The ABCs of Motor Development?
2nd June, 2010 - Posted by - 3 Comments
Ask any parent or educator what the building blocks of language development are and they will quickly reply, “Learning the ABCs, of course!”
Well, just like teaching children their ABCs, teaching fundamental motor skills is vitally important to proper development and later learning.
So, what are the ABCs of motor skill development?
- Locomotor/traveling skills: including walking, running, skipping, galloping, sliding, and leaping
- Non-locomotor skills: including stretching, bending, twisting, swaying, and turning
- Manipulative/object control skills: including tossing, catching, throwing, and kicking
Think of it as helping the children in your world build a movement foundation. With the foundation in place, children will be able to master more advanced skills and enjoy things like dancing, sports, riding bicycles and more as they grow into adulthood.
All of these activities hinge on the fundamental movement skills — and the place to learn those is during early childhood.
The more opportunities we give children to practice these skills, the more successful and confident they will feel in using and moving their bodies — and enjoy doing so.
Stay tuned — lots more information, tips and ideas for facilitating motor skill development is on the way!
Now, I am off to see if I can still rock a hula-hoop. – Bethe 
Bethe Almeras, MS, is the HSBS Training Director. A long time educator and play advocate, she is passionate about outdoor play and connecting children with nature. In her free time Bethe writes a blog, The Grass Stain Guru, and can often be found playing outside and enjoying Mother Nature. She is particularly fond of chatting with squirrels.
Featured photo credit: Dawn Ashley
Tags: childhood, development, ECE, head start, motorskills, movement, nature, outdoors, Parent, Physical Activity, Play, preschool
Posted on: June 2, 2010
Filed under: Education, Physical Activity
3 Comments
Tanner
June 2nd, 2010 at 4:01 pm
This is a very interesting article and depicts great ways for children to build their “movement foundation.” It gives a sense of how children adapt to their environment and develop all types motor skills.
Amanda Helmkamp
June 15th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I would also include hopping and jumping in locomotor and swinging, not sure where you would place it locomotor/manipulative. Sometimes people forget that motor development is just as important and other more “academic” learning that happens in early childhood.
hsbs
June 16th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Yes, Amanda — a lot more skills go in there — we were just highlighting a few.
Thanks for the input, Barbara & Jenny! Cheers- Bethe
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