The Rivers Class is enjoying exploring their growth at the park.
Now that their bodies are taller, we see more children climbing on the rope structure and maneuvering along the rails.
Now that they are braver, we see children sliding down the firefighter’s pole and taking a risk to jump for the green swing.
Now that they are stronger, we see children pumping their legs on the swings, and hanging upside down from bars and ropes.
Now that they are faster, games of chase and tag spontaneously begin.
In the last few weeks, our P.E. teacher, Mr Licato, has worked with the Rivers Class on their upper body and core strength. In small groups, each child took a turn throwing foam basketballs high in the air and rolling along a ball on the ground.
Muscle tone and postural control are both being exercised when a child uses force to push or pull themselves toward a desired area. These activities take both strength and coordination. The use of strictly upper body and core muscles during this playtime workout leads to stronger motor skills in the students.
Muscle tone and postural control are both being exercised when a child uses force to push or pull themselves toward a desired area. These activities take both strength and coordination. The use of strictly upper body and core muscles during this playtime workout leads to stronger motor skills in the students.
These gross motor skills have an impact on everyday self care skills, like dressing, and also on work at school. A child’s ability to maintain appropriate sitting posture (upper body support) will affect their ability to participate in fine motor skills (e.g. writing, drawing and cutting) and sitting upright to attend to class instruction, which then impacts on their academic learning.
What physical activity do you engage in with your child? This is a great time of year to try out different equipment or games at the local playground.
