Physical motor activities build children's motor skills. These skills are divided into two categories, fine motor and gross motor skills. Children develop motor skills early, starting when they learn reflexive movements, at around 1 year old. These skills are necessary for the manual dexterity that is used for holding crayons, manipulating pencil on paper and learning to use the large muscles of the arms and legs. Physical motor activities, such as play and movement, help children move through the developmental progression to acquire physical motor skills.
Molding Plastic Modeling Clay
Rolling plastic modeling clay into shapes, such as logs, balls and animals, involves finger motor activity. This is a fine motor activity that builds manual dexterity in the fingers. Manipulating the plastic clay with the fingers or using the palms for rolling the plastic clay is a physical motor activity designed to build the dexterity so the child can hold a pencil. Cutting the plastic clay with a plastic knife or cutting wheel is used to develop grasping motor skills.
Newspaper Activities
Tearing a newspaper is a fine motor activity for the hands. The child tears the newspaper into strips and crumples them into balls. These are then used to create stuffed art creations, such as animals or shapes. A physical motor activity designed to build hand strength involves taking a sheet of newspaper in one hand and scrunching it up into a ball.
Paper Mache
Paper mache is a 3-D craft that builds fine motor skills, according to the AMHC Behavioral Health Care Organization. Children rip newspaper into strips, which they then dip into glue and wrap around simple molds or wire frames. They can use blown-up balloons, wire frame animals or any other art project that can be covered in paper. Once the newspaper is dry, the children can paint or decorate the art object in any number of ways. This physical motor activity allows children to use hand manipulation, cutting and painting.
Ball Play
Ball play is a gross motor activity that involves physical movement and teaches children the relationship between movement and the environment. This is a physical motor activity for toddlers that can be used as early as when the child first sits up. The ball helps the toddler prop her arms up and sit up straight. Roll the ball back and forth while you are seated on the floor with her. This challenges balance while sitting. For older children who can walk, kicking the ball requires the child to shift weight from foot to foot. Practice throwing balls of different weights and sizes. This teaches balance and coordination. A study headed by H.G. Williams published in the June 2008 issue of "Obesity" found that children who have better developed motor skills are more active and engage in physical activity more than children who have less-developed physical motor skills. The study concluded that motor skill proficiency in children is important to the health of children.
References
- Education.com: Physical Development and the Acquisition of Motor Skills
- Education.com: Fine Motor Skills Developmental Milestones: Early Childhood Activities
- PubMed: Motor Skill Performance and Physical Activity in Preschool Children
- AMHC: Physical Nurturing: Fine Motor Activities In Early Childhood
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