Initial 4 to 5 years of life is the time of highest activity among children. This is the time when a child is introduced to a school, where he/she comes in contact with many other children of his/her age-group. At this stage, a child must be healthy and active enough to learn basics of studies and sports both. Both parents and teachers play a crucial role in building up the child’s personality. Fitness comes when a kid experiences:

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Self confidence
• Healthy behavioral activities
• Psychologically balanced mind

Activities leading to Fitness:

• Active physical exercise either in the form of sport or any other play is enjoyed by the child. Mostly, during this stage children like to run, dance, swim, ride a bicycle, play football or cricket, try various musical instruments, catching a ball, hide and seek, etc.
• Healthy sportsmanship under the guidance of parents/teachers. Children must be taught the rules of game and that it is not always necessary to win but to participate and to be able to play is most important.
• Good nutrition in the form of healthy and balanced diet. Care must be taken that the child enjoys the food and consumes it completely. Health drinks can also be administered to overcome the losses in the regular diet routine. Food must be presented in a form that is acceptable and enjoyed by the child. Junk foods must be avoided and in spite of that healthy food can be given in different forms to allure the child.  

Parents play the most crucial role in the development of their children. 4 to 5 year olds are not masters of things they do, so parents’ vigilance is necessary.  They must participate in the games that their children love to play whatsoever, because fitness of child is really important. Parents can incorporate some activities like finding things by giving clue, letting them understand various shapes and colors by analyzing things they see around them. If a child does not enjoy the games, one must try to find out things of interest and make them feel taken care of. Parents can best understand the psychology of their child so care must be taken not to let them feel abandoned or unwanted. Parents shouldn’t argue or fight among themselves in front of a child because this brings negative feeling in the child and sense of insecurity. Both parents must contribute to the healthy growth of the child which brings a sense of feeling that both parents care for the child and love him/her equally. They should be taken out regularly for a walk or play and this in turn would lead to various enquiries and curiosity which is a good learning signal.

Role of teachers:

Teachers  have a major role to play in the development of a 4 to 5 year old child. They have to deal very intelligently with kids to nurture good values, mannerism, sharing habits, learning and grasping activities, personality development and self-esteem among kids.