Learning & Development: Movement Play - Kick start

Children need time to play and move on their own, discovering and exploring what their bodies can do. They also need adult-led activities that will challenge and guide them to develop to the best of their ability. They should be able to explore the environment and choose what they do for a large part of their day, developing skills naturally, and well-planned adult-led activities will enhance this development. These activities should be interesting for children in order for them to want to engage, as well as instilling a love of being active.

Children also, of course, need to develop their fine motor skills. First, they need to develop many gross motor skills that underpin their fine motor ability and ability to approach tasks such as writing and cutting with scissors. Consider the important components for effective writing: posture and balance for hand and arm control; strong muscles in their back, stomach, neck and shoulders to support refined hand and finger skills; bilateral co-ordination, for example, using both hands at the same time; spatial awareness to organise what is on the page; and hand-eye co-ordination to guide their hand across the page. These are all developed through play and physical activities when children are young.