Gross Motor & Hand-Eye Coordination

 

Click for an explanation here: Why should we let them play?

We used to call them Monkey Bars. I believe they call them Jungle Gyms these days. I passed by 4 each week while driving to see a tutoring client and whether spring, summer, fall, or winter, I rarely see children playing on them. Monkey Bars or the Jungle Gym, develop children's gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they learn to swing from one bar to the next. Monkey bars are challenging, which means when kids finally succeed, they can feel happier and more confident. Research says these basic gross motor and hand-eye coordination skills are underdeveloped in at-risk teens struggling with literacy.

Hand-eye coordination is a complex cognitive ability necessary for the performance of literacy tasks such as writing and spelling ad is helpful in maintaining self-regulation for daily tasks as well as in developing social-emotional skills. I am promoting play at a child's early stage in development. Turn off the television, put the ipads away, save the tablets for later and let them play. Even in the winter, dress them warm and let them play for at least 15 or 20 minutes a few times a day.

You don't need expensive play equipment in the yard if you can't afford it. But let them roll around in fall leaves before you rack and bag them. Or let them play in the fresh winter snow before you shovel it. Put a simple large box in the yard in the spring or summer and watch them creatively have at it before you throw it away. Milk crates are as creative for child's play as building blocks. Using old spoons, let them dig in the yard and plant flowers in the spring. Allow them to make a mud pie or two while they are learning to garden. In the summer, let them turn the water hose on in the yard and get in some water play. Be creative, but let them play.