In addition, there are different things you can do with your child to help him improve his gross motor skills, which are abilities needed to control the large muscles of the body for sitting, crawling, walking, running, and the whole body movements.
Most of these abilities are acquired during the early childhood and infancy as part of a child motor development. As a child develops better control of the arms and legs, she begins to develop fine motor skills. They are able to grasp, touch, feed themselves, etc.
By the time they reach two years old, almost all children have developed gross motor skills such as standing up, walking and running, walking up stairs, etc. Lacking these skills, children might get some problems with fine motor skills required for academic achievement. This is the reason why it is important to help our children develop gross motor skills before they start their primary school years.
Approximately 15 percent of students attending primary schools have motor difficulties. The lowest 5 percent of the students diagnosed as having poor coordination have severe problems and 10 percent have moderate problems. There are different activities you can carry out with your preschool child to improve these skills:
For developing balance, it is recommendable to play with a large ball. Motivate your child to kick the ball by using both feet, one at a time. Ask your child to walk along a chalk line. Climbing steps stairs step ladders and walking on knees with hands in the air is another good option. You can also teach your child to play with ride on toys.
When working on body awareness, laterality knowing left and right sides of the body, and spatial orientation, play Simon says and ask you child to stand in front of, next to, behind, on top of, or under a given object. Tell your child to mimic all your movements.
Perform some actions as you sing songs. Roll body of tour child on a mat.
In order to strength major muscles co ordination, ask your child to gallop like a horse, to crawl to find hidden objects, and to climb over, up, down boxes, ladders, planks, logs, etc. Running around an obstacle course with hands on head/hips/behind back is another strategy you can use. Hogben J, 1981
Developing this kind of skills means getting your children exercising a lot, as a result they get some other health benefits like pure blood, good digestion and calm character.
Make sure your child has lots of time to run around, climb, play and do some work like gardening or helping with other chores. In case you live in a city, find a park, or any other suitable place where you can go and have fun involved in some physical exercise. Even in winter or cold weather, wear warm clothing, go out, develop your gross of you child motor skills, and enjoy the outdoors.
Develop Gross Motor Skills
Get those pedal cars
When your little ones ask for pedal cars, give each of them the car they would like to scoot around in. You are not just giving in to their whims, but helping them develop their motor skills, as well. As they pedal around the house or on the lawn, they are practicing all motor skills at once.
They have to coordinate their little legs and feet movement, as well as their hand and eye coordination. When they pedal around, they also have to think quickly to avoid missing their busy mommy or your lazy fat dog sprawled on the foyer. At first, this will be difficult for them so expect some hits and misses. In time, they will be driving their pedal cars just fine. Sounds familiar? You were a kid once so you will know what fun it was then when you got the hang of pedaling your car around the house.
Watch their motor skills develop
Motor skills involve the skeletal muscles in a directed manner. The brain, joints, and the nervous system all work together to achieve a desired action. Your toddlers have developed the gross motor skills ? sitting up, crawling, and walking. They now need refined skills like using their limbs and coordinating their different body parts. Each time they pedal around, you are sure that the muscles in their legs and arms are getting enough exercise, so encourage them go around in their pedal cars. They get entertained and you get the time to relax and join their fun.
Helping your children develop their motor skills will equip them for life. They will develop better posture. This will aid them in school as developed motor skills have an impact on the brain too.
Helping them along
When you get those small cars, teach them the parts of the pedal cars and the function of each. By taking time to introduce them to their new property, you are in fact teaching them that their new toys are important. Informed, they will love and be taking care of their new cars better.
Let them practice in a bigger space, like the lawn, for example. The moment they have acquired the knack to make those turns, start them on recognizing road signs. This will make their driving exercise fun. You will be amazed at how fast they can recognize signs.
Be firm about your rules. Let them know you are serious about where to park their pedal cars after using them. Of course, you have the responsibility of checking out if there are loosened screws or anything that may harm the children.
Choosing the pedal cars
Bring your kids along when you have finally decided to get them their little cars. You will be surprised that they have their individual preferences. This alone is an exercise towards decision-making. They might go for the fiery fire engine or the Indy racer. To keep up the fun, get gasoline pump storage. They will lap it up.
Check out the manufacturer's instructions and if the pedal cars are appropriate for your 3 and 4-year-old. After checking these out online, go to the shop with your kids. Seeing one online is different from viewing one live. Help your kids along, get them pedal cars.
Both Rachel Nunez & Rony Pollock are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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