Motor skills are the use of controlled movements that used to perform a specific task. Two types of motor skills, gross and fine, exist. Gross motor skills pertain to the large muscles of the body. These muscles enable children to walk, kick, jump and throw. Fine motor skills refer to the ability to manipulate the small muscles of the hand. Control of these muscles allows children to write, cut with scissors, tie shoes, zip and so forth. Help young children develop their motor skills with simple games.
Encourage the development of gross motor skills with these games:
Walk the Line:
Cut two strips of masking or duct tape about three to four feet long. Lay both of the strips on the ground next to each other. One child stands on the beginning of one strip and another child stands on the beginning of the other strip. On your mark, children see who can reach the end the fastest by walking along the line. This game helps to promote the growth of leg muscles and balance.
Bean Bag Toss:
Help children develop the muscles in their arms with this game. Place a hula hoop on the ground. Place a line of masking or duct tape on the ground about four feet away from the hula hoop. Children take turns standing on the line and try to throw their bean bags into the hula hoop. The child whose bean bag lands closest to the hula hoop wins.
Use the following games to promote fine motor skill development:
Paper Tear Race:
Give children scrap paper. On your cue, they tear the paper into small pieces. The first child to tear all of his paper wins.
Clothespin Pickup:
Cut several lengths of yarn (five to 10 pieces) and place them in a bowl. Children use clothespins to pick up the pieces of yarn and place them in an empty bowl. The first child to complete the task wins.
Language development is another important skill that developed during early childhood. During this time, children learn how to use language to effectively communicate. Use games to provide children with opportunities to build their vocabulary.
Shape and Color Match:
From different colored construction paper, cut out different shapes---triangles, circles, squares and so forth. Lay the shapes on the floor or on a table. Announce a color or a shape. The child to locate the correct shape or color first wins.
Animal Match:
In this game, children match animal's pictures to their names. Print out different clip art pictures of animals---cats, dogs, giraffes and so on. Hold up a picture of an animal. The first child to correctly identify the animal wins.
Sorting in order to group items based on different attributes requires recognition and reasoning skills. In addition, it is an important pre-math skill. Have children sort different objects based on different physical characteristics.
Feather Sort:
Provide children with different colored feathers and pieces of construction paper in colors that correspond to the feathers. Instruct children to sort the feathers onto the pieces of paper that correctly corresponds to their colors. The first child to correctly sort all of the feathers wins.
Shape and Size Sort:
From different colored construction paper, cut out different sized shapes. The shapes can be used to play three different games---sorting by shapes, size and color. The player to first successfully sort the items in each game wins.