How do children learn movement skills?
Children learn movement skills in a progressive order, for example from walking and hopping to skipping. Development usually begins with the head and upper body and then the feet. For example a baby will learn to push up with their arms and raise their head before they learn to crawl. Children also develop control over their body from the centre to more distant parts like feet and hands. They develop skills like throwing before they develop fine motor skills like handwriting. Fundamental movement skill development is related to but doesn’t depend on age and experience – children learn holistically. What about ordinary activities like walking? Walking with children encourages conversation and it provides an opportunity to talk about your surroundings and your environment. For example while you’re walking with your child you can talk about anything from numbers, the colour of houses and letterboxes to the weather and the clouds. With older children you can talk about more complex ideas f
