Assuming there are no serious motor problems present, what can you, as an involved parent, do to help promote your child's motor development? To help ensure she becomes a competent, confident mover who enjoys and therefore takes part in physical activity? The answer is: Plenty!
Practice is one of the most important factors involved in achieving higher levels of skill performance. But one of the most important factors involved in practice is that it not feel like practice!
It's simple, really: All you have to do is play with your child. It should be noncompetitive play, with no pressure whatsoever, and your child should never guess you're trying to "improve" him.
Following are some other general tips to keep in mind:
* Keep the sessions short. It's better to have shorter, more frequent sessions than to wear your child out with a few that seem never-ending.
* Build on skills in a logical order (walking before running; jumping before hopping, etc.). Remember, too, that performing a skill in a stationary environment precedes performing it in a moving environment. An example is catching a ball tossed to oneself versus catching one hit by a bat.
* If you're using equipment (for instance, a bat and ball), be sure it's child-sized. Equipment meant for adults can seriously stack the odds against a child.
* Keep a progression in mind for equipment, too. For instance, if you're working on catching, start with something simple and nonthreatening that allows for maximum success, like a chiffon scarf. Then work your way up from there, perhaps with a balloon, followed by a small beach ball and then increasingly smaller (soft, easily grasped) balls.
* Children need to work on a skill as a whole before attempting its smaller parts. For example, a child needs to feel comfortable with a vertical jump as a whole before she can begin to concentrate on toe-ball-heel landings or the role her arms can play in achieving greater height.
* Be sure your child is dressed in clothing that allows for maximum movement and the possibility of dirtying.
* Whenever possible, demonstrate a skill yourself so your child has an opportunity to see what it should look like. Children need to employ as many senses in the learning process as possible.
Children also need feedback as they practice their motor skills ? and the most important thing you can remember is to keep it neutral and encouraging. We too often believe we need to tell children what they've done wrong ? so they can fix it. But if you do need to make corrections, keep the "sandwich" approach in mind. First, compliment the child on something she's done right. Then suggest a way to eliminate the error. Finally, end with something positive, even if it's to reiterate the first point.
To be truly helpful to a child, we must avoid "moralizing" with our feedback. A jump isn't "good" or "bad." A jump is either high or low, light or heavy. If we use the former descriptors ? or use such general terms as "good job," "good girl/boy," or "I liked that jump" ? we aren't really telling the child anything. He has no idea what was "good" about what he did. But if we describe what we've seen ("You landed very lightly from your jump, with your knees bent. That helps keep your knees from getting hurt."), we not only provide vocabulary for what he's done; we provide useful specifics as well.
Finally, when providing feedback, make sure you give it in small amounts. Young children can generally absorb only one bit of information at a time. So, if your child is practicing his long jump and you're instructing him to "swing your arms out and up and extend your knees and hips on takeoff; then bring your arms back down and bend your knees in preparation for landing," he'll likely miss most ? if not all ? of the information!
Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Rae speaks to parent and education groups throughout North America. To visit her and to read more articles, go to http://www.movingandlearning.com.
Oswego taxi to Midway ..There is a new stage of development for parents to... Read More
Once, as a Learning Support Teacher, I made my way... Read More
You need to smart to be able influence adolescents. You... Read More
So you're going to become a father. Now is not... Read More
At the ADHD Information Library we are big believers that... Read More
"Hugging is healthy: it helps the body's immunity system, it... Read More
Before going further into choosing computers for children, I believe... Read More
Ever blown your top to your children, only to regret... Read More
We're all familiar with the over-indulgent parent. But there's another... Read More
We are all so very happy to see that the... Read More
Age 1: Invite only family members and close friends only... Read More
The snow was getting heavier with each lift of the... Read More
Encouragement comes when you focus on your child's assets and... Read More
Do your children have a McChildhood? Do they experience the... Read More
Chiladult? Whatever you call them, teenagers are a changin' and... Read More
If you're a single parent or a married couple on... Read More
We all wish that our children should not smoke or... Read More
Parents are always looking for ways to open up the... Read More
During the assessment process it is of great importance for... Read More
Did you know there's a game children and parents play... Read More
The key to lifelong learning is reading and writing. When... Read More
As the kids go back to school, you can go... Read More
The hot new reality TV show "Nanny 911" has been... Read More
Teenagers are a work-in-progress, and parenting teenagers can be tricky... Read More
Reasearch into children's friendships shows that those children who are... Read More
shuttle from Midway Morris ..The last decade has seen heightened interest in and awareness... Read More
If I had a dollar for every time I persuaded... Read More
This can be a very complicated issue, so I don't... Read More
As a parent your biggest responsibility is to prepare your... Read More
As the flurry of Back to School activities subside, parents... Read More
One of the most difficult struggles in life for a... Read More
Bullies are an ugly but very real part of childhood.... Read More
If there are any parents reading this who are thinking... Read More
A great many parents are concerned that the electronic games... Read More
My kids just can't get enough of playing games with... Read More
Isn't it ironic that a country whose constitution allows for... Read More
Summertime means insect bites and stings. Ouch! Take a leaf... Read More
If you are a member of a stepfamily, you know... Read More
Nothing touches the heartstrings of a parent or teacher more... Read More
As a parent, you probably know that the birthday party... Read More
For most children, it is easy to learn to read... Read More
Most of our Founding Fathers, including Ben Franklin, Sam Adams,... Read More
Vouchers, which give tax money to parents to pay for... Read More
A certain educator was once asked at what point should... Read More
It can be hard being a parent with a teen... Read More
Although many children are picky eaters at some stage in... Read More
Chaim Ginott was a schoolteacher whose ideas and observations helped... Read More
Life is funny.My twenty-year-old daughter, Melanie, has a her new... Read More
In theory, working at home is an ideal situation. But... Read More
Although many parents become frustrated as they try to maintain... Read More
Parenting |