GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

WHAT, WHY, & HOW

 GROSS MOTOR SKILLS DEFINITION

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS ARE THE ONES INVOLVED IN MOVEMENT AND COORDINATION OF
LARGE MUSCLE GROUPS OF THE BODY
CORE: BENDING & STRAIGHTENING
LEGS: RUNNING & JUMPING
ARMS: THROWING & CATCHING
COMBINED ACTIVITIES: SWIMMING, CRAWLING, ETC
ACTIVITY
 INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE

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RESEARCH
DETRIMENTS OF LOWER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
 OBESITY
1/3 AMERICAN KIDS AND TEENS IS OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE.
THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IN CHILDREN MORE THAN TRIPLED FROM 1971
TO 2011
CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS NOW THE NO. 1 HEALTH CONCERN AMONG
PARENTS IN THE UNITED STATES, TOPPING DRUG ABUSE AND SMOKING.
BEING OVERWEIGHT IS A RISK TO PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
PHYSICAL INACTIVITY CONTRIBUTES TO WEIGHT GAIN
ONLY 1/3 OF KIDS ARE GETTING RECOMMENDED DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
 INACTIVITY
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT CHILDREN TEND TO BE MORE ACTIVE WHEN OUTDOORS
THEY BECOME FITTER AND LEANER
DEVELOP STRONGER IMMUNE SYSTEMS
HAVE MORE ACTIVE IMAGINATIONS
EXPERIENCE LOWER STRESS LEVELS
PLAY MORE CREATIVELY
HAVE GREATER RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS.

TIME SPENT OUTDOORS IS ALSO THE BEST WAY TO GET VITAMIN D.

 AEROBIC FITNESS

YOUNG PEOPLES AEROBIC FITNESS HAS DECLINED WORLDWIDE SINCE ABOUT 1975.

YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY ARE ABOUT 15 PERCENT LESS AEROBICALLY FIT THAN THEIR PARENTS WERE WHEN
THEY WERE YOUNG.

CHILDREN TODAY TAKE 90 SECONDS LONGER TO RUN A MILE THAN KIDS DID 30 YEARS AGO

IN 1985, DOMINANT HAND GRIP STRENGTH WAS ON AVERAGE 121 POUNDS. TODAY, THAT NUMBER HAS
DECREASED TO 101 POUNDS, THE STUDY FOUND.
 The Body and Brain
THE BRAIN IS SEPARATED INTO FRONT AND BACK REGIONS AND CAN THOUGHT OF AS
THE MOTOR BRAIN AND THE THINKING BRAIN
THE BODY TRAINS THE BRAIN
 ACTIVE PLAY AND INACTIVE TIME: TV USE
AND TV VIEWING

CHILDREN SPEND TOO MUCH TIME IN FRONT OF SCREENS.

WHEN CHILDREN ARE WATCHING TV, THEY ARENT MOVING!

CHILDREN TEND TO EAT MORE WHEN THEYRE WATCHING TV, WHICH CAN LEAD TO
OVERWEIGHT.
PROMOTE THAT CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS GET THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT
OF DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (1 HOUR) AND ADEQUATE SLEEP (812 HOURS,
DEPENDING ON AGE).
CHILDREN UNDER 18 MONTHS: NO SCREEN TIME (EXCEPT VIDEO CHATTING)
CHILDREN 2 TO 5 YEARS, LIMIT SCREEN USE TO 1 HOUR PER DAY OF HIGH-QUALITY
PROGRAMS.
OLDER CHILDREN.LIMITED TIME
RESEARCH
BENEFITS OF HIGHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
 BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IMPROVES ACTUAL BRAIN FUNCTION BY HELPING NERVE CELLS TO MULTIPLY,
CREATING MORE CONNECTIONS FOR LEARNING (COTMAN, 2002; FERRIS, 2007).

RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT AN INCREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT ON
COGNITION, ESPECIALLY FOR EARLY ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS (SIBLEY, 2002).

AS AN ADDED BONUS, BEING PHYSICALLY FIT AS A CHILD MAY MAKE YOU SMARTER FOR LONGER AS YOU
GROW OLD. (DEARY, 2006).
 BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

RECENT RESEARCH INDICATES THAT REGULAR PARTICIPATION IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MAY IMPROVE
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE.

SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ADDED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTO THEIR CURRICULUM SHOWED A 6% INCREASE IN
STUDENTS STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES (DONNELLY, 2011).

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS STRONGLY LINKED TO CHILDRENS ACHIEVEMENT AND COGNITIVE OUTCOMES, WITH
AEROBIC EXERCISE HAVING THE GREATEST EFFECT (FEDEWA & AHN, 2011).

CHILDREN WHO PARTICIPATED IN 90 MINUTES/WEEK OF MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING AN AFTER

SCHOOL PROGRAM DISPLAYED IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING MEMORY (KAMIJO, 2011).
 BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

RESEARCH INDICATED THAT CHILDREN WHO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING PHYSICAL
EDUCATION LESSONS MAY FACILITATE IMMEDIATE AND DELAYED MEMORY (PESCE, 2009).

MANY STUDIES SHOW THAT THE MORE VIGOROUS THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS THE LARGER THE EFFECTS
ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE (CARLSON, 2008; CASTELLI, 2011).
 BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

EVEN SINGLE EVENTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE COGNITION.

ONE STUDY REVEALED THAT PREADOLESCENT CHILDREN WHO COMPLETED 20 MINUTES OF TREADMILL
TRAINING AT A MODERATE PACE RESPONDED TO TEST QUESTIONS ON READING, SPELLING, AND
ARITHMETIC WITH GREATER ACCURACY AND HAD IMPROVED READING COMPREHENSION COMPARED TO
CHILDREN WHO HAD BEEN SITTING.

IN ADDITION, THE CHILDREN COMPLETED LEARNING TASKS FASTER AND MORE ACCURATELY WERE MORE LIKELY
TO READ ABOVE THEIR GRADE LEVEL FOLLOWING THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (HILLMAN, 2009).
 BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT SOME CHILDREN WHO PARTICIPATED IN A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM
IMPROVED THEIR ON-TASK BEHAVIORS BY 20 PERCENT (MAHAR, 2006).

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH REVEALED THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MAY IMPROVE CONCENTRATION (TARAS,
2005).

LEARNING WHILE ENGAGING IN MORE COORDINATED GROSS MOTOR SKILLS SUCH AS BALANCING,
REACTION TIME, ETC. WERE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER CONCENTRATION ON ACADEMIC TASKS (BUDDE,
2008).
 WHY ARE GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS?
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS AND MASTERY OF THE LARGE MUSCLE GROUPS PROVIDE THE
FOUNDATION FOR MOVEMENT, COORDINATION AND BALANCE.
SAFETY, IN THE CLASSROOM, ON THE PLAYGROUND, AND IN THE GYM.
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS BUILD THE FOUNDATION FOR FINE MOTOR SKILLS: IF A CHILD HAS
DIFFICULTY SITTING IN A CHAIR, WRITING AND COLORING WILL BE MORE OF A CHALLENGE.
BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON MENTAL HEALTH

EXPERTS SAY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ALLOWS CHILDREN TO HAVE A BETTER OUTLOOK ON LIFE BY BUILDING
CONFIDENCE, MANAGING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, AND INCREASING SELF-ESTEEM AND COGNITIVE SKILLS.
EXERCISE ALSO RELEASES ENDORPHINS, WHICH CORRELATES TO A HAPPY CHILD, SAID LEN SAUNDERS,
PHYSICAL HEALTH EDUCATOR, AND AUTHOR OF KEEPING KIDS FIT AND BUDDY AND BEA.

ONE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT MODERATE TO VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT AGES 6 AND 8 IS LINKED TO
FEWER SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION TWO YEARS LATER.
ANOTHER STUDY CONCLUDED THAT CYBERCYCLING IMPROVES CLASSROOM FUNCTIONING FOR CHILDREN
WITH BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS.
BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON MENTAL HEALTH

KREMER & COLLEAGUES STUDY ON ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, LEISURE-TIME

SCREEN USE, AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS:
MODERATE TO HIGH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS WERE REPORTED BY 33% OF THESE YOUTHS.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPORTS & PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
PHYSICALLY ACTIVE FOR 60 MINUTES PER DAY Depression
LOWER LEVELS OF LEISURE-TIME SCREEN USE
(VIDEO GAME, COMPUTER, TELEVISION)
HOW
 MUSCLE STRENGTH

BASIC MUSCLE GROUPS

CORE MUSCLES
(AB MUSCLES ON THE FRONT, THE LOWER BACK MUSCLES AND GLUTES ON THE BACK, THE DIAPHRAGM ON THE TOP,
AND THE PELVIC FLOOR AND HIP MUSCLES ON THE BOTTOM.)
QUADS/LEGS
SHOULDERS/ARMS

PROXIMAL TO DISTAL STRENGTH!!!!

ACTIVE PLAY AND INACTIVE
TIME: OUTDOOR PLAY

CHILDREN ARE MORE ACTIVE OUTDOORS

THERE ARE LEARNING BENEFITS TO OUTDOOR

PLAY
ACTIVE PLAY AND INACTIVE TIME: COMPUTERS

SET A TIME LIMIT

SUPERVISE

EDUCATIONAL AND
DEVELOPMENTALLY
APPROPRIATE SOFTWARE
 MOTOR SKILLS & DEVELOPMENT

MOTOR SKILLS ARE INFLUENCED BY: MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT, MUSCLE STRENGTH, SENSATION, NEURAL
CONNECTIONS, COGNITION, ATTENTION,
INCREASED DEFICITS IN MORE STUDENTS TODAY WITH FINE MOTOR SKILLS D/T DECREASED
EXPLORATION AND TASKS INVOLVING FINE MOTOR BEING REPLACED BY ELECTRONICS, ETC
FINE MOTOR EXPLORATION
KAREN ADOLPH (2005, 2008; ADOLPH & BERGER, 2006) SUGGESTED THAT A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP
EXISTS BETWEEN COGNITIVE AND MOTOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN INFANTS.
 TRICKS TO GET KIDS ACTIVE

MAKE IT FUN
GET ACTIVE OURSELVES
TALK ABOUT MAKING IT FUN
TALK ABOUT GRADING IT TO THEIR CURRENT LEVEL (IF SOMEONE IS SO DECONDITIONED
CANT RUN, DONT START WITH HAVING THEM RUN A MILE)
DISCUSS AND COME UP WITH IDEAS OF HOW TO DO THIS WHEN DONT HAVE SO
MUCH TIME TO PREP OR SPEND WITH CHILD (INSTEAD OF BABYSITTER ELECTRONICS)
ACTIVITIES
 ACTIVITIES THAT IMPROVE GROSS MOTOR SKILLS:

SIMON SAYS DANCE

FOLLOW THE LEADER PLAY PRETEND
DUCK/DUCK GOOSE HOPSCOTCH
LONDON BRIDGES, HEAD ( SHOULDERS BUBBLES, SWINGS, TRAMPOLINE, BIKE, DANCE,
BALANCE, OBSTACLE COURSE
BUBBLE WRAP, BEACH BALL FROM CEILING TO
JUMP AND HIT
HOT POTATOE.
 ACTIVITIES THAT IMPROVE GROSS MOTOR
SKILLS:
PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT IMITATING ANIMALS
ENDURANCE ACTIVITIES WHEELBARROW WALKING
SWIMMING SIMON SAYS
BALL TOSS LOG ROLLING
KICK BALL
RIDING BICYCLES
JUMP ROPE, SKIPPING, GALLOPING,
GENERAL EXERCISES
HOPPING
WALKING A LINE, CURB, RAILROAD TIES
PLAYING OUTSIDE
 ACTIVITIES THAT IMPROVE GROSS MOTOR SKILLS:

SCOOTER ACTIVITIES JUMP ROPE

BE CREATIVE TO HAVE INTEGRATE THEIR INTERESTS CHINESE JUMP ROPE
INTO GROSS MOTOR IDEAS
TAG
SCOOTER GAMES
RED ROVER
HIDE & SEEK
KICK THE CAN
CAPTURE THE FLAG
FOUR SQUARE
 ACTIVITIES THAT IMPROVE GROSS MOTOR SKILLS:

SCAVENGER HUNT HOPSCOTCH STICKY SPIDER WEB:

TREASURE HUNT THE FLOOR IS LAVA NEWSPAPER THROWING:

PAPER PLATE SKATING A BIG MAZE:
MESSY ACTIVE ART
TARGET PRACTICE: BALANCE BEAM:
SPIDER WEB
HOP SKIP & JUMP: FRISBEE TOSS:
ACTION DICE SENSORY WALKING PATH:
BALLOON FUN STRING SCAVENGER HUNT:
WALK THE LINE A SPY GAME:
CARDBOARD SLIDE JUMPING GAME:
 THINGS TO REMEMBER

PATTERNS, PRACTICE, REPETITION, RYTHM IMPORTANT FOR LEARNING MOTOR SKILLS

MOTOR NEURO PATHWAYS TAKE TIME TO DEVELOPSO START SIMPLE & INCREASE
COMPLEXITY
MAKE IT FUN. FUN MEANS IT IS ENGAGING AND ENJOYABLE TO STUDENT
BASKETBALL VS RUNNING
GIVE ACTIVITIES THEY WILL HAVE SUCCESS IN BUT IS SLIGHTLY CHALLENGING
IF IT IS TOO EASY, ITS BORING
IF IT IS TOO DIFFICULT, ITS DEMOTIVATING
 In order to kick a ball successfully, the arms are needed to maintain
balance, and a backswing motion in the kicking leg should develop and
be a help rather than a hindrance.
 To successfully throw a ball, the body should rotate, weight should shift from
one foot to another (in a right-handed throw, the weight shifts from the right foot
to the left foot), the arm should be back and to the side and follow-through after
the throw.
 SENSORY RICH EXPERIENCES

SENSORY RICH EXPERIENCES:

 WRITE DOWN APPLICATION/IMPLEMENTATION

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