Improving motor skills in toddlers should be one of the tasks of each parent and educator. That doesn’t mean simply exercising of muscles and movements. On contrary, improving motor skills in toddlers you should organize only through activities. There are a lot of activities that can serve you for that purpose. In this articles, I mention the 5 very interesting.
1. Floating balloons
Take a balloon and hit it gently in the air. Tell the child do not let the balloon fall on. Ensure the space in order to the toddler can move freely and help him/her, if it’s necessary, gently hitting the balloon up. Not allowing the balloon to fall, a child must follow the balloon movement path and so exercises the motoric skills, like running, jumping, throwing, capturing, as well as movement coordination and perception.
More children can participate in the activity. In that case, we recommend you that each child has an own balloon.
2. I’m a plane!
Lay on the stomach, spread arms and imitate the plane. Ask a child to do the same. For older toddlers, the activity can be more complex. When you shout that the plane is taking off, the child needs to climb up and fly the plane in flight. On the exclamation that the planes are off, the child returns to the start position as a plane that catches the runway.
For older toddlers, the activity can be more complex. When you shout that the plane is taking off, the child must climb up and imitate the plane in flight. On the exclamation that the planes are off, the child returns to the start position as a plane that catches the runway.
Similarly, a child can play to drive a car holding a hoop instead of steering. On your words to drive fast, the child must run and be slowing down on the adult’s words to drive slowly.
3. Play Hoops for improving motor skills in toddlers
Take a hoop and invite the toddler to stand next to you grabbing the hoop with both hands. On the word to knit, you need to squat and put the hoop down. On the word to stand up, straight up raising the hoop to the height that a child can reach.
This activity can be continued on the previous one in which a child playing a hoop imitating to drive a car. Both are suitable for improving motor skills in toddlers and toddlers usually consider both like very funny activities.
4. Tiny rock, by rock, there’s a rattle
Insert the tiny rocks into a plastic bottle, close the bottle and show it to the child shaking it. Encourage the child to collect rocks together and insert them into a bottle to make another rattle. Believe me, it will not be difficult to awaken the child’s curiosity for this activity. Children at this age simply love to collect rocks.
This game develops fine motoric skills, walking moves, squatting, practises capturing and improves movement coordination. In case you haven’t open-air conditions, this activity can also be adapted to home conditions. Instead of rocks, you can use beads, but beware that the child doesn’t swallow them. If beads are in different colours, the game will be even more fun.
5. In the animal kingdom!
This activity strengthens the muscles of the legs, hands, exercises crawling, walking, jumping, improving the sense of balance, etc. It’s suitable for adapting to children and provides freedom for creativity. The game can also be organized with more children.
I will give you an example.
You would be a stork, and the toddler a frog. Mark of the part of space where the frog lies and walk imitating a stork around it. Walk highing up your legs bending at knees and stay on one leg just as stork does from time to time. Move away slowly from the toddler, so he/she gets out of the marked place and starts to jump around like a frog. When stork catches the frog, the roles change: you become a frog, and the child should imitate the stork.
For the younger toddlers, the play can be simpler and consists of imitation only. You should imitate the stork, then ask the child to do the same. The child should try to raise legs highly bending at the knees, to stand on one leg, or to drink water as a stork. Then imitate a frog, and ask the child to repeats the imitation.
Similarly, you can imitate the kitty while thickens, the dogs while barks on its tail, the bunny while jumps looking for a carrot, the sheep that softens and the wolf sowing to capture it, … The animal kingdom is enormous. Be creative! Let a child choose roles and movements. Probably, the child’s ability and imagination will surprise you.
P.S.
After all, these 5 funny activities aren’t for improving motor skills in toddlers only, but for improving intelligence, perception, vocabulary and emotions as well. The most important, the toddlers like to play them very much because they are in line with their developmental capabilities. Ok, it’s impossible that some toddlers will not show a big interest in some of the activities. Most toddlers have fun to play them, but every child is an individual. Some child has a different interesting, ability, emotions from the others, but these 5 activities are adaptable. You should be creative! Just try and I believe that your toddlers and you will be enjoyed in great fun. Share with us your experience later and tell us which activity your toddler like the most.
