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Helping Develop Gross Motor Skills
| Children develop gross motor skills through activities that move large muscle groups, such as the arms and legs. The playground is a great place for children to learn and practice gross motor skills. Why not design a playground obstacle course? For example, encourage four to five-year-old children to: |
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Walk backwards or sideways to the slide.
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Climb up the stairs and go down the slide.
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Hop on one foot to a basketball area.
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Throw a basketball into a large basket or hoop.
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Skip from the basketball area to the soccer area.
The Nipissing District Development Screens (NDDS) can help you design an obstacle course specific to your children’s age groups. One section of the NDDS helps parents and childcare providers assess how children are developing. The other section provides activities to promote normal development. The NDDS can be downloaded free from
http://ndds.ca/ontario/home.html.