Global motor skills

A little theory...

Gross motor skills are the ability to produce arm, leg or body movements with a degree of control. While physiological maturation is necessary for certain challenges, experience and training have an impact on these skills. Recent studies on learning inform us that, just as a nursery rhyme can help us learn the alphabet, associating a notion with a movement facilitates learning.

How to stimulate development through play?

Any activity that requires movement (jumping, throwing, dancing, running) helps to develop coordination and balance, and helps children to develop a good perception of their bodies in their environment. Repetition of a movement helps refine the technique practiced. Once a movement has been mastered, it can then be combined with another and become more complex. For example, in a pocket game, practising throwing a sandbag increases the accuracy of the shot. Miming, responding to agility challenges, reproducing a letter using the body (in the manner suggested by the famous "YMCA" song) are all ways of encouraging motor development in a play context.

To find out more

De Lièvre, B., Staes, L. (2011). La psychomotricité au service de l'enfant, de l'adolescent et de l'adulte, notions et applications pédagogiques, Éditions de Boek.