Nursing

Health and Safety Education Like the standards for physical education, the focus in the standards for health education is on applying knowledgeparticularly about nutrition, healthy behaviors and personal safetyto develop good lifelong habits and practices. Helping children make good decisions is embedded in the ultimate goals of health and safety curriculum activities. The American Cancer […]

Fine Motor Activities There are many online and print resources that provide suggestions for activities that promote fine motor skill development (see list at end of chapter). This selection of fine motor activities and games represents curricular activities for both open-ended play and teacher-facilitated work with individual children or small groups. All fine motor activities

Manipulative Materials Early childhood product catalogs are full of different kinds of manipulative materialssmall items that children play with or use in different ways to practice and develop their fine motor skills. Many of these are inspired or derived in one way or another from Montessori’s practical life and sensory materials, designed to promote fine

Correct Hand Positioning for Writing and Cutting. Children are most successful writing and cutting when they are taught proper positioning initially, to prevent the need for corrective relearning later. Incorrect hand positions lead to fatigue, inefficient use of tools and writing implements, and difficulty seeing work. Place Your Order Here!

Writing and Cutting The benchmarks children need to achieve to be able to hold and use a pencil or other writing implement correctly include the following: Development of the arches in the hand (the palm surface) needed for cupping the hand around small items Wrist flexion and extension Achieving and sustaining an open O-shaped space

Fine Motor Skills The average age for mastering the fine motor skills necessary for writing, cutting, and using tools in elementary school is 6½ years (Lippincott, 2004). Fine motor activities we do with young children help them gradually build strength and coordination, or manual dexterity, in the muscles of the hands and wrist and encourage

Simple Action Games for Young Children Game Gross Motor Skill Description Crab tag Agility and coordination One child is the crab and chases other children, who must all move with feet and hands on the floor. Crabs who are caught go to a spot designated “the net.” Stop/go (red light/green light) Agility and speed Children

Gross Motor Equipment and Materials Skills Equipment Uses Coordination Playground balls Sport balls (football, soccer, basketball, tennis available in foam) Large floor balls Whiffle balls Basket/hoop Goal/net Hula hoops Bean bags, ring toss Foam “noodles” or bats Horseshoes (foam or rubber) Bowling pins (plastic) Ball catcher cups Frisbees Streamers/scarves Throwing, catching, rolling, Kicking, foot/hand dribbling,

Materials and Equipment In addition to permanent playground structures designed for climbing, swinging, and sliding, early childhood educators should have and regularly use a variety of materials and equipment to promote the attainment of gross motor skills. Table 8.3 provides a list of small equipment items and the type of development they support. Active Games

Activities that can promote these gross motor skills include: For coordination: jumping, hopping, skipping, dribbling, throwing, catching, kicking, pedaling For balance: walking or running on line or beam, standing on one foot, spinning, twisting, bending forward and backward, squatting For agility: moving sideways, starting/stopping, stepping, navigating obstacles, crawling, rolling, tumbling, twisting, jumping rope For power: