DCD is often under diagnosed and often misunderstood. Learn More
Fun Jumping Activities for Kids
When we think about the Health Guidelines for young children, we know that they should be physically active for 3 hours every day – of which one hour should be vigorous activity which gets the child huffing and puffing. What comes to mind is aerobic activity such as running, climbing, cycling – but what is […]
Fine Motor Skill – Scissor Skills
Like all learning – the development of scissor skills is a process which occurs incrementally. Just as you would not expect to give a young child a pencil and expect them to begin writing fluently – the functional use of scissors is the same. The child needs to have achieved a degree of gross motor […]
Risky Play In The Early Years: Opportunities and Obstacles
When was the last time you saw a child climb high up into a tree, speed down a hill in a home-made hill trolley (go-Kart), walk over slippery rocks near the beach/river/lake or wander alone in the bush? Chances are that these were all activities that you experienced as a child – but sadly children […]
Fine Motor Skills Every Pre-schooler Needs
What are fine motor skills? Fine Motor Skills involve the use and coordination of the smaller muscles in the hands, fingers and thumbs. Fine motor skills begin to develop very early in life. You may notice how a baby concentrates to coordinate their forefinger and thumb to pick up a small object – which then […]
Screen Time {+ – / = } Physical Activity – What is the equation?
Professor Leon Straker discusses the impact of electronic gaming on the health of young children.
Crossing The Midline: What is it all about?
What does it mean to cross the midline? Think of an imaginary line extending from the top of your head down the centre of your body. This is the midline – which theoretically separates the left and right side of the body. To be able to cross the midline is a developmental milestone and means […]
Kick it to me…Kick it to me…
Learning the fundamental motor skill of kicking begins in the early years but does not usually mature until the age of 6-7 years. Kicking skills will continue to be refined over the years with practice and coaching. The enjoyment toddlers experience with learning to kick a colourful, bouncy ball is evident with the smiles on […]
Let’s Talk About Feelings
To be human is to experience emotions. Sometimes these emotions are positive such as feeling happy, excited, elated or joyous and sometimes the emotions are negative such as feeling sad, lonely or jealous. For most of us, we experience a whole spectrum of emotions over our lifetime, and whether the emotion is a positive one […]
Gross Motor Skill: Improving Hopping
The Hop is a Fundamental Movement Skill Before learning to hop on one leg, young children will need to have developed some degree of dynamic balance and have the ability to jump with both feet clearing the ground. Hopping is a more advanced skill and usually develops between the ages of 5 and 7. How […]