Supporting gross motor skills at home
Gross motor (physical) skills are those which require whole-body movement, and which involve the large muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing and walking, running and jumping, and sitting upright at the table.
They also include eye-hand coordination skills such as ball skills (throwing, catching, kicking) as well as riding a bike or a scooter and swimming.
Gross motor skills need to be developed in order to support and develop fine motor skills i.e. holding your body still and remaining stable while you grasp an object, such as a pencil or crayon.
Gross and fine motor skills are essential tools that children use in the classroom, at home and on the playground. Play is one of the best ways to strengthen motor skills. When given ample opportunities to play with a variety of interesting materials, young children will grow in many new and exciting ways.
There are lots of opportunities to practise gross motor skills with your child
At home
- Sweeping with a broom
- Using a dustpan and brush
- Hoovering
- Helping with the washing and drying up
- Setting the table
- Cooking tasks that include stirring, rolling, kneading, pouring etc.
- Play dough slime: both making it and playing with it
- Water play in the bath with large toys/ containers
- Watching TV while balancing on an exercise ball or space hopper
- Dusting
- Wiping
- Making the bed
- Bin basketball (screwing up paper and throwing it in the bin)
- Following movement/exercise programs (such as Joe Wicks)
- Movement songs (such as The Hokey Cokey, I’m a Little Teapot, If You’re Happy and You Know it, Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes...
- Playing games like Twister and Simon Says
Outside
- Bikes, trikes and scooters
- Hula hoops
- Skipping
- Jumping
- Hopping
- Trampoline
- Frisbee
- Space hopper
- Swing ball
- Any gardening activities
- Football
- Throwing and catching ( start with a big ball/ balloon and get smaller)
- Hide and seek
- Tennis or any bat/ball games (again you can start with a balloon instead of a ball)
- Stepping stones
- Balancing
- Skittles
- Any outdoor large play equipment (swings, slides, see-saws etc)
Other activities
- Any physical after-school clubs
- Swimming
- Dance and gymnastics
- Cricket
- Martial arts
- Soft play areas
- Playgrounds
- Horse riding
SEMH and Learning Team
Address: PO Box 15, Coventry, CV1 5RRSupporting fine motor skills at home
Fine motor skills enable us to control and co-ordinate our hands, for precise movements.
They are also linked to many other skills that form the building blocks of development, not only writing.
Gross motor skills need to be developed in order to support fine motor skills i.e holding your body still and remaining stable while you grasp an object. Gross motor skills can be supported through: Climbing, yoga, dance, trampolines, balloon and bubble play, bikes and pedal cars, hop-scotch, throwing and catching, animal walks large playground equipment, ‘Simon Says’.
There are lots of opportunities to practice fine motor skills around the home.
Bathroom
- Opening/closing toothpaste, shampoo bottles, wipes and other bathroom items
- Squeezing/pinching toothpaste, pumping hand soap from a bottle
- Turning taps on and off
- Wetting and squeezing out a facecloth
- Dip a sponge into water and squeeze it out into a cup - repeat until the cup is full
- Small squirt toys - (often look like fish or animals), encourage pinching with 1 or 2 fingers opposite the thumb
- Water guns - can also be used for outdoor summer fun as well as in the bath
Kitchen/mealtimes
- Pulling open zip lock bags and closing them - encourage using fingertips to press and seal
- Twisting or pulling open plastic containers (and closing them)
- Unpeeling plastic wrap or tin foil
- Pushing the Start button on an appliance with guidance
- Peeling bananas
- Stirring a thick mixture
- Knead dough and roll it out with a rolling pin
- Pouring an ingredient into a mixture
Dressing
- Pulling open drawers
- Zips and press-studs
- Pulling shoelaces or drawstring
- Velcro
- Buttons
Games
- Finger games/rhymes - Incey Wincey Spider, This Little Piggy (on fingers rather than toes), ‘Peter Pointer’
- Pop the bubbles bubble wrap by pinching with thumb and index finger or by pushing down on bubbles when sheet is placed on a hard surface
- Pick-up sticks or Jenga
- Wind-up toys
- Tong games - Operation, Crocodile Dentist, Bedbugs ect.
- Use pointing finger while reading books and looking for objects in pictures
- Counting on fingers one at a time
- Place coins or counters in narrow slots; a piggy bank is perfect or Connect Four game
Useful websites
- The Tool Box [http://www.theottoolbox.com/fine-motor-skills/]
- Griffin Occupational Therapy [http://www.griffinot.com/category/fine-motor-skills]