Motor skills are actions that control how muscles move the body. Gross motor skills are those that control the large muscles of the body which are used to walk, run, crawl, sit, jump, and other large muscle activities. Preschool teachers and daycare providers can enhance gross motor skill development through effective lesson plans that include gross motor activities.
Activities for preschool children should include those that develop physical gross motor skills. The Bunny Hop is an Easter activity that will promote major muscle coordination and it’s just plain fun for preschool aged kids. According to the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health, gross motor skills are the abilities required in order to control the large muscles of the body. Some important physical gross motor concepts and skills that preschool age children learn to master are balance, spatial orientation (which means that the child is aware of the position of his or her body in space as well as in relation to other people and objects), laterality (which means that the child is aware of the left and right sides of the body), and the coordination of major muscles.
Daycare centers can encourage gross motor skill development through effective lesson plans and play. A fine example of an activity that promotes the development of gross motor skills is What Time is it, Mister Fox?
This lesson plan includes not only the preparation instructions, procedure, and materials list for this activity, but also the age appropriate learning objectives and a sample of the simple supporting verbal cues necessary to encourage participation and support learning.
Activity Preparation
Clear an activity area that is large enough so that the children have plenty of space to complete their movements.
Activity Procedures
Invite the children over to activity area. Explain that they will be playing a game called “What time is it, Mister Fox?” Ask children to form a line, standing side by side in the activity area. Instruct the kids say, “What time is it, Mister Fox?. As Mister Fox you will give a command such as, “It’s time to Jump!” The children follow the command until you give the signal to stop. Continue doing this, substituting different physical movements such as skipping, hopping and crawling). The kids will continue to get closer to Mister Fox. The last answer Mister Fox gives is “It’s midnight!” and you will pretend to chase the kids back to the other side of the activity area. Repeat.
Gross Motor Learning Objectives
Objective 1: To enhance rebound and airborne activities through jumping and hopping.
Verbal Cue A: It’s time to jump!
Verbal Cue B: It’s time to hop!
Objective 2: To enhance rebound and airborne activities through skipping.
Verbal Cue A: It’s time to skip!
Verbal Cue B: It’s time to skip forward!
Objective 3: To develop spatial relationships (body and space perception) using the prepositions forward, backward, and straight ahead in verbal cues.
Verbal Cue A: It’s time to jump backward with both feet!
Verbal Cue B: It’s time to jump forward three times!
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