From infancy to adolescence, you can engage your child with games and activities that promote motion. As children grow, their motor skills and coordination become more and more refined through new experiences with motion, as well as through practice of learned movements and routines. At all age levels, games are available to help children learn and practice their movement skills.
Early Movement and Motor Skill Games
During infancy and early childhood, simple games that emphasize motor skills, orientation and object manipulation will aid your child’s development. Large rings that can be stacked on a vertical peg are a common toy that children can play with, either alone or aided by an adult. Building blocks also help your child develop her movement skills. A 2005 study by Dr. Anna Franklin from the Surrey Baby Lab found that simple shapes and bright, distinct colors are optimal for infants and small children. When they are learning the basics of motion, different colors will be easier for children to distinguish.
Singalong and Dance Along Games
For children old enough to comprehend language, games that employ simple instructions and musical cues will encourage them to coordinate their movements as reactions to outside stimuli. Musical chairs, in which many children walk around a collection of chairs while music plays, may be the simplest of these types of games. When the music stops, the children must sit down and wait for the music to resume. There is always one less chair available than there are children playing and the child who does not reach a chair is removed from the game. This encourages children to track their proximity to an available chair and to move quickly once the music stops.
The children’s song known as “The Hokey Pokey” is a less competitive movement exercise that incorporates music. Throughout the song, a singer instructs children to extend a specific body part into the air in front of them, then to remove it, and finally to shake it all about. As your child develops, he may enjoy this simple and repetitive dance routine as a means to improved coordination and motor skills.
Party Games
Children’s parties often feature games that encourage movement and coordination. Some of these, such as pinatas or Pin the Tail on the Donkey, require children to take part while blindfolded and possibly disoriented. This can help children learn the basics of navigating through darkness or low light conditions. Other games, such as bean bag tosses, help children practice judging depth and distance, which contribute to the refinement of motor skills.
Advanced Movement Games
As children continue to develop, they continue to refine their motor skills. Many board games are available to help children in this area. These games include Pick Up Sticks, Lite-Brite, Operation and Perfection, and can be found at most toy retailers.
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