Building Motor Skills through Play Program

This program provides a variety of movement activities for children to explore ‘huffing and puffing’ in a way that feels supportive for their nervous systems. For some children, the sensation of feeling breathless when engaged in physical activity can feel overwhelming. The games in this program have been created to support children in learning to associate these sensations with fun and achievement, rather than discomfort or anxiety.

The activities can be adapted to each child’s developmental stage, offering activities that can be scaled up or down based on their abilities. This flexibility ensures that each child can engage at their own level, regardless of whether they are still developing their foundational gross motor skills, or are ready for more complex challenges.

As children engage in game play, they will also have the opportunity to build resilience, improve communication skills, and develop skills for social and cooperative play. Individual games may foster a sense of achievement and resilience as children work towards improving their own personal goals, while partner and group games require teamwork and problem-solving, as well as the opportunity to experience both winning and losing.

Childhood development occurs from the inside out, so in order to support children with academic tasks, we first need to build strength in their large muscles, including their legs and arms. Then, we can lay the foundations for building hand strength, which in turn enhances fine motor precision needed for writing, drawing and manipulating objects.

From this solid foundation, children can then build and refine higher level skills, such as balance, bilateral integration, motor sequencing and planning, and hand-eye coordination. It is through the sequenced development of these skills that we can support children in building the skills required for academic learning.