Promoting Your Childs Motor Development
Assuming there are no serious motor problems present, what can you, as an involved parent, do to help promote your child's motor development? To help ensure she becomes a competent, confident mover who enjoys and therefore takes part in physical activity? The answer is: Plenty!
Practice is one of the most important factors involved in achieving higher levels of skill performance. But one of the most important factors involved in practice is that it not feel like practice!
It's simple, really: All you have to do is play with your child. It should be noncompetitive play, with no pressure whatsoever, and your child should never guess you're trying to "improve" him.
Following are some other general tips to keep in mind:
* Keep the sessions short. It's better to have shorter, more frequent sessions than to wear your child out with a few that seem never-ending.
* Build on skills in a logical order (walking before running; jumping before hopping, etc.). Remember, too, that performing a skill in a stationary environment precedes performing it in a moving environment. An example is catching a ball tossed to oneself versus catching one hit by a bat.
* If you're using equipment (for instance, a bat and ball), be sure it's child-sized. Equipment meant for adults can seriously stack the odds against a child.
* Keep a progression in mind for equipment, too. For instance, if you're working on catching, start with something simple and nonthreatening that allows for maximum success, like a chiffon scarf. Then work your way up from there, perhaps with a balloon, followed by a small beach ball and then increasingly smaller (soft, easily grasped) balls.
* Children need to work on a skill as a whole before attempting its smaller parts. For example, a child needs to feel comfortable with a vertical jump as a whole before she can begin to concentrate on toe-ball-heel landings or the role her arms can play in achieving greater height.
* Be sure your child is dressed in clothing that allows for maximum movement and the possibility of dirtying.
* Whenever possible, demonstrate a skill yourself so your child has an opportunity to see what it should look like. Children need to employ as many senses in the learning process as possible.
Children also need feedback as they practice their motor skills - and the most important thing you can remember is to keep it neutral and encouraging. We too often believe we need to tell children what they've done wrong - so they can fix it. But if you do need to make corrections, keep the "sandwich" approach in mind. First, compliment the child on something she's done right. Then suggest a way to eliminate the error. Finally, end with something positive, even if it's to reiterate the first point.
To be truly helpful to a child, we must avoid "moralizing" with our feedback. A jump isn't "good" or "bad." A jump is either high or low, light or heavy. If we use the former descriptors - or use such general terms as "good job," "good girl/boy," or "I liked that jump" - we aren't really telling the child anything. He has no idea what was "good" about what he did. But if we describe what we've seen ("You landed very lightly from your jump, with your knees bent. That helps keep your knees from getting hurt."), we not only provide vocabulary for what he's done; we provide useful specifics as well.
Finally, when providing feedback, make sure you give it in small amounts. Young children can generally absorb only one bit of information at a time. So, if your child is practicing his long jump and you're instructing him to "swing your arms out and up and extend your knees and hips on takeoff; then bring your arms back down and bend your knees in preparation for landing," he'll likely miss most - if not all - of the information!
Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Rae speaks to parent and education groups throughout North America. To visit her and to read more articles, go to http://www.movingandlearning.com.
Latest News
is there any correlation between bad parenting... AllHipHop - is it essential for a parent to teach you a thing or two about men or women when it comes to crafting your relationship{mackin} skills and is it possible ... YOU'RE/THAT'S SO GHETTO |
Chief Parenting Extends C-Level Parental Suite to Include Chief ... PR Web (press release), WA - Empowering men and women to become exemplary parents, recognizing those that do and honoring them with their earned executive level parenting titles, ... |
The Intersect Between Reporting and Parenting Tecumseh Herald, MI - Sometimes, though, circumstances make it so that all I can do is be the parent. Take last night's band concert in Britton. Just take yesterday in general, ... |
 Examiner.com | Parenting Tip of the Day: Lay off the sarcasm Examiner.com - by Terreece Clarke, Parenting Examiner I'm a sarcastic human being. I'm like Ralphie's dad from A Christmas Story, he dabbled in obsenities, ... |
Spencer Bachus Approves of Nanny State, Opposes Parenting Casino Gambling Web, FL - Long time supporter of legalization and regulation of all forms of online gambling, Gordon Price, said, "Instead of teaching parents how to filter the ... |
 The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com | The Family Tree Baltimore Sun, United States - Volunteers older than 21 are needed as parent educators in North and South Counties to co-teach a Positive Parenting Course in 12-week intervals. ... Statistics about children in crisis |
 TheTimes | Make holidays brighter for children of incarcerated parents, she says TheTimes, OR - By Kristen Forbes A Parenting Inside Out class graduate poses with her son. She and her two children will be gift recipients at the Center for Family ... |
Media Mogul Tommy Mottola Finds New Star in EEBEE MarketWatch - We're confident that co-parenting this business with Tommy Mottola will bring us to the next level of success." "We are delighted to partner with EVERY BABY ... |
Free parenting workshop today at Second Bethlehem Baptist Church ... Alexandria Town Talk, LA - A free parenting workshop will be held today, Dec. 4, at 6 pm at Second Bethlehem Baptist Church located at 1910 Harris Street Alexandria. ... |
Or Ami addresses parenting issues Agoura Hills Acorn, CA - Congregation Or Ami's Center for Jewish Parenting is currently offering a series of lectures that cover a wide range of parenting issues. ... |
Resources
-
Parents - The Greatest Parenting Secret in 50 Years!
Raising Kids With Life Skills makes both Parenting and growing up easier to do.
-
Parenting TOOLS to design the family of your dreams! What does your dream family look like?
Powerful tools for Parenting, anger management, and creative blocks!
-
Toddler Activities - Preschooler Activities - Children's Activities - Family Fun
Toddler activities to entertain and educate your toddler. 52 toddler activities and more! FREE newsletter with toddler activities, toddler play ideas and toddler crafts, relevant websites, Parenting quotes and more!
-
Many of our Ebooks are 100% FREE!
Download ebooks on website marketing, Parenting, ebook publishing and more.
-
Child behavior management without anger with this upbeat and effective Parenting tool.
An upbeat, fun Parenting tool for parents wishing to manage their behavior challenged kids.
-
More Fun Less Work Parenting Method - Increase Your Child's Emotional Intelligence
Fun Parenting method - teach your child emotional intelligence using curiosity and simple rules. Increase kid
-
Many of our Ebooks are 100% FREE!
Download ebooks on website marketing, Parenting, ebook publishing and more.
-
teach your baby how to read,early reading,Parenting advice,reading baby,toddler learning activity
You can teach your baby how to read. Reading early is possible.Your growing child learns through a cumulative process and targeted toddler learning activities. Crucial Parenting advice is key to unlocking your child
-
Practical Parenting Advice - children's behavior problems, child
behaviour problems, FREE parentin
Free Practical Parenting Advice - children
-
Divorce Parenting
Divorce resource for parents. Online seminar. Great tools for learning to help your family navigate the breakup process. Kids, Children, Parents, Family divorce tips and solutions. Powerful Strategies