“Organization of “Paths of Health” in a Preschool Educational Institution”
Station "Health Path"
. This path, in accordance with the name, is intended for the health of children. Children walk on it barefoot, happily irritating their feet.
Division into "stations"
allows, if necessary, to individualize the process of development and improvement of certain abilities (several specialists can work simultaneously on the “Path of Health” with different groups of children, without interfering with each other at all).
On the walking areas of all age groups there are modules for the prevention of flat feet and posture correction, which are used by educators in the improvement of children’s health, both as part of morning exercises and during other scheduled moments of the children’s stay on the walking area.
Technology of work on the “Path of Health”
For the full and effective use of all the objects of the “Path of Health”, it is necessary to approve the mode of its functioning, a schedule of organized health-improving activities of educators and all specialists is drawn up, and the simplest work programs (sets of exercises, game techniques) at the “stations” are created.
The “Path of Health” makes the work of educators easier and includes:
— a list of exercises with a detailed description of the content;
- sets of exercises (for example, to form correct posture, or develop endurance, establish proper breathing, etc.) made up of the exercises mentioned above.
Inclusion in the “Paths of Health” route of stations where classes with children are also conducted by specialists from a preschool institution
In addition, fairy-tale characters (hare, bear, hedgehog, horse) and attributes (mushrooms, flowers) are installed on the trail. All this allows you to conduct classes with children in an interesting and playful way.
“The Path of Health” is a beautifully and positively designed area
As a rule, this is a territory that has a certain extent and is designed in such a way as to attract the child’s attention. Its design invites movement, sports, and must necessarily evoke positive emotions. On the “Path of Health” you can use various equipment: play equipment (house, flowers, various fairy-tale characters) and sports equipment (log, stumps, ribbed board, bridge, climbing tunnel, arcs). For games and exercises, you can use non-traditional attributes made by parents and teachers.
“The Path of Health” is a zone of hardening and healing
This path-path is equipped in such a way that children can walk barefoot on surfaces that feel different to the touch. Walking along different sections of the trail, children receive consistent exposure to biologically active zones located on the plantar part of the foot. These zones are associated with the body's immune system and help stimulate and strengthen the body's defenses, relieve stress and improve the overall psycho-emotional state. Children walk along the trail barefoot, doing breathing exercises. The “Health Path” runs mainly in shady areas and is at the same time well lit by the sun. In the shade of trees in summer, children can play in only swimming trunks, receiving light-air baths, which are a gentle hardening procedure.
About Us
Educational, health-improving, developmental and therapeutic-preventive activities for different age groups, carried out in our kindergarten, are aimed at solving these problems.
An increase in the information load and, accordingly, the number and duration of classes - all this leads to fatigue in children, disruptions in the daily routine: a reduction in walks, daytime sleep, free time, and, of course, negatively affects the health of preschoolers. The teachers of our preschool educational institution understand the importance and necessity of health-improving measures in such a situation. To successfully solve problems of health improvement and comprehensive development, a variety of methodological literature is used, primarily a program that clearly defines the main areas of work for each age, as well as the “Green Light of Health” (M.Yu. Kartushina), which helps organize classes and health-improving activities for more interesting and exciting.
It is in preschool age that vitally important basic locomotor skills and abilities are formed, the foundation of motor experience is created, the ABC of movement is mastered, from the elements of which all human motor activity is subsequently formed. If we take into account that physical activity is both a condition and a stimulating factor in the development of intellectual, emotional and other spheres, the need for intensive scientific development of issues of physical education of preschool children becomes obvious.
It is no secret that children spend most of their time at home in a static position (at a table, computer, etc.), which increases the load on certain muscle groups and causes them to tire. The strength and performance of skeletal muscles decreases, which entails poor posture, flat feet and delayed age-related development.
After conducting a diagnostic examination of the pupils’ feet (together with a doctor), we noticed that the number of children with musculoskeletal disorders is increasing from year to year. (According to research, 75% of preschoolers in kindergarten have various musculoskeletal diseases). As children grow, they experience various types of deformities in the spine, legs and feet.
With flat feet, the spring, shock-absorbing role of the foot decreases or disappears, as a result of which the internal organs become poorly protected from shocks. The main reason for its occurrence is weak musculo-ligamentous apparatus of the foot.
After analyzing all the data, the teachers asked themselves a very important question: how, in what way, can children relieve signs of fatigue and thereby strengthen the arch of the foot? Theoretical, organizational and methodological approaches have been developed to compensate for the negative impact of increased intellectual stress. The idea came up to use non-standard methods of preventing flat feet, for example, a “Health Track”, equipped both in the gym (for exercise in the cold season) and on the street (summer option).
“The Health Track” is a set of natural, environmentally friendly materials with different surfaces (to develop the tactile sensations of the feet): - small wooden balls (1.5-2 cm in diameter); — massage paths with spikes of different heights; - river stones (diameter 5-8 cm and 10-15 cm);
The “health track” can be used either in its entirety or in individual cells. For example, a dry pool in games, etc.
Walking along various surfaces of the path, children receive a consistent impact on the biologically active zones located on the surface of the foot, associated with the immune system, helping to strengthen the muscles of the foot and lower leg and having a positive effect on the formation of the arches of the foot.
When walking on various surfaces, the foot first flattens somewhat, then (as it passes) with the help of active muscle contraction it returns to its original position. Active points and zones located on the foot contribute to the hardening of the child’s body. They are also an excellent means of preventing and correcting flat feet, which is easier to prevent than to treat.
The foot is the foundation, the support of our body, and any violation of its development can affect the child. Since ancient times, humanity has had knowledge that individual parts of our body interact with other parts of the body and the entire organism. In the human body there are countless correspondence systems, which are energy-informational copies of the entire organism or its individual parts. For greater clarity and convincingness in the search for points of correspondence with internal organs directly in the direction of children’s movement along the “Path of Health,” it is useful to mark a diagram of the foot with images of organs (heart, ears, eyes, liver, etc.). During classes, the teacher focuses the pupils’ attention on the corresponding area of the foot, encourages them to find points corresponding to the internal organs, which in turn is also an indirect massage.
Skin folds in the area of the finger joints are the boundaries between parts of the body; their sequential locations on the body correspond to the head, chest, and abdomen. The presence of clear landmarks on the foot for searching for treatment points allows preschoolers to accurately understand the placement of organs and their stimulation for therapeutic purposes.
The feet and hands (in Eastern medicine) are remote controls for human health. Using them incorrectly will never harm the child - it will simply be ineffective.
What are the goals of the mini-project we have developed?
Objectives: - to prevent the development of flat feet in children; - create conditions that correspond to a higher level of motor development of the child.
Objectives (inclusion of the “Health Path” in the healing process, taking into account age characteristics and characteristics of physical development): - prevent the development of flat feet; — increase the protective forces of the child’s body and the impact of various irritants on the foot through self-massage of biologically active points; - bring children to the understanding that each person must take care of his own health; — ensure normal physical development, protection and promotion of health; - gradually harden the body and increase its resistance to environmental influences; - promote activity, independence, and discipline.
Mini-project implementation stages:
— the use of non-standard methods for the prevention of flat feet in physical education classes and in independent motor activity, the inclusion of the “Health Path” in the hardening system after sleep; — use of the “Health Track” as physical education and correctional equipment to increase physical activity; — development of static and dynamic stability (equilibrium).
Step-by-step work in correcting ODA defects
Participants of the mini-project: pupils of middle, senior and preparatory school groups. Management and support of the mini-project: - the versatility of the “Health Path” (with ordinary walking on various surfaces you can treat any part of the body, any organ and joint); — accessibility (no skills or abilities are needed, it’s enough to walk once, overcoming fear and slight discomfort, and then enjoy walking again); — ease of use; — high efficiency (a pronounced effect occurs after 2-3 weeks of daily walking for 3-4 minutes); — absolute safety (stimulation of biologically active points on the foot leads to the prevention of the formation of flat feet and its cure).
This healing system was created by nature itself, and man skillfully applies it. This is her strength and security.
Evaluation of the results of the mini-project: - reduction in the development of flat feet; — improvement of muscle-joint sense (kinesthesia) and tactile (skin) sensations; - general relaxation (relaxation) of the body and its individual limbs; - aesthetic appeal and playful orientation; — design versatility; — the use of inexpensive, accessible material that is durable, hygienic, and pleasant to the touch; — simplicity of design, allowing to achieve the maximum possible pedagogical and correctional-developmental effect.
The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of more effectively adjusting regulated physical education classes for preschoolers and promoting a targeted emphasis on the development of certain physical qualities.
