Year R continue to practise their gross motor skills and build their core muscles. During our art lesson this week, we concentrated on making loops and circular movements using whole arms, shoulders and generally moving the whole body.
After a short warm-up, we practised our moves within a dance routine to ‘Jump in the Line’ by Harry Belafonte (parents will remember the song from the film Beetle Juice). The children then took part in two activities. While one group drew large loops with chalks on the playground, the other group made streamer wands (a fine motor task) to wave and to encourage them to continue the whole body movements outside. The groups then swapped. Every child went home covered in chalk waving a streamer! Another really fun lesson!
Gross motor skills are those using the children’s whole bodies. Practising specific movements strengthens muscles and helps children to become increasingly confident, agile and flexible. These skills are essential and must be obtained before going on to develop fine motor skills and learning to write and draw.
