What can parents do to help promote the sensory and motor development in their children to lay the foundation for early school success?

Balance Balance is the foundational skill of all movement. It is the ability to move your body under control. Ideas to work on balance: Standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed) Walking down a line, curb or balance beam Hopscotch patterns Cross crawl patterns Statues Bike riding, skateboarding, rollerblading, gymnastics, swinging, dancing Balance Balance is the foundational skill of all movement. It is the ability to move your body under control. Also, the following things are true about balance as it relates to academics: Balance helps a child exhibit better handwriting. Balance helps a child remain on task or get on task. Balance helps a child to concentrate. Balance helps a child color within the lines or cut on a line.   Ideas to work on balance: Walk one foot in front of the other down a line or on a curb. If this is easy, practice walking touching heel to toe down the same line or curb. Stand on one foot (make sure you work on both feet with this) If this is easy, have them stand on one foot and throw a beanbag to a target or stand on one foot and play catch with a ball. Work on standing on one foot with eyes open and eyes closed. (Goal is to have children be able to hold on one-foot with eyes open to 6 seconds and with eyes closed for 6 seconds and do this on both feet.) Try hopping on one foot. Make hopscotch patterns and work on hopping on both feet. Balance an object (ex: beanbag) on head and walk across the room. If this is easy, then balance a beanbag on head and shoulders and walk across the room. Jumping rope. Statues – play music and pause it in the middle, with the pause, the child has to hold a “statue” position until the music begins again. Cross crawl – touch right hand to left knee (lifting knee up) then left hand to meet right knee. Repeat 10 times. Slowly! Childhood games to improve balance: bike riding, hopscotch, rollerblading, dancing, swinging, twister, skateboarding. gymnastics.

Laterality/Directionality Laterality is knowing the difference between your left and right, forward and backward and up and down. This is essential in learning where to start to draw letters, where to begin to read on a page, and which side of a word to begin reading. Balloon Up – hit a balloon up in the air to spoken directions, “hit with the left, hit with the right, now right, left, right, etc. This requires listening and awareness of the sides of your body.   Throw beanbags to arrows – make arrows and space them out, point one arrow “up”, one arrow “down”, one to the “right” and one to the “left”. Have your child throw to the target as you call out “Left, right, up, down, etc.” If this becomes easy, then give the child 3 beanbags and tell them directions before they throw (ex: throw to the down arrow, then the right arrow then the up arrow) this will add a memory component. Dribble directions—dribble with your right hand, then left hand and have the child follow your directions. Jumping turns—On the floor or a mini-tramp, practice jumping quarter turns and half turns – then shout out directions – “jump half turn right, quarter turn right, half turn left, etc.” You can also have them jump forward or backward, etc. Childhood games to improve laterality/directionality: Throwing, printing, drawing pictures, mazes, dot to dot, hokey pokey, Simon says, setting the table, drawing a map of their room or house, etc., tracing.

Laterality/Directionality Ideas to work on laterality/directionality: Balloon Up Throw beanbags to Arrows Dribble Directions Jumping Turns Throwing, Mazes, Hokey Pokey, Simon Says, Drawing a map of the house, Tracing, Setting the Table Balloon Up – hit a balloon up in the air to spoken directions, “hit with the left, hit with the right, now right, left, right, etc. This requires listening and awareness of the sides of your body.   Throw beanbags to arrows – make arrows and space them out, point one arrow “up”, one arrow “down”, one to the “right” and one to the “left”. Have your child throw to the target as you call out “Left, right, up, down, etc.” If this becomes easy, then give the child 3 beanbags and tell them directions before they throw (ex: throw to the down arrow, then the right arrow then the up arrow) this will add a memory component. Dribble directions—dribble with your right hand, then left hand and have the child follow your directions. Jumping turns—On the floor or a mini-tramp, practice jumping quarter turns and half turns – then shout out directions – “jump half turn right, quarter turn right, half turn left, etc.” You can also have them jump forward or backward, etc. Childhood games to improve laterality/directionality: Throwing, printing, drawing pictures, mazes, dot to dot, hokey pokey, Simon says, setting the table, drawing a map of their room or house, etc., tracing.

Visual-Motor Coordination This is the ability to coordinate vision with movement. This is important in academics because: Helps a child to copy things and to write, color, and cut things properly (fine motor type skills). Helps a child to track when reading. Helps a child line up letters/numbers in columns & rows. Visual-Motor Coordination This is the ability to coordinate vision with movement. This is important in academics because: Visual motor coordination helps a child to copy things and to write, color, and cut things properly (fine motor type skills). Visual motor coordination helps a child to track when reading. Visual motor coordination helps a child to line up letters and numbers, etc. in columns and rows.   Ideas to work on visual motor coordination: Ball catching activities – start with a bigger ball (playground size) that the child can catch with 2 hands. Bounce it to them and work toward throwing it to their chests. As they improve, use smaller balls or beanbags. Once they can catch it thrown to their chest or bounced, throw it higher in the air so they have to visually track the ball and catch it. Throw to a target – underhand throw a beanbag or ball into a crate or bucket. Gradually, move the target to more difficult positions. You could also make colored shapes, numbers, or letters and place them on the floor and work on throwing to the “red square”, the “blue circle”, the letter “A” or the number “3”, etc. Balloon hits – hit a balloon back and forth between hands. Hit the balloon back and forth to a partner. Try keeping two balloons up in the air. Ball dribbling develops “hand-eye” coordination. Soccer dribbling develops “foot-eye” coordination. Juggling. Childhood games to improve visual-motor skills: legos, pick-up sticks, ball and jacks, marbles, blocks, puzzles, hammering, coloring, drawing, cutting, printing, copying.

Visual-Motor Coordination This is the ability to coordinate vision with movement. Ideas to work on Visual-Motor: Ball catching activities Throwing to a target-underhand Balloon Hits Ball Dribbling Juggling Legos, pick-up sticks, ball & jacks, puzzles, hammering, coloring, drawing, cutting, copying Visual-Motor Coordination This is the ability to coordinate vision with movement. This is important in academics because: Visual motor coordination helps a child to copy things and to write, color, and cut things properly (fine motor type skills). Visual motor coordination helps a child to track when reading. Visual motor coordination helps a child to line up letters and numbers, etc. in columns and rows.   Ideas to work on visual motor coordination: Ball catching activities – start with a bigger ball (playground size) that the child can catch with 2 hands. Bounce it to them and work toward throwing it to their chests. As they improve, use smaller balls or beanbags. Once they can catch it thrown to their chest or bounced, throw it higher in the air so they have to visually track the ball and catch it. Throw to a target – underhand throw a beanbag or ball into a crate or bucket. Gradually, move the target to more difficult positions. You could also make colored shapes, numbers, or letters and place them on the floor and work on throwing to the “red square”, the “blue circle”, the letter “A” or the number “3”, etc. Balloon hits – hit a balloon back and forth between hands. Hit the balloon back and forth to a partner. Try keeping two balloons up in the air. Ball dribbling develops “hand-eye” coordination. Soccer dribbling develops “foot-eye” coordination. Juggling. Childhood games to improve visual-motor skills: legos, pick-up sticks, ball and jacks, marbles, blocks, puzzles, hammering, coloring, drawing, cutting, printing, copying.

Bilateral Motor Skills Bilateral motor skills involve learning to coordinate both sides of the body. This reflects the ability to coordinate the right and left sides of the brain usually in combination with other sensory input. Bilateral Motor Skills Bilateral motor skills involve learning to coordinate both sides of the body. This reflects the ability to coordinate the right and left sides of the brain usually in combination with other sensory input. Children with adequate bilateral motor skills are better prepared for early school success. Ideas to work on bilateral motor skills:   Jumping jacks. Skipping. If this is difficult at first, break it down into a one foot hop and then a step…. Tell them, “hop up. down then step, hop up, down then step, etc…” Kids should try to learn to skip before they leave kindergarten so practice this one. Dribbling with alternating hands. Soccer dribbling with alternating feet. Jumping rope. Tapping a balloon back and forth between hands and not letting it hit the floor. Cross crawl—touch elbow to opposite knee while walking or marching to music. Can do this with eyes open and closed. Childhood games to improve bilateral motor skills: swimming, marching with the cross crawl pattern, gymnastics, running, and rollerblading. Children with adequate bilateral motor skills are better prepared for early school

Bilateral Motor Skills Ideas to work on bilateral motor skills: Jumping jacks Skipping Dribbling with Alternate Hands Jumping Rope Cross crawls Balloon Taps Between Hands Swimming, Marching with Cross Crawl Pattern, Gymnastics, Running and Rollerblading Bilateral Motor Skills Bilateral motor skills involve learning to coordinate both sides of the body. This reflects the ability to coordinate the right and left sides of the brain usually in combination with other sensory input. Children with adequate bilateral motor skills are better prepared for early school success. Ideas to work on bilateral motor skills:   Jumping jacks. Skipping. If this is difficult at first, break it down into a one foot hop and then a step…. Tell them, “hop up. down then step, hop up, down then step, etc…” Kids should try to learn to skip before they leave kindergarten so practice this one. Dribbling with alternating hands. Soccer dribbling with alternating feet. Jumping rope. Tapping a balloon back and forth between hands and not letting it hit the floor. Cross crawl—touch elbow to opposite knee while walking or marching to music. Can do this with eyes open and closed. Childhood games to improve bilateral motor skills: swimming, marching with the cross crawl pattern, gymnastics, running, and rollerblading.

Other Gross Motor Suggestions Swinging Sliding Climbing the Monkey Bars Spinning on a Sit & Spin (controlled) Tire Swing Obstacle courses Races (running, wheelbarrow racing, dribbling a ball with hands or feet, skipping or galloping,etc.) Other gross motor suggestions: Encourage swinging, sliding, climbing the monkey bars (good for upper body strength), spinning on a sit and spin (in a controlled fashion) or on a tire swing. Make obstacle courses, or have races. (Can do several ways of racing: running, wheelbarrow walking, dribbling a ball with hands or with feet, skipping, galloping, etc.

By enhancing your child’s motor skills, you will: Help him/her start down the path of early learning success. By enhancing your child’s motor skills (and fitness), you will help him/her start down the path of early learning success, which builds the foundation of learning for life! Build the foundation of learning for life!

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