Gross motor development is very important for a child’s well-being and growth. It is very important for better health, fine motor control, physical development, and brain development.
We have compiled a list of some of the best activities for improving your toddler or preschooler’s gross motor (see also: Motor Activities Using Pom Poms)skills, using balls. If you’re looking for a way to help strengthen your child’s gross motor skills, you’ve come to the right place!
What Are Gross Motor Skills?
Gross motor skills are skills that involve your core muscles. They involve the whole body including the muscles in your arms and legs.
They include skills like walking, running, sitting, standing, and jumping. These skills pave the way for some other, more complex skills. These include things like riding a bike, playing football, or swimming.
When your child uses their gross motor skills, they will be strengthening lots of other skills including hand-eye coordination, balance, and strengthening cognitive pathways.
How To Improve Gross Motor Skills
If you’re looking to improve your child’s gross motor skills, it is very useful to keep a supply of balls on hand. It will keep your kids moving and improve their gross motor coordination.
It is best to keep a supply of balls on hand that are soft and lightweight. To build gross motor skills with balls there are many activities that you can play with your kids.
Ball Rolling
Ball rolling is a great activity to help with your toddler’s learning. Have your toddler sit with their feet in front of them and their legs spread. You should then sit in front of them in the same position, changing the distance between the two of you depending on the child’s ability.
Then, you will need to roll the ball to your child. Your child should attempt to stop the ball before it hits them. To do this, encourage your child to watch the ball and use their hands to stop it.
You can also encourage your child to roll the ball through your legs. To do this, stand up with your feet apart and have your toddler roll the ball back through your legs.
You can make this activity more difficult as they get better at the skill. To do this, take some steps back and move your feet closer together.
Backyard Bowling
Backyard bowling is a great activity to develop your child’s gross motor skills. It is a great game for the summer as it can be played outside.
To play this game, find something that you can set up to use as bowling pins. You can opt to use plastic cups for this. Milk cartons also work very well. You want to choose something sturdy enough to stack that is light enough to be knocked over using a ball.
Once you have set the pins up, you can have your child either kick or roll the ball toward the pins. They should attempt to knock over the pins with the ball. Depending on the development and age of your preschooler, you can add more pins.
Beach Ball Games
Beach balls are a great way for children to test their gross motor skills. They are soft and light, making them very easy to catch and throw. You can change the game to make it more difficult for your child to catch.
Shoot Baskets
A great game for motor summer learning is shooting baskets. Grab a tub, box, or laundry basket, and allow your toddler to throw the ball into the basket.
Target Practice
Place a hula hoop on the ground to use as a target and encourage your child to roll the ball into the circle. Every time your child gets the ball into the circle, they score a point.
Through The Hoop
In this game, hang up the hula hoop and encourage your preschooler to throw the ball through the hoop. Every time they manage to get the ball through the hoop, they will score a point.
Bean Bag Activities
If you have access to some bean bags, then you can set up some fantastic gross motor summer learning activities. These can be played both indoors and outdoors.
A great activity to play with bean bags is over and under. For this game, start with a bucket of bean bags. Place an empty bucket a short distance away from the original bucket, encouraging the children to throw their bean bags into the bucket.
They can attempt to throw the bean bag both over-arm and under-arm. Continue this game until all of the bean bags have been thrown into the bucket.
How Do Children Develop Gross Motor Skills?
Children can develop gross motor skills in two different ways. These are:
Free Play
One of the ways that children will develop their gross motor skills is through free play. Things like playing in the playground or the park will encourage these skills. Things as simple as running up a hill and rolling back down will encourage summer learning gross motor skills.
Adult-Guided Activities
While free play is very beneficial for children, it is also important that your kids experience adult-guided activities, too. Playing games with your kids will help with this.
If you have some giant blocks, balloons, or hula hoops, you will be able to set up some great adult-guided activities. Some of the activities above that use balls are great for gross motor summer learning.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it! We have compiled a list of some great ways to use balls for gross motor summer learning. All of these activities are great for developing gross motor skills in toddlers and preschoolers outside.
Not only are these activities great for your child’s physical health, but they will also help them to develop essential motor skills.
Now that you have some great activities to take part in with your child, they are bound to love honing in on their motor skills!
Hey y’all! My name is Suzy, and I am the founder of SuzyHomeschooler.com. I have homeschooled my kids since they were small, and both have gone on to go to college at wonderful schools.
This is what inspired me to create SuzyHomeschooler.com. It’s a place where I can share my experiences with others, and offer tools, advice, and guidance to all those in a similar position.
If you want to get started on your homeschooling journey with your children, then join me today!
