Opportunities for physical fitness and motor development should happen daily for young children. Motor development is about large-muscle activities which provide muscle strength, agility, cardiovascular endurance and encourage children to be physically fit. Physical fitness is a path for children to have better health and relieve stress. The objective is for children to get exercise and have enjoyment at the same time.
To adequately provide fitness and motor skill development, a few guidelines include:
- Don’t just provide large-muscle equipment, such as a trampoline but adequately have an adult guide the physical activity and participate in the activity whenever it is appropriate.
- Encourage your child to try to improve and do better. Physical fitness is never about competition in early years, it is about competing with own self, developing and acquiring greater balance, better control, better focus, greater skill. Repetition is important weather it is throwing a ball, swinging, riding a bicycle or sliding. It needs to be practiced many times before it becomes second nature to your child. Your child will soon discover that moving and exercising actually makes him feel energetic and strong.
- Observe your child closely, keep guidance and expectations according to the needs and abilities of your individual child.
Ideas to Try Involving Large Motor Activities:
Some examples of large motor activities you and your child may enjoy are walking, running, climbing, or balancing. You may try ball-handling skills such as kicking, bouncing, dribbling or rolling the ball. It might also include ball-throwing and catching or ring toss games. Balancing motor activities can include walking a beam, stretching, bending, swinging and twisting.
Self-testing activities are more appropriate for older children such as the frog jumps, crab walk, toe touch, partner pull-up, jumping jacks, forward and back rolls. Again, each child develops individually. Encourage your child and let him do as much as he can.
Other activities to encourage your child’s large motor development can be done through games and music. For young children keep the game simple with few rules. The older the children, the more rules that can be added. A few favorite game and music activities that encourage gross motor development which are enjoyed by preschool ages are:
- Musical Chairs—Musical Chairs is played by placing enough chairs for all the children except one in a circle. Play a fun song, then stop the music for all to sit. When music stops all sit except one. Another suggestion is to play so that everyone shares a chair with a partner and no pair is left out. Last two win game.
- Bean ball or ball toss – Toss ball or bean bag into large box.
- Freeze and Stop Dance – Children will listen to some fun songs and dance and move their bodies then freeze when the music stops.
All physical fitness activities or games, encourage socialization, cooperation and physical development. The children are able to enjoy being active and involved in fun ways. Enjoy staying physical fit with your child!
