Indoor Play Equipment
Support active play by providing equipment, space, and encouragement.
The best practices (per GO NAPSACC) and the related resources in this section focus on having appropriate indoor environments for physical activity. Children will be able to play more safely, have fewer conflicts, move more, and try a wider variety of activities. Equipment that suitably meets different needs is also important to support and accommodate all children.
Best Practices
The resources in this category are the same for the following five GO NAPSACC best practice goals:
- "The indoor play space offers separate areas for different age groups that accommodate multiple types of activities and offer full access to children with special needs."
- "A large variety of portable play equipment is available and in good condition for children to use indoors."
- "During indoor free play time, at least a few pieces of portable play equipment are always available to preschool children and toddlers to encourage physical activity."
- "Developmentally appropriate portable play equipment is always offered to infants during tummy time and other indoor activities."
- "There is a large variety of posters, books, and other learning materials that promote physical activity, with items added or rotated seasonally."
Resources
Action Guide: For Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies
Summary: A guide for creating policies including rationale, steps for creating policies, and policy recommendations.
Source: Connecticut State Department of Education
Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments
Summary: Free for providers. Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the appropriate assessment opens a suite of planning, learning, professional development, and implementation tools to understand further what the best practices are and how to make them happen in your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Healthy Kids, Healthy Future
Summary: Under the sections "Get Kids Moving" and "Reduce Screen Time," find children’s activities and adult resources such as curriculums for physical activity of children under 5, training for care givers, administrative resources, guides for adapting activities and spaces for children with disabilities, and more.
Source: The Nemours Foundation
Learning Environments
Summary: Guidance on how to design indoor and outdoor spaces to support different kinds of learning.
Source: Head Start
Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children
Summary: Collection of tip sheets for nutrition and physical activity. Each tip sheet focuses on a specific topic and includes a practical application section to help apply the tips to a child care program for children ages 2 through 5 years old. See pages 63-71.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
Physical Activity Toolkit for Preschool-Aged Children
Summary: A guide for early care and education centers to integrate and increase children’s physical activity throughout the day. Resources include planning and scheduling tools, sample activities, skill cards, do-it-yourself equipment tips, policy templates, and no-cost education resources.
Source: California Department of Public Health
Sample Child Care Physical Activity Policy
Summary: Example of a child care physical activity policy. It outlines the amount of expected daily play, roles of staff members, screen time, and appropriate clothing, and discipline.
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