ECE 130: Early Childhood: Physical Development Part 2 Laura Taddei 4/19/2008 PQAS #CI K1 C3 01

Learning Objectives Participants will create activities that will increase a young child’s fine motor skills Participants will discuss the growing problem of childhood obesity and ways that teachers can promote a positive lifestyle in the classroom

Fine Motor Skills Defined as small muscle movements They occur in the finger in coordination with the eyes – eye-hand coordination Teacher must be patient and understanding because it takes time and practice for children to develop these skills

Cutting activities Cutting is a great way for children to practice fine motor skills Draw a thick black line on a piece of paper and ask the child to cut Have the child cut the corners of a piece of paper Cut fringes on paper Cut clay or play dough

Placing and Pasting Place a variety of forms on outlines (cut out shapes or have blocks in different shapes, and have the child place on outline) Match shapes, colors, or pictures to a page and paste them within the outline

Tracing and Coloring Use a thick black line and have the child trace lines Trace and color shapes Eventually as fine motor skills improve, the child can trace letters Trace in sand

Self-Care Skills Buttoning Lacing Tying Fastening Snaps Zipping Rolling out dough Vacuuming a rug

Many times children are not ready to do a worksheet, the child can trace the pattern with his finger before he would try it with a pencil Trace a pattern in sand, cornmeal, finger paint, etc. The textures give the child kinesthetic feedback Finger Tracing

Pre-Writing Dot to dot drawings of pictures, objects, shapes, numbers, letters, etc. Folding activities Have the child do repetitive strokes

Writing Have the child write in the air and in front of their eyes with their finger Trace letters on textured surfaces, manipulate 3-dimensional letters when blindfolded When a writing tool is introduced, letters involving similar strokes should be taught first – moving simple to complex

Tips to Remember: Upright writing surfaces promote fine motor skills Children learn best through playing, so incorporate opportunities for fine motor skills while playing; for instance, dress up can help the child with buttoning and zipping Encourage the children to keep trying

Fine Motor Skill Activity In groups of 3 to 4, create a lesson plan and activity specifically for developing fine motor skills. Materials are in the front of the room to use to demonstrate to the rest of the class. Refer to Early Learning Standard Fine Motor Skill handout

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Helping Kids Eat Right and Be Active Children’s bodies grow quickly Encourage daily physical activity Incorporate movement into the classroom activities Again, kids learn through play, so make things fun

Movement Activity Participants will play “People to People” A quick movement activity to do where you do not need any equipment, just people

Teachers are role models Eat healthy in front of the children Talk about nutrition during school activities Talk about exercising and be supportive of children Talk about the importance of eating breakfast in the morning

Smart Snacking Choose foods like fruits and vegetables They are loaded with important nutrients – not just fat and calories Fill half your plate with fruit and vegetables at every meal Make fruits and vegetables the primary choice for snacks

How many cups of fruit/veggies? Kids – ages 2 to 3: 2 – 3 cups Girls – ages 4 to 8: 3-3 ½ cups; ages ½ - 4 ½ cups; ages 14-18: 4 ½ cups Boys ages 4 to 8: 3 – 3 1/2; ages 9 to 13: 4 to 5 cups; ages 14 to 18 – 5 to 6 cups