Movement activities for young children
It is important to understand that movement is one of the most important aspects of a young child’s life. Children will use different movements every day.this may be in their play or when they are communicating with adults. Interaction from children will involve movement.
Providing children with movement activities will enable children to develop their fine and gross motor skills, it is essential to help children develop these skills as they will use these later on in life. Children use movement to explore the world around them and find out about their local surroundings. Children need to be given opportunities that involve using a range of movements such as putting things together, taking things apart, catching things, or just moving themselves around the room. All of these opportunities will help develop both children’s self-esteem and confidence, and gross and fine motor skills.
There are many activities that practitioners can offer children, here are a few suggestions
- Treasure baskets containing a range of resources for children to explore
- Mark making activity using a range of implements eg think and thick brushes
- Using outdoor climbing equipment
- Sand and water play, add different containers to fill and empty
- Moving to music
- Different types of movements outside eg running walking, jumping
- Interlocking puzzles
- Stacking cups
Children will benefit from a range of movement activities. These activities can be short, simple and adapted to children’s ages and stages of development. Physical activities may involve running, jumping, climbing and other imaginative activities still using movements many involve be a bear on an animal walk.
Moving to music is simple but effective, as children move their bodies in different ways and can create intended movements. When offering children activities remember it is about encouraging children to join in whilst supporting them.
Here is an example of an activity where children used their bodies to make marks
Resources needed;
- 2 large shower curtains
- Different coloured paint
- Masking tape
For this activity, you can either place the paper on the floor then add the paint onto top covered by the shower curtain. Or put one shower curtain on the floor followed by the paint then cover over with the second shower curtain. Don’t forget to use the masking tape to stick the edges down to prevent to paint leaking out the edges.
This messy-free activity is great for children who are reluctant in getting messy as they can free move around without getting covered in paint.
Why not try this activity and watch how the children use their bodies to make marks.You will see that children will make marks with their feet, their hands and even their bottoms. It is also a great sensory activity as children are able to explore the texture of the paint by pushing their fingers through it. Don’t forget you can also introduce the colour mixing concept as children will be seeing all different colours being mixed