Motorskill Development: 3 Key Facts
"There are more and more children of age 6-8 trying out a sport that lack the required fundamental motor skills to enjoy and fully participate in their chosen sport."
Sean Fyfe, Masters Level Exercise Scientist and Level 3 High Performance Tennis Coach
This lack of development and the resulting lack of confidence & enjoyment puts them even further behind at an age, where the learning window for motor development is ideal. What to do?
Here are some key facts of motor skill development I believe in your child's physical education:
Motor Skills need to be taught/learned to a great degree. Children don’t naturally learn necessary motor skills just by getting older. They need to be taught by setting examples, games, exercises, exposure to learning environments....
Every skill is based on a more basic, simpler skill. Teach children as many different patterns/skills as possible. Every little skill like catching a balloon is a building block for a more advanced skill. The more skills your child masters, the greater the possibilities are to master more advanced skills ( and the more their brain gets developped).
Almost all skills in sports are not isolated skills. A tennis serve is not just Hand-eye coordination, it’s also rhythm, orientation and more: Teach an equal amount of all coordination skills at a young age (balance, reaction, differentiation, orientation, rhythm) and add physical activity.
And remember the key; doing it with your child; knowing about it doesn't help your child.
