Physical development and wellbeing: why the body is the foundation of early learning

Physical development and wellbeing are the foundation of whole-child development: young children need plenty of daily movement, enough sleep, good nutrition and time outdoors, and the World Health Organization recommends that children aged three to four spend at least 180 minutes a day in physical activity, including at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous play, with sedentary screen time of no more than one hour. A preschool that protects these basics is supporting language, emotion and thinking as much as it supports the body.

Vietnam's national preschool programme treats physical development as one of its five areas, and the Global Nexus framework builds on it, linking movement and health to independence and life skills. This article explains why the body matters so much for early learning, summarises the WHO guidance, and looks at how a preschool day in a hot, dense city such as Ho Chi Minh City can give children what their bodies need.

Why the body comes first

For young children, learning is physical. Babies explore by mouthing, grasping and moving. Toddlers learn about space, distance and cause and effect by climbing, pushing, dropping and running. Preschoolers develop concepts such as over, under, heavy, light, fast and slow largely through their bodies before they can express them in words. Movement is not a break from learning; for children under six, it is one of its main channels.

Physical development also supports the other dimensions. Gross-motor confidence lets children join active play with peers, which builds friendships and social skills. Fine-motor control underpins self-care, drawing and later writing. Regular physical activity is associated with better sleep, mood and attention. Children who are tired, hungry or unwell struggle in every area of development, which is why health and nutrition are part of early childhood education rather than separate from it.

There is also an emotional side. Children gain a sense of competence when they learn to climb a little higher or balance a little longer. Rough-and-tumble play, when supervised well, helps children learn about strength, limits and reading others' signals. Movement can also be a way of releasing stress and regulating emotions, which teachers can use deliberately during difficult moments of the day.

The WHO 24-hour guidelines for children under five

In 2019 the World Health Organization published guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under five. They treat the whole day as one picture, because time spent in one activity is time not spent in another. The table summarises the main recommendations.

The guidelines also encourage reading and storytelling with a caregiver when children are sedentary. For a preschool where many children spend most of their waking day, these numbers are a practical planning tool: if children are at school for a long day, a large share of their daily movement and their nap happens on site, and the timetable should reflect that.

Gross-motor and fine-motor development in practice

Gross-motor skills. These involve large muscle groups: crawling, walking, running, jumping, climbing, throwing, catching, balancing and pedalling. They develop through repeated, varied practice, ideally outdoors with space to move freely and equipment that offers graded challenge, such as low beams, ramps, steps, tunnels and balls of different sizes.

Fine-motor skills. These involve small muscles in the hands and fingers: grasping, pinching, pouring, threading, cutting, drawing and buttoning. They grow through everyday activities such as self-feeding, play dough, sand, water, building with small blocks and art. Strong hands and shoulders, developed through gross-motor play, support fine-motor control too.

Body awareness and coordination. Children learn where their body is in space and how to coordinate both sides of the body through activities like crawling through tunnels, dancing, carrying objects and climbing. These skills support safety, confidence and later tasks such as writing.

Risk and challenge. Children need opportunities to take manageable risks, such as climbing a little higher or jumping from a low platform. Research on outdoor play suggests that over-protective environments may limit children's ability to judge risk. The task for adults is to remove serious hazards while allowing challenge.

Different needs from six months to six years

A preschool serving children from about six months to six years, as Global Nexus programmes do, is really several physical environments under one roof. Infants need safe floor space where they can roll, crawl and pull themselves up, with time out of bouncers, seats and cots. Holding a baby is valuable, but so is time on a clean mat with interesting objects just out of reach. The WHO emphasis on tummy time and on not restraining infants for long periods translates directly into how a baby room is furnished.

Toddlers are driven to move almost constantly. They need low climbing structures, push-and-pull toys, steps and ramps, and plenty of space to walk and run, along with patient adults who understand that a toddler who cannot sit still in a group is behaving normally. Their fine-motor work happens in self-feeding, filling and emptying containers and early mark-making.

Older preschoolers seek more challenge: running games, balancing, riding, ball skills, climbing higher and cooperative games with rules. Their fine-motor skills are ready for scissors, more controlled drawing, threading and construction with smaller pieces. Mixed-age moments, such as shared outdoor time, can work well if equipment and supervision allow younger children to play safely alongside older ones. Planning for each group separately, rather than offering one programme to all, is part of respecting each child's pace.

Outdoor play in a hot, dense city

Ho Chi Minh City poses real challenges for outdoor play. The tropical climate brings intense heat for much of the year and heavy rain in the wet season. Many families live in apartments or narrow houses with little outdoor space, and traffic makes streets unsafe for play. As a result, preschool may be the main place where children can run, climb and explore nature.

Schools can respond in practical ways. Outdoor time can be scheduled in the cooler parts of the day, early morning and late afternoon, with shade from trees, canopies or covered areas. Children need water readily available, hats and light clothing. During heavy rain, covered outdoor areas or larger indoor spaces can allow active play to continue, and many children enjoy supervised play in light rain when it is safe.

Gardens are particularly valuable. Even a small garden lets children dig, plant, water and observe insects and plants, which combines physical activity with science and care for living things. In the Global Nexus framework, nature is described as an open classroom, and the garden is a place where physical, cognitive and emotional learning meet. Schools should also follow health guidance on air quality and limit vigorous outdoor activity on days when pollution is high.

Sleep and rest at preschool

Sleep plays a central role in early development, supporting memory, learning, emotional regulation, growth and immune function. Young children who do not get enough sleep tend to be more irritable, have more difficulty with attention and self-control and may be more prone to accidents.

In Vietnamese preschools, a midday rest after lunch is a long-standing part of the day, which fits well with children's needs. A good rest period has a calm, consistent routine: a quiet transition after lunch, dimmed lights, comfortable mats or beds, a soft story or song and adults who stay calm and present. Children who do not sleep can rest quietly with books, so they still recover without disturbing others.

Teachers can share information with families about sleep at school and ask about sleep at home, since late bedtimes and screens before sleep are common challenges. Children who are regularly very tired may need a conversation about bedtime routines. Teachers should avoid judgement; families face real constraints, such as long working hours and long commutes, and practical, respectful suggestions are more useful than lectures.

Rest time also needs flexibility for the youngest children. Infants follow their own sleep rhythms and should be allowed to sleep when tired rather than only at a fixed hour, with safe-sleep practices followed every time. As children approach primary school age, some families ask schools to drop the nap entirely; a quiet rest period still benefits most children, even when they do not fall asleep.

Nutrition, hygiene and health routines

Physical wellbeing also depends on daily routines that preschools manage alongside families. Each is an opportunity for learning as well as care.

• Balanced meals and snacks: varied foods prepared safely, attention to allergies and dietary needs, and enough time to eat without pressure. Shared meals teach social skills, independence and curiosity about food.
• Water: easy access to drinking water throughout the day, especially in hot weather, with children encouraged to drink regularly.
• Handwashing: regular handwashing before meals, after toileting and after outdoor play, taught as a routine children can manage themselves.
• Oral health: some preschools include toothbrushing after meals; at minimum, teachers can talk with families about healthy teeth and limiting sugary drinks.
• Illness policies: clear guidance on when children should stay home, how illness is managed at school and how families are informed.
• Health checks and records: regular health monitoring in line with local regulations, carried out respectfully and shared with families.

Health routines work best when they are explained to children in simple terms and practised daily, so children understand why they matter and gradually take responsibility for them. Under the Global Nexus framework, these routines feed into the independence and life-skills dimensions as well as physical development.

Planning movement into every part of the day

It is easy for physical activity to be confined to a single outdoor session. A whole-child approach spreads it through the day. Morning circle can begin with a movement song. Transitions can involve hopping, tiptoeing or moving like animals. Learning activities can include movement: counting jumps, acting out stories, building with large blocks or measuring objects by pacing them out.

Indoor environments can support movement too, with space for dancing, climbing structures where safe, and open floor areas for building and active games. Long periods of sitting, such as extended group lessons or waiting in lines, should be avoided, because they are hard for young children and reduce their opportunity to move.

For school leaders, physical development involves decisions about space, equipment, schedules and staffing. Outdoor areas need shade, safe surfaces and varied equipment. Schedules need protected time for active play at cooler times of day. Staff need training in supporting physical development, supervising risky play and managing health routines. These investments support every other dimension of development.

Câu hỏi thường gặp

How much physical activity do preschool children need?

The World Health Organization recommends that children aged three to four spend at least 180 minutes a day in physical activity of various kinds, including at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity. For one- and two-year-olds, the recommendation is at least 180 minutes of activity of any intensity spread through the day.

Should preschoolers have screen time at school?

The WHO recommends no more than one hour of sedentary screen time a day for children aged two to four, and less is better. Since children may also use screens at home, many early years specialists suggest that preschools keep screen use minimal and focused on purposeful, shared activities.

Is it safe for children to play outside in hot weather?

Yes, with precautions: schedule outdoor play in cooler parts of the day, provide shade, water, hats and light clothing, and watch for signs of overheating. On extremely hot days or when air quality is poor, adjust activities. Regular outdoor play remains important for physical and emotional development.

What if a child does not sleep during rest time?

Not every child needs a nap, especially older preschoolers. Children who do not sleep can rest quietly with books or calm activities, which still helps them recover. Teachers can share patterns with families and adjust expectations to the child's age and needs.

How do physical skills relate to learning to write?

Writing depends on fine-motor control, which builds on strength and stability in the shoulders, arms and hands developed through active play. Climbing, digging, playing with dough and building all prepare children for writing. Pushing formal writing too early, before these foundations are in place, can cause frustration.