‘PE class’ at Child Development Center gives education student experience with younger kids

November 6, 2024
Students in the Child Development Center on the URI Campus play "Duck-duck-goose" during a recent "PE class" organized by education master's candidate Alyssa Alvez.
Students in the Child Development Center on the URI Campus play "Duck-duck-goose" during a recent "PE class" organized by education master's candidate Alyssa Alvez.

Recent College of Health Sciences graduate and current master’s candidate Alyssa Alvez ran preschool students in the Child Development Center on the Kingston Campus through their paces in a physical education-style class recently, giving the youngsters outdoor exercise on a warm autumn morning, and giving Alves experience working with young students as she prepares to begin a teaching career.

After graduating in 2023 with a degree in Health Studies—now the Department of Public Health—and physical education, Alvez returned to URI to earn a degree in the Master of Arts with Teacher Certification Program, offered through the Feinstein College of Education. Aiming to gain experience with younger students before beginning student teaching in the spring, Alvez contacted CDC Director Jessica MacLeod, who invited her to organize the PE class outside the center on Lower College Road.

“We’re more taught to work with elementary age students, so it’s really different working with preschool students,” Alvez said. “Attention span is a difference. The amount of time they can run around and play and keep themselves entertained before they get bored is limited. I feel like we’re able to have a little more structure with the elementary students as opposed to here. It’s a lot more cooperative games than it is sports.”

Alvez led the students through backyard-style games with brightly colored balls, along with a rousing game of duck-duck-goose. When attention spans started dwindling, she was ready with music on her phone to lead the students in an impromptu dance party.

“Having ideas ready and being able to adapt and switch things up is definitely a skill I think us student teachers and education majors should have when working with the younger kids,” Alvez said. “I think it went well. I think they had a lot of fun, and I had a lot of fun working with them. This was a great experience.”

The Child Development Centers at URI offer preschool programs for children ages 3 to 5 years at the original center on the Kingston Campus and at the Dr. Pat Feinstein Child Development Center in Providence. The programs are operated by the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the College of Human Sciences in order to provide a setting for observation, participation, and research focusing on young children and their families. Parents with young children interested in the program can learn more and apply here.