I had broadly mentioned the various components of physical development, the first being fitness. The word speaks for itself, and the best way to stay healthy is to stay fit. Most of us have the general impression that to stay fit means to eat well. That is only a part of fitness. Regular movement and physical exercise is a basic necessity for children for proper growth. They also need to express their sense of play and to have an outlet for their boundless energy. Physical exercise should be an essential part of a child's routine. They can get it through sports, games, calisthenics, aerobics, yoga, dance, martial arts like kalaripayattu, karate, etc.
Apart from the movement of the body and its limbs, the sense organ development in children is extremely important. Our sense organs include the eyes, ears, nose, skin and tongue. We usually take these for granted and don't really do much to develop these faculties. However, a musician has a finer sense of sound than others, an artist has a keener sense of form, light and texture than others. If we develop our senses to a finer degree, we can have a richer experience of life. It helps to enhance our creativity and we look for ways to improve our surroundings. Through increased sensitivity, we find a greater appreciation as well as need for beauty, sensibility and aesthetics in our lives. Children are already more aware of the sights and sounds around them than us. If we teach our children to be more aware of what they see, hear, smell, taste and touch, we will open out a whole new world to them. This will help them to develop alertness and attention, observation and perception, sensitivity and sensibility. A very deep and great way to help children do this are 'Mindfulness' exercises. This subject will take up the length of a whole article, but here I'll just say that it just means learning the art of living in the present moment, being aware and taking it all in. These are some wonderful and simple techniques which are meant for children and adults alike. More on this later.
Another aspect of fitness that we completely miss or ignore in the growing-up years of our children is physical self-expression. Although we feel proud when our child does something well like dance, or draw, or recite poetry, or sing, but oftentimes, that is the extent of our appreciation or involvement. We just let it be at that, instead of realizing that the child is trying to express himself/herself through these media, and a recognition of talent or expression should lead us to help the child to develop and hone these creative instincts. Physical self-expression is an awareness of and joy in one's body. A child delights in constant movement because it is an expression of their 'self'. This freeing and loosening of the body also leads to an expansion and openness of character and personality. Children explore the world through their body and that is why they are physically more free than us. They should be encouraged to channel this energy into activities such as dance, yoga, drama, gymnastics, etc. which help to develop creative and artistic self-expression. Through free-form movements, children can be encouraged to devise their own natural and creative movements. They can be taught to enjoy movement, to control and develop their body to achieve higher creativity, to feel the rhythm through music, to express imagination and creativity through the outlets like theatre, pantomime, etc. I have often seen even shy and under-confident children just change character when they are doing a creative activity of their liking. The transformation is like magic!
Through physical activities and exercise, children not only learn how to keep their bodies healthy, but they also learn of their own physical potential, and identify their own means of expression. They learn to see the world as an extension of themselves, their senses helping them to develop a kinship with the beauty and sensibilities of the world around them. Their own bodies can then be used as a medium to interact with the world and the more they develop these faculties, the more they will understand the order and beauty of Nature. It brings about a sense be of oneness and belonging with everything and everyone around them, as every physical being has some form of manifestation, and an understanding of one's own physicality can lead to a greater and wider understanding of others'. In my personal experience, I have observed that a lot of people excel in academics and careers, but the ones who stand out or seem more happy and successful than their counterparts always, are the ones who have sports, dance, etc. as a part of their lives. Their personalities seem better-balanced and their lives are more multi-faceted. One such person I have come across is Capt. Sangwan, who is a neighbour and a good friend. What attracts most people to him is his personality, his love of life and a love of physical fitness! He is a Kargil war-hero, has one prosthetic leg, but his never-say-die spirit inspires us all. His love of sports, games, dance, all of this keeps him fit and ready-to-go all the time. Despite his busy work schedule, he finds time to stay fit, and in my opinion, this is the reason he is not only fit in body, but also in mind.
This is the right age, as children, to discover the value of the one and only body we've been given, to be grateful for it, to appreciate it, to love it, to develop it, to nurture it, to realize its full potential, and above all, to always keep it healthy and fit.
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