Just as children need to learn the alphabet to be able to read, they also need to learn basic movement skills to take part in sports and other physical activities. While many people think that these skills come naturally, we know that they do not. Children need practice to master these skills and the best time to start is when children are young!
SO WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT SKILLS?
These skills can broadly be grouped into locomotor skills (e.g. running, jumping, hopping, galloping, skipping and leaping), ball skills (e.g. catching, throwing, kicking, dribbling, underarm roll and striking) and balance.HOW DO I HELP MY CHILD LEARN FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT SKILLS?
There are many ways to help your child learn and practice important fundamental movement skills. The best way is through your everyday active play! Here are some examples of games to play:Locomotor skills
- Try a speedy game of hide and seek, or hide a toy and search together. The important thing here is to encourage your child to run and go faster. Chasey is fun too. The faster the game the funnier it gets!
- Lay a skipping rope or scarf on the ground and teach your child to jump over it. Start by holding both their hands, then just one hand, and soon they’ll be doing it themselves! You can vary this game to teach some of the other skills too – jumping with two feet, leaping with one foot leading and the other following, and hopping with one foot.
- Playing animal games is a great way to incorporate some of the different forms of movement into your child’s routine e.g. jumping like a kangaroo, galloping like a horse.
Ball skills
- Place a tennis ball in an old pair of stockings and tie it from the clothesline or tree. Encourage your child to hit it with their hand. You can move onto using a bat when they’re older but make sure you keep clear!
- Tie balloons to a tree using string and roll up a newspaper with tape or use the inner tube of paper towel or cling wrap as a bat for your child to practice striking.
- Get your child to chase after a ball and encourage them to kick or throw it back to you.
- Catching games: use a blow up beach ball, balloon or rolled up pair of socks to practice throwing and catching (to start, there will not be much catching!).
- Show them how to bounce a ball against a wall. When they’re a bit older they can try to catch it too!
Balance skills
- Provide opportunities for your child to walk on lots of different surfaces such as floors, grass, footpaths, sand and uneven surfaces.
- When you’re out for a walk hold your child’s hand and let them walk along low ledges and garden edges.
- Make a circuit with large cushions on the floor and guide your child over them.
- Kicking in water is something toddlers love to do! Encourage kicking in puddles after rain or in a paddling pool.
- Encourage your child to use stairs, and hold their hand as they leap off the final step giving them praise for their brave effort!
While your child is developing these skills remember to be patient, it takes time! A child may take 4 to 10 hours of instruction time to become confident in a single fundamental movement skill. To start, pick a couple of skills to focus on and as your child gains confidence, slowly introduce others. Developing these movement skills should be a part of a child’s daily active play!
