Understanding the early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems in multinations is important to improve their current situation for children. In this paper, we reviewed and discussed governmental supports for the ECEC in three East Asian countries, Japan, South Korea, and China, as well as their stated goals on children’s mental and physical health, actual statuses, and challenges. In particular, the administrations in all the three countries are clearly stating the importance of, in addition to development of physical strength and lifestyle, and prevention of diseases, the guarantee of children’s own “play” and independence in the ECEC. The knowledge discussed here will lead to realizing the goals in our constantly changing social environment.

  This study clarifies the relationship between the development of motor abilities and exercise play habits in the throwing and jumping motions of three-year-old children, focusing on motor abilities of the energy system and coordination abilities of the nervous system, particularly orientation and differentiation abilities. We conducted motor ability tests with 113 children; their parents completed a questionnaire survey on exercise play habits. Based on the motor ability test results, we classified participants into four motor ability groups (Groups A to D), and conducted multiple response analysis on the groups and their exercise play habits. We then conducted hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward’s method).

1) Groups A and C had high motor abilities of the energy system.

・Groups A and C were associated with exercise playtime, suggesting daily exercise play habits contribute to the motor ability of the energy system, even if the playtime is less than 60 minutes per day.

・Groups A and C were associated with frequency of exercise play with their parents, suggesting daily exercise habits with parents have a positive effect on the motor ability of the energy system.

2) Group B had high orientation and differentiation abilities of the nervous system and low motor abilities of the energy system.

・Group B was associated with place of play and frequency of ball playing, suggesting that playing outdoors and with a ball influence the orientation and differentiation abilities of the nervous system.

・Group B was associated with exercise habits up to the age of three, suggesting exercise habits and exercise experiences up to age three influence the orientation and differentiation abilities of the nervous system.

3) Group D had low orientation and differentiation abilities of the nervous system and low motor abilities of the energy system

・Group D was associated with negative levels in all six items related to exercise play habits, suggesting that less exercise experience and exercise play habits are associated with lower orientation and differentiation abilities of the nervous system and motor abilities of the energy system.

The results indicate that the routine time and frequency of exercise play benefit motor abilities of the energy system, and playing outdoors, playing with a ball, and engaging in exercise play habits before age three benefit the orientation and differentiation abilities of the nervous system. Among exercise play habits, different factors contribute to motor abilities of the energy system and to the orientation and differentiation abilities of the nervous system.

  The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in time and frequency of the episodes of teaching in Physical Fitness Class (learning instruction episodes, motor learning episodes, cognitive learning episodes and management episodes) when using the same unit plan for skilled PE teacher and general teacher, controlling as much as possible for the children's school grade and facility. The following findings were revealed.

  On the time of episodes of teaching, there were no significant differences in motor learning episodes. And learning instruction episodes showed a large effect size, with higher values for skilled PE teacher, and management episodes showed significant differences and large effect sizes, with higher values for skilled PE teacher.

  The frequency of episodes of teaching showed that motor learning episodes had a large effect size, and skilled PE teacher had higher values. Significant differences and large effect sizes were found for learning instruction episodes and management episodes. The learning instruction episodes were higher for teachers affiliated with the physical education department, while the management episodes were higher for teachers affiliated with other departments.

  It is also possible that differences in the time and frequency of the episodes of teaching between skilled PE teacher and general teacher is a characteristic of the Physical Fitness Class.

  These results suggest that there may be differences in the episodes of teaching in Physical Fitness Class between skilled PE teacher and general teacher when the same unit plan is used..

  Playpark activities take place in a variety of locations and are considered significant for enriching children's play and promoting healthy development. However, there has been no research on parents' expectations of their children's experiences to have through play park activities. This study aimed to clarify parents' expectations of their children's experiences at playparks by targeting parents who participated in a playpark held for the first time in a certain region. A questionnaire survey of parents was conducted on 26 February 2023, at a playpark event held in Osaka. We obtained responses to the questionnaire from 56 out of 68 participating parents and children. The questionnaire consisted of seven items related to expectations of children’s experiences at the event (play experience, exercise effect, movement experience, emotional experience, family time, play with other children, nature experience), three items related to children's usual play (likes and dislikes for exercise play, frequency of exercise play, time spent with family members per week), and three items related to satisfaction rating for the event (children's facial expressions during the activity, overall satisfaction, desire to continue holding the event). We scored the response to each item, and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between expectations of children’s experiences and children's usual play or satisfaction rating for the event was calculated. As a result, it was revealed that the expectation of being able to experience various play was the highest, followed by expectations for nature experience, movement experience, and emotional experience. Parents who had expectations for the event, such as having family fun time and experiencing a variety of movement, tended to perceive that their children liked or did well in physical play. Parents with expectations of the benefits of exercise, such as the reduction of physical inactivity and stress, tended to feel that their children's expressions were more lively during the event, and those with expectations of the experience of play tended to be more satisfied with the event overall. Furthermore, it was found that parents with expectations of family time wanted future events to be held more frequently. Parental expectations of their children's experiences at playpark events were found to be related to their children's usual play situation and their evaluation of the event. It is considered important to grasp the content of parents’ expectations for all activities that support children's growth in the region and to strive to improve and develop the activities.