Ergonomics for children: An educational program for physical education students

We present an overview of the “Ergonomics in the life-cycle” curriculum that has been delivered over the past nine years to Physical Education students at the Kibbutzim Teachers College of Education in Israel. A large part of the course is aimed at training the students to incorporate ergonomic subjects into the physical education programs in the elementary and the high schools, as well as in the movement lessons in kindergartens. The curriculum combines theoretical knowledge of ergonomics, human body sciences and human movement studies with applicable tools supplemented by studies of pedagogical issues. Students are required to construct and practice age-specific ergonomic intervention programs, which are followed by an evaluation stage with conclusions regarding improvements for follow-up programs. The intervention programs received positive feedback from the children and their parents and from the teachers and the directors of the schools where it was conducted. We are striving to introduce this program as an integral part of the Physical Education curriculum within the school system, which will accompany the children throughout their years of growth and development.