The Gym Spot takes a look at motor skills in children and the benefits it has for their overall physical development.
Motor skills are defined as those skills that your child will develop from an early age that involves a regular and precise movement to complete a specific action. This usually involves the larger parts of the body and can be broken down into gross motor and fine motor skills.
Gross motor skills focus primarily on the allowance to build strength, coordination, reaction time and physical strength. These can happen over time and include activity groups such as rolling over, crawling and walking.
Fine motor skills on the other hand look at the smaller muscle groups such as hands, wrists, feet, thumbs and toes. Activities that use these muscle groups include being able to grip and manipulate products, as well as being able to use just their pointer finger and thumb to pick something up. These also happen over time, and dependent on the age of children depends on the level of difficulty that comes as the child grows up.
According to Queensland's Department of Education, "Early physical skills develop through regular movement and activity. Each child will develop physical skills at their own pace and like all areas of development, each individual child will show strengths and abilities in different areas."
There are many ways in which you can help refine your little one's motor skills from the comfort of your own home. These include activities such as, hopscotch which allows the little ones to be able to jump, balance on one leg, and help master body control, handball against a wall also helps with hand-eye coordination and accuracy and playing on the trampoline is also a great way to develop motor skills.
Moreover, motor skills can be developed through various soft play equipment where children can explore their cognitive senses and refine their gross and fine motor skills. Gymnastics Direct's early learning range is designed specifically for children to improve their imagination and creativity, develop balance and coordination, and develop gross motor skills and other sensory skills.
But above all, remember that as your child is growing, it is important for them to have rest periods throughout the day!
This is generic information. Children need to be under adult supervision at all times. We disclaim all liability for any physical harm resulting from the information on this website.
