COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL television viewing (Bar-Or et al. 1998). A Canadian study determined that the blood vessels of obese children have a stiffness normally seen in much older adults who have cardiovascular disease (Science Daily 2010). Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that American children born in the year 2000 face a one-in-three chance of developing type 2 diabetes, previously known as adult-onset diabetes because it was rarely seen in children (2008). A developmentally appropriate movement curriculum, such as Toddlers, can give children the practice and instruction necessary to refine their move- ment skills and expand their movement vocabularies. Moreover, with Toddlers, children have the opportunity to frequently experience success, which makes movement pleasurable for them. Thus they are more likely to become (and stay!) physically fit. Social/Emotional Development Marianne Frostig, in her classic book Movement Education: Theory and Prac- tice, states, Movement education can help a child to adjust socially and emotionally because it can provide him with successful experiences and permit interrelationships with other children in groups and with a partner. Movement education requires that a child be aware of others in [activities] in which he shares space . . . ; he has to take turns and to cooperate. He thus develops social awareness and achieves satisfaction through peer relationships and group play. (1970, 26) This program provides opportunities for successful experiences, and it permits interrelationships with other children. Even before the children are asked to work cooperatively with partners and groups, they must be aware of others around them, adjusting their movement patterns to avoid collisions. This book also offers a blend of teacher-directed activities and a creative problem-solving approach to instruction. The latter lends itself to success by allowing children to respond to challenges at their own developmental levels and rates. This approach increases children’s self-confidence (and thus their self-esteem) as they see their choices being accepted and praised. According to Muska Mosston and Sara Ashworth, two important results of problem solving COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Introduction  5