The M.A.P.P infographic was designed to visually reflect the influencers on a child in an ECE centre and the inter-connected, overlapping role that all components play to ensure a child has a positive identity as a physically active learner, a sense of wellbeing and connection to their world around them. Critically, at the centre of the M.A.P.P design is the holistic view of the child who is surrounded and supported by family, environment, EC teachers, ECE curriculum, environment, movement, active, physical and play. M.A.P.P is designed to be a physically nourishing physical activity programme and teaching resource providing quality professional development for EC teachers. Additionally, M.A.P.P has been designed to connect the three domains of development physical, social-emotional and cognitive together in a developmentally appropriate, scalable, and sustainable way for EC teachers to deliver daily meaningful, quality, and fun physical activity for young children. The programme has been inspired by the Māori (indigenous people of New Zealand) holistic model of health, Te Whare Tapa Whā - Whenua (land, roots), Taha tinana (physical wellbeing), Taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing), Taha hinengaro (mental wellbeing) and Taha whānau (family & social). Furthermore, M.A.P.P has been designed from a nonindigenous worldview, recognising the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki as bi-cultural. Te Whāriki is heralded as the first bicultural curriculum not only in New Zealand, but in the world (Tesar, 2015). M.A.P.P has been developed to connect to the pedagogical principles of the curriculum - Whakamana (empowerment), Kotahitanga (holistic development), Whānau tangata (family & community) and Ngā hononga (relationships). Further, learning outcomes are connected to curriculum pedagogical strands, such as exploration, moving confidently and challenging themselves physically. Moreover, to create an environment that is physically comfortable and emotionally secure, M.A.P.P programme activity sessions can be adapted by EC teachers and young children to weave in their own unique context. Activities are designed to be completed in a flexible fashion to ensure that it is not a barrier to action. The M.A.P.P online teaching resource is made up of narrated webinars, readings, activity videos and an implementation guide to enable EC teachers to view at a time that best suits them. The professional learning is over 10-weeks, self-paced and designed to be completed during work hours when teachers are not teaching (non-contact time) and to take no longer than 30 minutes. Each week teachers are encouraged to watch one webinar, engage in the prescribed reading, and implement their new knowledge with children during the day. Each webinar Characters Characteristics Movement Max Rolling, spinning, upside down, locomotion (moving from one place to another in different ways, directions, and speeds), such as stretching, crawling and bear walking. (Vestibular development) Active Ann Running, hopping, skipping, jumping, throwing, catching, bouncing, galloping, leaping, kicking. (Fundamental movement skills and midline development) Physical Piri Hanging, swinging, climbing, monkey bars, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling. (Proprioception and power) Playful Pip Enjoys lots of time, space with moveable equipment to explore experiential learning in her own way, guided and supported by active teaching. (Spatial and body awareness) and reading builds knowledge on the last, scaffolding learning for EC teachers so they can prioritise child interest in intentional planning, spontaneous active play, and environmental provocations for physical activity. Each M.A.P.P activity is pre-recorded, with a combination of children of different ages, ethnicities, either individually or in a group. There is a level of predictability and routine in each session with a warm-up of high energy music encouraging children to participate and a cool down of walking with hand on heart to feel their heartbeat and an opportunity for EC teachers to implement cross-curricula links and discuss with children their body’s reaction to physical activity and the importance of drinking water after exercise. Typically, EC teachers hold a high trust relationship with children in their EC Centre therefore children are physically comfortable and emotionally secure to explore and try new things. Children are invited to join the characters of Max, Ann, Piri and Pip on their experiential movement adventures through action songs. Activity sessions can be inside or outside with fun as a priority. M.A.P.P activities can be adapted by EC teachers and children to weave in their own unique context, where physical activity is a key thread in the sum of teachers who piloted and provided valuable feedback in the final development of M.A.P.P over a 3-week period. Once refined M.A.P.P was used in a pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial. Figure 1. Movement-Active-Physical-Play (M.A.P.P) infographic July 2024 { 19 }
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