Motor Skills for Kids

Introduction 

A motor skill is an ability to perform specific movements of the body’s muscles to perform a particular task. These tasks could include walking, running, or lifting. To accomplish this skill, the body’s nervous system, muscles, and brain must all work together—this process is known as motor skills.

Motor skills development is likely to follow the sequence. It starts from the inner body, including the head, neck, arms, and legs, and then moves to the outer body, such as the hands, feet, fingers, and toes. Motor development is essential throughout a child’s early life because physical development is connected to other areas of development. For example, if a child can crawl or walk, they can easily explore their physical environment, which affects their cognitive development. Social and emotional development progresses when a kid can speak, eat, and drink.

Types of Motor Skills

There are two significant types of motor movement:

1. Fine Motor Skills

The ability to make movements using tiny muscles of the hands, wrists, and fingers is known as “fine motor skills.” A child with these skills can grasp, hold, grip, and squeeze anything. Writing with a pencil, picking anything, and holding a glass are included in fine motor skills. These skills help children to learn how to care for themselves. Kids use fine motor skills to do many schools and daily life tasks. Here are some examples of activities in which we use fine motor skills.

• Cursive handwriting.
• Playing video games
• Playing musical instruments such as guitar.
• Using keyboard.
• Knitting.

2. Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills require whole-body movement and involve the body’s large muscles to perform everyday functions, such as standing, crawling, throwing, walking, running, jumping, and sitting. It uses vast muscles in the arms, legs, and torso. We use our gross motor skills every day without much thought or effort. Here are some examples of activities in which we use gross motor skills.

• Climbing Stairs.
• Throwing a ball.
• Kicking a football.
• Walking on the road.
• Lifting a bucket.

Benefits of Motor Skills

There are many benefits which we get in our daily life. Here we will discuss some of the benefits of motor ability in kids.

1. It boosts the confidence of kids. As kids get involved in sports, they start learning decision-making skills.

2. It promotes good physical health.

3. It helps them to release stress and be active.

4. It enhances the cognitive skills of kids.

5. It helps to improve kids’ creative skills.

6. Physical activities such as sports help kids to encourage their social skills.

How to Improve Motor Skills?

There are numerous ways which can improve your kid’s motor skills. Let us discuss some of them.

1. Do puzzles with your child.

2. Painting and drawing can help your child improve their creative skills.

3. Draw some shapes on paper and ask your child to cut them in shape.

4. Sand play is also a fun activity for your child that improves their fine motor skills.

5. Give your child a challenge of building blocks and LEGO. It enhances their logical skills.

Conclusion

Motor skills are essential in early childhood development. Motor skills are important for normal daily functioning and have to be mastered. The five basic motor skills, such as sitting, standing, walking, running, and jumping, are key to the physical development of kids.

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