Physical Development is one of the prime areas of learning in the Early Years. 

We provide children with a wide range of opportunities for children to development physically, both inside and outside.

Sometimes we talk about Gross Motor and Fine Motor skills. Gross motor skills often use our whole body, such as running, climbing, lifting and ball play. Fine Motor skills are those we need for smaller, maybe more fiddly, actions. When we peg out washing, draw, thread beads, sort beans, bend pipe cleaners we are using and developing our fine motor skills.

Both are essential to a child's development and enjoyment of the world. They are also both essential to writing. Children need to develop strong back, arm and joint muscles to develop as writers. So next time you are rolling out dough, playing catch or building with lego, you are improving your child's writing ability!

Ideas for developing fine motor skills...

Building with lego and other construction equipment

Threading beads or pasta

Rolling and cutting playdough- anything with playdough!

Doing up buttons or undoing them

Sorting anything small- coins, beans, buttons, pasta, seeds

Using scissors

Mark making- chalks, felt tips, crayons, pencils, paint (you can 'paint' with water outside)

Folding paper

Cooking and preparing food- with an adult

Opening and closing jars or bottles- good fun in water play

Bending pipe cleaners- try threading them into a colander