeasures and reflections, and educational points. For example, when designing the “Little Bowling” game case, the design intention should first be clarified, that is, to exercise children’s hand-eye coordination and strength control abilities through bowling games. Then determine the activity objectives, such as enabling children to master the basic throwing methods of bowling, improving upper limb strength and accuracy, etc. Plan the activity content, including warm-up exercises, bowling throwing practice, game competitions, and other links. Prepare the equipment and venue needed for the activity, such as bowling balls, bowling pins, venue markings, etc. During the activity process, teachers guide children to gradually master the game methods and skills through demonstration, explanation, and guidance. Finally, in the case description, analysis, and reflection sections, the children’s performance in the game is recorded and summarized, the problems and deficiencies in the game are analyzed, and corresponding improvement measures and educational points are proposed, such as cultivating children’s competitive consciousness, rule consciousness, and patience, and other qualities.
6. Curriculum Evaluation
6.1. Quantitative Evaluation
6.1.1. “Three-Dimensional” Motor Skill Development Test
The Three-Dimensional Motor Skill Development Indicator Test and Evaluation Standards for Young Children are used to conduct pre-tests and post-tests on children’s balance ability, agility and coordination, and strength and endurance, forming a “three-dimensional” motor skill development database (Zhuang, 2018). For example, in the balance ability test, test items such as walking on a balance beam and standing on one foot can be used to test children before and after the implementation of the curriculum. The time and stability of children completing the test items are recorded. Through comparative analysis, the development of children’s balance ability is understood. In the agility and coordination test, obstacle navigation and alternating hand ball bouncing can be set to test children’s reaction speed, body coordination, and flexibility during movement. In the strength and endurance test, items such as standing long jump and sit-ups can be used to assess children’s muscle strength and endurance levels. Through quantitative analysis of these data, the promoting effect of the curriculum on children’s “three-dimensional” motor skill development is objectively evaluated.
6.1.2. Mental Health Observation Records
Children’s attention, frustration tolerance, social behavior, and emotional expressions are evaluated through observing their behavior in game activities. For example, during sports games, observe whether children can concentrate on following the teacher’s instructions and game rules, whether they can maintain a positive attitude when encountering difficulties or setbacks, continue to try and participate in the game, and children’s social behavior in the game, such as whether they actively cooperate with peers, share, and communicate. Teachers can develop a special observation record form to record in detail each child’s psychological behavior in the game, regularly analyze and summarize it, so as to timely discover problems in children’s mental health and take corresponding educational measures for guidance and intervention (Chen, 2009).
6.2 Qualitative Evaluation
6.2.1. Children’s Behavior Observation Records
Through case descriptions and learning stories, children’s behavior in sports games is recorded to provide a detailed portrait of “three-dimensional” motor skill development. For example, record the learning process of children in the “rope skipping” game, from initially not knowing how to hold and swing the rope to gradually mastering the basic movements of rope skipping and being able to skip rope continuously multiple times. The children’s movement performance, difficulties encountered, and the process of overcoming difficulties at each stage are described in detail. The whole process of children’s “three-dimensional” motor skill development is vividly presented in the form of lively and vivid learning stories, providing a basis for teachers to understand individual differences among children and provide personalized educational support.
6.2.2. Parental Evaluation
Through parent questionnaires, parent-child sports games, parent meetings, and other forms, the parents’ recognition of the curriculum and children’s performance at home are understood. For example, in the parent questionnaire, set questions about the frequency, interest, motor skill development, and psychological quality changes of children’s participation in sports games. Parents fill in and feedback according to the actual situation of children at home. In parent-child sports games, observe the interaction between parents and children to understand parents’ attention to and participation in children’s sports education. At parent meetings, communicate with parents about children’s performance and progress in sports games in the kindergarten, and listen to parents’ opinions and suggestions on the curriculum. Jointly explore methods and ways to promote children’s physical and mental development. Through these parental evaluation methods, the implementation effect of the curriculum and children’s development status can be comprehensively understood from the family perspective, and at the same time, the closeness and targeting of home-kindergarten cooperation are enhanced.
6.2.3. Teacher Evaluation
Through expert on-site guidance, high-quality class competitions, and inter-kindergarten teaching and research, teachers’ educational and teaching abilities are enhanced. They include, for example, inviting experts in early childhood sports education to the kindergarten to provide on-site guidance and evaluation of teachers’ sports game teaching activities; Pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of teachers in the teaching process and give specific suggestions for improvement; Regularly holding high-quality class competitions to organize teachers to showcase their sports game teaching achievements; Evaluating and scoring the teaching teachers from multiple aspects such as activity objective design, activity content organization, activity process control, teachers’ teaching literacy, and children’s learning effects; Encouraging teachers to continuously improve and innovate teaching methods and improve teaching quality; Conducting inter-kindergarten teaching and research activities, and jointly discussing and exchanging around the theme of early childhood sports game curriculum with teachers from surrounding kindergartens; Sharing experiences and practices, and jointly solving problems encountered in the implementation of the curriculum. Through mutual learning and drawing on each other’s strengths, teachers’ professional literacy and educational and teaching abilities are improved.
7. Conclusion and Recommendations
7.1 Conclusion
The kindergarten sports game curriculum system based on “three-dimensional” motor skill development constructed in this study has significant effects on promoting children’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. It can effectively enhance children’s “three-dimensional” motor skills, improve their mental health and social skills, and at the same time, strengthen the closeness of home-kindergarten cooperation and teachers’ professional literacy, providing strong support for children’s comprehensive development. The curriculum system fully combines the cultural characteristics of the Lingnan area and the actual needs of early childhood education, with high scientificity, practicality, and promotional value. It provides an innovative educational model and practical path for the field of early childhood sports education.
7.2. Recommendations
7.2.1. Further Improve Curriculum Content
In the future implementation of the curriculum, the content should be continuously enriched and updated according to children’s developmental characteristics and interests, adding more sports games with fun, challenge, and educational value. At the same time, the curriculum content should be further integrated and optimized to make it more systematic and coherent, better meeting the developmental goals and needs of children at different age stages. For example, sports games can be designed according to seasonal changes and festival themes, such as kite flying competitions in spring, water games in summer, outdoor field games in autumn, and indoor aerobics in winter. Children can experience the fun of sports games in different contexts and seasons, promoting the comprehensive development of their motor skills.
7.2.2. Strengthen Teacher Training and Support
Kindergarten should continue to carry out teacher training activities in early childhood sports education so as to improve teachers’ understanding and application of the “three-dimensional” motor skill development theory and enhance their professional literacy in curriculum design, teaching implementation, and evaluation feedback. At the same time, kindergarten could provide teachers with more opportunities for practical exchanges and experience sharing, encourage cooperation and innovation among teachers, and jointly explore suitable sports game teaching methods and strategies for children’s development (Liu, 2004). For example, kindergarten could regularly organize regional early childhood sports education seminars, invite experts and outstanding teachers to give special lectures and case analyses, and display advanced teaching achievements and practices. They establish an online learning platform for teachers to provide rich teaching resources and training courses, facilitating teachers’ learning and improvement anytime and anywhere, and continuously promoting teachers’ professional growth and curriculum quality improvement.
7.2.3. Deepen Home-Kindergarten Cooperation
Kindergarten would further strengthen the depth and breadth of home-kindergarten cooperation. Through various channels and methods, kindergarten could guide parents to actively participate in children’s sports games and improve their attention to and participation in early childhood sports education. For example, kindergartens can regularly hold parent sports training lectures to impart scientific knowledge and methods of early childhood sports education to parents, helping them establish correct educational concepts. Conduct family sports game competitions and parent-child outdoor expansion activities to enhance parent-child relationships and cultivate children’s interest and habits in sports while parents and children participate in sports activities together. They establish a home-kindergarten sports education communication platform, such as parent WeChat groups and sports education-themed public accounts, to timely feedback children’s performance and development in sports games in the kindergarten. It is also convenient for parents to consult and feedback children’s related situations at home, realizing information sharing and collaborative education between home and kindergarten.
7.2.4. Expand Curriculum Resources and Cooperation
Kindergartens should actively expand the resources and cooperation channels for sports game curricula. Kindergarten could make full use of surrounding resources such as communities, schools, and sports institutions to provide children with richer and more diverse sports activity opportunities and environments. For example, kindergarten would cooperate with communities to jointly build outdoor sports venues and facilities, such as community sports parks and fitness paths, and regularly organize children to participate in community sports activities to expand their sports space and social scope. And they could establish cooperative relationships with school sports departments or professional sports training institutions, invite professionals to guide children’s sports game activities in the kindergarten or provide professional training and guidance for teachers to improve the professional level of kindergarten sports education, and carry out inter-kindergarten sports game exchange activities to share curriculum resources and teaching experiences, jointly promote the development and innovation of early childhood sports education, and create a higher-quality sports education environment for children.
7.2.5. Conduct Long-Term Tracking Research
To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the long-term impact of the kindergarten sports game curriculum system based on “three-dimensional” motor skill development on children’s development, it is recommended to conduct long-term tracking research. Children participating in the curriculum experiment can be selected as research subjects. Kindergarten could continue to track and observe their development in physical fitness, sports abilities, psychological qualities, and learning adaptability in subsequent educational stages (such as primary school stage) to assess the long-term effects and sustainable impact of the curriculum. Long-term tracking research can provide more sufficient basis for further optimization and improvement of the curriculum. It also provides beneficial references and guidance for the transition and connection of early childhood education, ensuring that children receive coherent and systematic sports education in each educational stage and laying a solid foundation for their lifelong development.
In summary, the kindergarten sports game curriculum system based on “three-dimensional” motor skill development is an innovative and valuable research achievement. It is expected to have a more positive and far-reaching impact on the field of early childhood sports education through further improvement, promotion, and application, promoting the physical and mental health and comprehensive development of a large number of children.
Funding
This paper is a stage research outcome of the general topic “Development of Local Curriculum for Three-Dimensional Motor Skills of Young Children and Its Implementation” within the Fifth Batch of Sports and Health Special Topic of the Chinese Education Association (No. 19TY1931043ZB).