COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Introduction Welcome to the Moving & Learning family! The movement program in your hands, Preschoolers & Kindergartners, is being used in schools, child care set- tings, recreation centers, and gymnastic centers throughout the United States and in several other countries. The program consists of twenty lesson plans, with four activities per plan (not including extensions). Each lesson is intended to take approximately forty-five minutes to complete. (Alternatives are discussed later, under “Imple- menting the Program.”) The twenty lessons and their activities have been arranged in a developmental progression, from least to most challenging, with each lesson plan consisting of one body-parts activity, one nonlocomotor activity, one locomotor skill experience, and one activity exploring an element of movement. The lessons begin with simple body-part identification, which is the basis of any movement experience. The lessons also begin with the simplest loco- motor skills (movements that transport the body from one place to another) of walking and running. (Technically, crawling and creeping are the simplest, but the exploration of these skills has been incorporated later, in order to promote a feeling of “maturity” among the children.) The simplest nonlocomotor skills (movements performed while remaining in one place) of bending and stretch- ing are also found in early lessons, along with the simplest movement elements of space and shape. If you start at the beginning and progress in a logical, developmental man- ner, you can expect greater success from children who are encouraged to build upon their earlier successes as stepping stones. You can also expect greater response from them as well. The idea is to make the children feel good about experiencing movement—by starting slowly and providing them with frequent 1 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL