Page 140 - Štemberger Tina, Čotar Konrad Sonja, Rutar Sonja, Žakelj Amalija. Ur. 2022. Oblikovanje inovativnih učnih okolij. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem
P. 140
a Ruzic-Baf, Andrea Debeljuh, and Ranko Rajović
dren aged three years, showed that 72 of respondents had fallen arches
(Videmšek et al. 2006). In Novi Sad, it has been found that, on the sample of
the 377 respondents aged six years, only 31.66 of children had healthy feet
(Milosevic in Obradović 2008, 301–309). The causes may be different, such as
inadequate footwear, premature attempts to walk as baby-child, certain ill-
nesses, injuries or not enough walking bare feet or total lack of movement
(Brecelj 1997, 12–13; Brecelj 2000, 39–43). If we look at a simple analogy, liv-
ing beings that do not move do not have nerve cells and nervous system,
and species that move have a nervous system, then it is clear that one of
the important characteristics of the human species is upright gait and move-
ment. Fine motor skills, dynamic eye accommodation, speech, balance and
rotation-based games are important for an optimal synaptic development
and the development of cortical structures (Rajović and Rajović 2014, 42–45).
The most intense period of synaptogenesis occurs in first few years of life
and different brain regions reach maximum of synaptic density at different
time; audio cortex already in the third postnatal month (Huttenlocker and
Dabholkar 1997). PET imaging studies revealed that overall brain metabolism
rises to twice that of adult levels by 4–5 years of age and remains high until
9–10 years of age (Tau and Peterson 2010, 147–168). Increased brain metabolic
activity likely reflects the rapid growth of Scudder and glia, as well as the pro-
cess myelination and synaptic remodelling (Tau and Peterson 2010, 147–168).
Findings like these help us understand the importance of the first few years
of life for brain development. Accordingly, it is important to understand that
a child that is not spending enough time in activities that require physical
movement – walking, running, dynamic plays, will not have optimally stimu-
lated development of particular cortex regions.
The Impact of Physical Activity
According to the theory of integral development (Ismail and Gruber 1971)
there is a correlation between motor, cognitive and emotional development.
This correlation decreases with age, and therefore it is much easier for one
domain of development to be affected through other two. According to this
theory, developmental domains a child goes through are not independent of
one another and so the progress in one domain affects the progress in other
domains, which is especially typical for the motor development in early child-
hood (Trajkovski, Tomac, and Maric 2014, 22–27). In the first two years of life,
motor development has a key role in the development of intellectual capa-
bilities and motorically capable children take the information from the envi-
ronment more easily (Parizkova 1996). The research has shown a significant
140
dren aged three years, showed that 72 of respondents had fallen arches
(Videmšek et al. 2006). In Novi Sad, it has been found that, on the sample of
the 377 respondents aged six years, only 31.66 of children had healthy feet
(Milosevic in Obradović 2008, 301–309). The causes may be different, such as
inadequate footwear, premature attempts to walk as baby-child, certain ill-
nesses, injuries or not enough walking bare feet or total lack of movement
(Brecelj 1997, 12–13; Brecelj 2000, 39–43). If we look at a simple analogy, liv-
ing beings that do not move do not have nerve cells and nervous system,
and species that move have a nervous system, then it is clear that one of
the important characteristics of the human species is upright gait and move-
ment. Fine motor skills, dynamic eye accommodation, speech, balance and
rotation-based games are important for an optimal synaptic development
and the development of cortical structures (Rajović and Rajović 2014, 42–45).
The most intense period of synaptogenesis occurs in first few years of life
and different brain regions reach maximum of synaptic density at different
time; audio cortex already in the third postnatal month (Huttenlocker and
Dabholkar 1997). PET imaging studies revealed that overall brain metabolism
rises to twice that of adult levels by 4–5 years of age and remains high until
9–10 years of age (Tau and Peterson 2010, 147–168). Increased brain metabolic
activity likely reflects the rapid growth of Scudder and glia, as well as the pro-
cess myelination and synaptic remodelling (Tau and Peterson 2010, 147–168).
Findings like these help us understand the importance of the first few years
of life for brain development. Accordingly, it is important to understand that
a child that is not spending enough time in activities that require physical
movement – walking, running, dynamic plays, will not have optimally stimu-
lated development of particular cortex regions.
The Impact of Physical Activity
According to the theory of integral development (Ismail and Gruber 1971)
there is a correlation between motor, cognitive and emotional development.
This correlation decreases with age, and therefore it is much easier for one
domain of development to be affected through other two. According to this
theory, developmental domains a child goes through are not independent of
one another and so the progress in one domain affects the progress in other
domains, which is especially typical for the motor development in early child-
hood (Trajkovski, Tomac, and Maric 2014, 22–27). In the first two years of life,
motor development has a key role in the development of intellectual capa-
bilities and motorically capable children take the information from the envi-
ronment more easily (Parizkova 1996). The research has shown a significant
140
