Renee M. McCall, MSEd, directs the adapted physical education department for the early education program in
the North Syracuse (NY) school district. She works daily with children in an inclusive preschool environment. She
has taught preschool adapted physical education for more than 15 years, beginning her career with the United Cerebral
Palsy Center of Central New York.
McCall is a stimulating lecturer, workshop leader, and enthusiastic expert on how to conduct a quality preschool
movement program. She has written articles on preschool movement for the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation
and Dance (JOPERD) and Teaching Elementary Physical Education journal.
McCall holds a bachelor�s degree in physical education from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport
and a master�s degree with a concentration in adapted physical education from SUNY at Cortland. She is a frequent
guest lecturer and college adjunct instructor on the topics of preschool movement and adapted physical education.
Craft, Diane H. : State University of New York at Cortland
Diane H. Craft, PhD, is a professor in the department of physical education at State University of New York
(SUNY) at Cortland. She teaches adapted physical education and supervises practica providing physical education
instruction to people with disabilities. She is a frequent lecturer and workshop leader, and a nationally recognized
leader in adapted physical education.
Dr. Craft is president of the National Consortium of Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities
(NCPERID). She devoted 10 years to directing U.S. Department of Education federal training grants in physical education.
She also was a visiting professor at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Before joining the faculty of SUNY Cortland in 1985, Dr. Craft directed the master�s and doctoral programs in adapted
physical education at New York University. An experienced elementary and high school physical education teacher,
Dr. Craft is a committed advocate of including children with disabilities in regular physical education classes.
She has written articles for professional journals on including children with disabilities in regular physical
education, and she edited a feature on the subject for JOPERD. She also has contributed chapters on learning disabilities
and sensory impairments to Joseph Winnick�s textbook Adapted Physical Education and Sport.
Summary
Moving With a Purpose is much more than a wonderful collection of movement games and activities for preschool-age
children. It�s also an easy-to-use guide to building movement programs in which every child thrives, including
those with special needs.
The book�s 15 chapters are packed with information that�s so well presented, you�ll be able to put it to use immediately
even if you have no experience teaching movement programs.
Part I explains why movement is essential for preschoolers� optimum development. You�ll learn to use the authors�
child-centered approach, which emphasizes learning experiences that are child initiated and teacher facilitated.
This approach enables each child to achieve specific goals and objectives that benefit them most. You�ll learn
what to teach and how to teach it as well as how to observe and assess children�s movements.
In Part II you�ll find 54 field-tested and proven games and activities, developed over more than 15 years of teaching
preschoolers. You can use them anywhere, even if space, time and equipment are limited. Each game and activity
description includes tips for modification for children with special needs.
Part III deepens your understanding of children�s motor development, offers how-tos for developing and promoting
your movement program, and provides tips for working with toddlers.
Part IV focuses on children with special needs and the laws and procedures that define the special education process�from
handling referrals all the way through writing an Individual Education Program (IEP). Here the authors stress the
importance of parent and teacher partnerships in helping preschoolers of all abilities move, develop physically
and mentally, and feel good about themselves.
Use this resource to establish a new preschool movement program, enhance an existing one, or educate preschool
therapists and teachers about how to provide a quality movement program with sound educational objectives. The
authors are experienced adapted physical education teachers who are passionate about including children with special
needs in physical education. Benefit from their many years of experience and see how easy it is to build fun and
effective movement programs in which every child succeeds.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Part One. Offering a Preschool Movement Program
Chapter 1. Why movement is so important for young people
Chapter 2. Deciding what to teach: Goals of a preschool movement program
Chapter 3. Deciding how to teach: Using a child-centered approach
Chapter 4. Observing children�s movements
Part Two. Learning Experiences
Chapter 5. Moving With a purpose: Planning learning experiences
Chapter 6. Learning experiences: Movement games and activities
Part Three. A Broader View of the Movement Program
Chapter 7. Preschool motor development
Chapter 8. Developing a movement curriculum
Chapter 9. Working with toddlers
Chapter 10. Promoting a movement program: How to make a good program better
Part Four. Including Children With Special Needs in the Preschool Program
Chapter 11. Introduction to special education
Chapter 12. The special education process
Chapter 13. Writing an IEP
Chapter 14. Team approaches
Chapter 15. Parents as partners
Appendix. 40-week curricular plan
Index
About the authors