Gross
motor skills are the movements of the large muscles of the body. Children learn
new gross motor skills by practicing them until the skill is mastered,
and can be seen in school readiness activities such as:
- Jumping
- Hopping
- Climbing
- Skipping
- Catching
and kicking balls
- Ball
games
Because
gross motor skills are so obvious, they tend to be the skills
that we as parents will notice first if they are not quite right.
Concerns often exist about sending a child to school with gross
motor difficulty, as gross motor skills can make up so much of
a child's school day.
Good
gross motor skills are essential, because the body develops from
large moments such as control of the arms and the legs, to small,
isolated movements that include the hands and fingers. Without
reasonable gross motor control, it can be difficult for children
to move onto developing the fine motor skills that are so essential
to starting school.
Gross
motor skills start to develop right at birth, with trunk and head
control and keep developing at a rapid pace right up until we
are around the ages of 6 and 7.
A
child's ability to perform motor skills depends on a number of
factors, including muscle strength and coordination, and flexibility.
Sometimes problems with low muscle tone and balance can affect
the development of gross motor skills. Flat feet and hyper-extensive
joints can cause awkwardness in motor movements. Poor motor planning
may lead to difficulties in learning certain skills, such as throwing
and catching a ball. With some of the sensory defensiveness we
see in children, gross motor movements may be inhibited by a reluctance
to catch a ball, focus on a target, or other sports related skills.
Balance problems may cause riding a two-wheel bike to be more
difficult, or climbing over a climbing frame seem almost impossible.
Children
with gross motor difficulties often need a hand to break the activities,
or games, into small achievable steps. The Preschool
Theme Program does just this and over 10 days helps the gross
motor muscle groups through exercises, posture strategies and
balance activities that are easy and quick to do at home.
The
team recognizes that gross motor activities should be geared to
the abilities of your child, rather than having your child adapt
to the game or activity. We provide ideas and direction for adaptation
that are often necessary when planning a gross motor activity.
Some suggested adaptations that you can use as a parent include:
- Using
larger equipment
- Changing
the rules
- Shortening
the activity
- Providing
frequent rest breaks
- Simplifying
the instructions
- Positively
reinforcing your child for a job well done
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