Stop, Go, Start Again! Movement Skills In Action!

Children are constantly on the move!  They love to go go go!  It’s like they have a mission to always be somewhere first!  You’ve witnessed your child’s locomotor skills improve with age and practice.  Remember when they took their first wobbly steps and tumbled down?  Now they are running with ease and control.  It’s critical for your child to refine their motor skills so they are able to keep their bodies under control.  They need to be aware of the personal space of others so they aren’t bumping in to people or falling out of their chairs.  When your child feels comfortable with his gross motor movements his confidence will grow especially when it comes to peer interactions.

By age four your child should be able to walk, run, hop, jump, skip and gallop.  Your child may occasionally need reminders to slow down and to concentrate on their movements.  For example, when it comes to hopping on one foot, your child may hop once and then fall down laughing!  Before you know it he will be up again and trying it all over.  This time remind him to focus on his balance . You should also see if he can increase his stamina by asking him to jump two to three times on his preferred foot.  Then switch feet and try again!  Harder, right?  By repeating the movement over and over again your child is building his muscle memory and soon little thought will be required to complete the skill.

These basic skills are essential for success in athletics as your child grows and begins to engage in team sports.  You can help your child practice his skills by playing simple games outdoors (or indoors) that emphasize stopping and starting.  One of my favorite games and a quick one to implement without any props is “Red Light, Green Light”.  In this game your child chooses a way to get from here to there, such as hopping or crawling.  When the light is green or you say “green” your child can move, but as soon as the light is “red” your child has to stop!  Another game my children enjoyed playing was “Islands”.  In this game you draw circles on the ground. You can also use hula-hoops or jump ropes to create circles on the ground.  When the music begins the children can choose any movement to get around the pretend water, but as soon as the music stops they must quickly get to an island and stop!  One of my personal favorite games is “Freeze Dance”.  In “Freeze Dance” when the music is playing the children dance freely but as soon as the music stops it’s time to “Freeze” in position.  These active games focus on a variety of movement patterns and emphasize the importance of physical space along with refining the basic skills needed as he grows and develops into a future sportsman!