by Ananda Van Der Westhuizen

Created on: September 04, 2010

HOW TO HELP PRESCHOOLERS DEVELOP BASIC SKILLS

Every child has a natural tendency to learn and explore. This tendency has a natural developmental consequence. Experts have identified so many levels and stages of development. It is therefore no wonder that so many parents are willing to pay huge amounts of money for all kinds of activities to ensure that their children develop everything there is to develop!

How do we help our children develop these? The most effective way for a child to develop is through conversation, physical contact, hands-on activities and a safe environment to explore in.

Experts say that daily exposure to texture, pressing, rolling, holding, fitting, building, weaving and anything that the children can do that involves their hands and eyes will develop their small motor skills. This means that while our children are actively busy completing their chores, small motor skills are developed. Let us start thinking practically. Think about what we use to clean; a course cloth to wipe the table (texture), fitting lids to tubs when packing clean dishes away (fitting), when they play indoors, pressing, rolling and forming clay with their hands and fingers (pressing, rolling, textures), playing with building blocks such as wooden blocks, Lego-like blocks, shape block etc. (building) or baking and cooking (hand-eye-practise). An alternative twist to develop small motor skills is through playing board games. These usually entail textured surfaces of various shapes and sizes. The players are required to handle small pieces or cards or rolling the die. Sometimes a series of activities are required. Spelling- and math skills and sometimes self control are developed indirectly.

This brings us to the large motor skills. The large motor skills entail the development of the big muscles in the children's bodies. Usually the back muscles, the leg- and arm muscles. These muscles are used to develop a collection of physical abilities that our children master daily. Walking, balancing, crawling, sitting, and rolling are the earliest signs of large motor skill development. The older our children are, the more able they are to do even more, such as running, jumping, climbing, balancing and moving together, holding on to poles and trees, combining movement and balancing to swing as well as swimming. Add to this list any physical ability such as cycling, roller blade, skate boarding, rope jumping, skipping. Activity or jungle gyms, trampolines or any play park equipment

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