Developing Your Child’s Fundamental Movement Skills

Children generally become more independent by acquiring fundamental movement skills. Age appropriate movement skills allow kids to participate more in athletic activities with a fair degree of success. As a parent, it’s up to you to help your child master physical literacy by spending a little extra time on the playground and the gymnasium. Based on recent reports, kids today are not really as active as they should be. Devices like smartphones, tablets and TVs are a common barrier to a healthier lifestyle among children. Most parents and caregivers battle to manage their children’s screen time but throw in the towel after several futile attempts. The following are the fundamental movement skills and some activities under each to keep your child active:

Locomotion

The moment your little one learns how to keep one foot ahead of the other, there’s still a lot to learn. Make it a little more interesting by showing them how to have fun with their new-found skill. You could teach them to go up or down stairs, walk backwards, over uneven terrain, and so on. Teach them a new walking skill every day at the park or even indoors.

Manipulative

These are the skills required to move objects around. Even a simple game of catch is enough to build your child’s manipulative skills. Leave aside the complex activities and stick to the simple stuff. You can have fun tossing around a tennis ball or throwing paper balls into a cup. Next time you buy water by the park, have fun tossing the bottle into a nearby dustbin.

Balance and Stability

Stability relates to the ability to maintain balance when either moving or stationary. In your play time or outing, be sure to include simple balancing activities. For example, encourage healthy competition by finding out who can balance on one foot for the longest time. Alternatively, reward your children if they can walk a little further every day on a straight line.

Movement and Body Awareness

This is generally the fact of knowing what one’s body is like and how one can move with it. On your next hike or walk, add a jump, skip or hop. If there’s a puddle of mud along the way, hop over it and let your kids follow. Do the same for the crack on the sidewalk or the pile of leaves in the park. Make it a little more engaging by jumping over a step or a bench.

Other fundamental movement skills include crossing the midline and upper body development. There are tons of ways to develop your child’s movement skills in your daily activities. You can make your movement lessons with your young ones more effective by using ideal equipment such as balloons, beanbags, bubbles, cones, feathers, fly swats, jumping equipment (ropes, sacks, etc.) and so on.

At Fitness Kid, you can find high-quality gym equipment at pretty affordable prices. We have a lot more to offer in the form of accessories besides movement equipment. Learn more about our products and services and get in touch with us today.