Helping children learn...
Large movement skills
 
Children learn and master large movement skills at different times-- some very early, others much later-- and that's OK.

It's not a good idea to compare your child's skill at anything with another child's. Children have their own pace, and fast isn't always better.

But it is good to give children the chance to practice them as much as possible. These skills are learned, and practice is important in everything we learn.

The games children play for fun, like...
    skipping rope,
    riding trikes,
    throwing balls,
    ping-pong, or
    baseball

...are the natural ways children learn these large movement skills.

Do whatever you can to help both boys and girls get a chance to play these games.

Illustration by Andrea Elovson, from The Kindergarten Survival Handbook
 
Illustration by Andrea Elovson, from The Kindergarten Survival Handbook If you pass a small flight of steps, take a few moments to let your child go up and down them a few times if they want to (they usually do).
 
Someplace where there are no cars and not too many people, take turns in kicking a large ball ahead of you. Illustration by Andrea Elovson, from The Kindergarten Survival Handbook
 
Illustration by Andrea Elovson, from The Kindergarten Survival Handbook A good way for children to learn to balance and carry a couple of things that are stacked on top of each other is to let them bring or take things to the table.

Be sure you give them things that won't slide or spill, or cause problems if they get dropped.

 
Doing simple, everyday things like these helps children learn
more than you'd ever imagine!
 
[ Back to Some Pages from The Handbook | About small movement skills ]


Copyright © Parent Education Resources from The Kindergarten Survival Handbook
Part 2, "A Guide for Parents"