Run, Gallop And Skip
Those good old traveling skills. Something most children are great at. I can’t even put a number to the number of times I told my five children to stop running in the house, or stop jumping up and down the stairs. Little did I know how important those traveling skills they were learning with all that running around being kids would be so important to their kindergarten assessment.
But they are. If your child can move purposely from place to place, showing coordination, and using harder and harder movements, than they are right on track in their development. Some of the skills you can help them practice before they start kindergarten include:
- Running/ while avoiding other people, furniture, and items.
- Climbing up and down stairs using alternating feet
- Rides their tricycle or bike using the pedals
- Gallops and skips easily from one spot to another
- Can jump up and down
- Can change directions by stopping and starting quickly and with ease
I know these all seem like such basic skills, but I am always surprised that each year at least a couple of children cannot run or jump smoothly. And as kids spend more and more time in from of their video games or TV, these traveling skills are becoming harder and harder to accomplish. So, starting today if your child needs to work on their traveling skills, enjoy some time outside in the spring weather, practicing running, jumping and skipping together.