Activities on how to improve children's motor skills?

Question

i'm volunteeing for an intstitution that takes care of babies and toddlers. as a part of my volunteering, i want to help improve the children's motor skills and guide them to their emotional deveopment. can you suggest activities that would help improve their skills and emotional development?

Answer 1

Tracing letters, numbers, their name. Using clothes pins. Pouring wet and dry materials( colored water, beans, rice). Using can opener(depends on age) Ring toss, bean bag toss. Things like this are really fun and can be used in MANY different ways.

Answer 2

When I coach my 3s and 4s in gymnastics, I find it is very easy to help them develop large motor skills. I don't know what kind of supplies or toys you have available to you, but taking them through fun stretching exercises with a good morning song would be a fun way to start.

For example, if you have large felt hearts for Valentine's week, you could say, "Let your valentine touch the sky!" and have them stretch both arms overhead. "Let your valentine touch your toes!" and demonstrate by bending over with straight legs. And for the element of silliness, which is essential with toddlers, "Let it touch your nose!" which always prompts giggles!

Sit them on the ground and take them gently through some stretches that you might do, but make up fun names for them. We do a stretch where the soles of your feet touch, and the kids bend over and try to touch their heads to their feet. But I say, "Smell your feet. Do they stink?" The kids always try harder to smell their feet!

Good luck to you!

Answer 3

Glue elbows dry peas or other dry beans to constrctn paper. Fine motor skills.

Answer 4

Here are some ideas for gross motor skills:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Here are some ideas for fine motor skills:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

if you could find a way to consult with a pediatric occupational therapist, that would be best.  Talk to the institution you are volunteering for and see if they have an OT on staff.  It is much better for the kids if you do things that complement what an OT is doing or is guided by and  OT.  They will be impressed by your initiative and desire to be a part of their team.

Answer 6

Some great activities that all kids love are gluing - if you write out say a letter A and let them trace it with glue then put Cherrios over the glue.  They will probably eat them too or make neclaces out of the Cherrios another day threading the neclaces.  

Tonnes of encouragement should accompany whatever you do with them, "that is a wonderful picture"; "you are so smart"

"wow, look what so and so did".

Activities with safety sissors are also great for fine tunning the motor skills but can take a while for the kids to learn how to hold the sissors and cut.  

Nature walks are great if you are able and they can  glue their findings to construction paper.  A visit to the local park is great for the large motor skills - I think if kids are in care all day, they have to have some outdoors time otherwise they will be litterally climbing the walls!

Its a bit trickier for babies but they respond very well to fun kids songs and music buy a cd with songs like insy binsy spidder and do the actions with it.  

Hope this helps, good luck.