Movement and Physical Activity in Hong Kong Kindergartens
摘要
When young children are exposed to a variety of movement opportunities, their interactions with the physical and social environments contribute to balanced development. Such movement opportunities not only promote physical activity participation but also contribute to the development of fundamental movement skills and health-related fitness in children. In line with global trends, children in Hong Kong tend to spend an alarmingly high amount of time in sedentary activities during class hours in kindergarten settings. Globally, educational policies, curriculum design, teaching approaches, and physical environments in kindergarten settings are essential determinants of the provision of structured and unstructured movement and physical activities. Locally, pedagogical strategies must be tailored to accommodate the unique sociocultural characteristics of Hong Kong to ensure the provision of movement opportunities in kindergarten settings. This chapter recognizes the importance of glocalization, which entails adapting global perspectives within local contexts, in shaping meaningful movement and physical activity experiences for children in Hong Kong kindergartens. The aim is to inspire kindergarten stakeholders, including policymakers, curriculum designers, professional development providers, principals, and frontline teachers, to leverage the unique strengths of the local culture in supporting children’s development through movement and physical activity. Following the foreground, background, and middle ground of the new curriculum landscape framework proposed by Chen (2022), this chapter initially explored the developmental considerations that underpin the place of movement, physical activity, and health-related fitness in curricula to provide a foreground of the global prospectives and trends in physical activity education. Subsequently, the background of the local sociocultural context is explored, highlighting challenges faced in implementing physical activity opportunities in Hong Kong kindergartens, including parental emphasis on academic performance, the prevalence of half-day kindergarten programs, physical space constraints, and insufficient teacher training regarding physical activities. To address the interface with global trends and prevailing local sociocultural contexts, we presented middle-ground strategies for kindergarten teachers to glocalize physical activities education. These strategies involve integrating active play and culturally situated physical activity opportunities for young children, incorporating a mix of physical activities, integrative teacher-led and child-centered approaches, and inquiry-based projects. By embracing glocalization, stakeholders can create an environment that nurtures children’s physical well-being and overall development in a culturally sensitive manner.