Kids are too weak to learn in Prep

THOUSANDS of young Queensland kids are turning up to Prep each year without the core strength to make it through the school day, triggering behavioural and attention problems.

Early childhood teachers and occupational therapists have warned children are increasingly spending far too much time on devices, rather than playing and climbing outdoors and developing the gross muscle strength needed for a day in the classroom.

Health professionals and teachers say the trend is so significant, there are on average two children in each class who are too weak to learn.

Kim Walters, the president of the Early Childhood Teachers’ Association, said four and five-year-olds are turning up to Prep and becoming physically exhausted part-way through the day.

“They are having difficulty just sitting up on the mat for extended periods, and the lack of core strength also affects them when they are sitting at a desk,” she said.

Ms Walters said the spike in the number of young kids arriving at school with insufficient core strength is also having an impact on their fine motor skills and their ability to hold a pencil properly and form letters.

Nichola Phillips, from Kick Start Occupational Therapy, said she was seeing a huge increase in children coming in for therapy because they have poor core strength and no muscle tone.

“During mat time, a lot of these kids have to sit in the Wposition, with their legs out to the side, to create enough surface area so their legs are effectively holding them up,” she said.

The number of kids being suspended from Queensland schools has soared over the past 10 years, and Ms Phillips believes a lack of core strength is contributing to a generation of distracted kids with behavioural issues.