“Watch me Mommy!”  “Look at me Daddy!” These squeals of delight are often heard when your kid achieves a new motor ability!  Learning new skills are brings pride for young children.  I clearly recall a moment when we were at a church as I was just a little girl and I was able to pull up the zipper on my jacket up all by myself!  I forgot that I was inside the church and I had to be quiet and I shouted, “Mom I did it!”  My parents quickly looked at me sternly and gave the “Shhhh!” sign while it didn’t stop me from beaming with pride!  I did it!  I had the zipper pieces attach and stay attached as I zipped up my jacket for the first time!  My small motor skills were working overtime and I was proud!

When thinking of small and large activities to help develop your child’s motor skills it’s essential to remember that children like variety and that changing them from time to time is good.  Your child needs a balance of organized play along with free-play activities.  During free-play your kid can create his own rules and socialize with other friends.  During organized play he has to follow rules and expectations.  Make sure to give activities wherein you can channel your child’s energy or what we call slow-paced activities and activities where you can expend his energy or fast-paced activities.

Motor activities help your child build up body awareness and helps perfect his hand-eye coordination.  These activities improve balance and help him learn about his position in space.  With each chance that he plays motor activities he grows his muscle strength.  When he engages in imaginative or inventive activities his creativity is advanced while he is also improving physically.  Your child wants you to witness as he masters new milestones.  Don’t forget to praise him for his efforts during each successful try.

One of the milestones for your four year old is to be able to catch a ball.  Prior to catching a ball, you can use a beanbag to increase the strength in your child’s hand since beanbags are flexible in terms of shape to fit your grasp.  Practice throwing, rolling and catching the ball with your child.  Start with a very near distance from each other then take a step back with each correct catch.  Check and see if you can eventually get about six feet away from your child.  To add a twist to the game you can have your child count how many throws he successfully caught or have him tell you a new color every time he catches the ball.

Another milestone is for your child to roll forward in a somersault formation.  Have your child squat down on a soft surface such as a grass surface and tuck his head in as he grabs his knees and roll forward.  You may need to give him a little push if he is scared or hesitant.  You can make an obstacle course for your child which includes different developmental milestones at each checkpoint.  This will give multiple opportunities to practice physical skills.  Repetition and practice are vital to mastery of his skills.  It won’t be long before your child will be shouting out, “I did it!”