How to improve co-ordination
Between the ages of two and three your child is a great experimenter so feed this curiosity by opening up his world and planning new discoveries.
© Jupiter
This is the age when children find out about (and also understand): the force of gravity - something always falls down; anything that is round will roll; something that is square will not; liquids flow and have no shape; they take up the shape of their container. Clay and dough can be squeezed and made into different shapes.
These discoveries can only be made if your child's co-ordination, not just of the hand and the eye, but also of the body and the limbs, develops and matures. Toys that demand good co-ordination will help your child to develop it. You can help him improve balance by simply encouraging him to walk along narrow steps. Always stay close by otherwise your child could lose his confidence and fall. You can improve his ball sense by throwing and catching with him, initially using something large and soft like a beach ball.
Encouraging adventurousness
Once your child becomes mobile, it is better to encourage a spirit of adventure than to be over-protective. Of course your child will fall a few times, that is inevitable, but it's better than having a child who has no sense of physical freedom or confidence. If you don't you are also doing your child quite a disservice because for the next seven or eight years most of your child's pleasures will be derived from physical activities. If he can't move with the same pace and accuracy as other children he may be left out of many enjoyable activities. An over-protective parent is one who insists on holding the child's hand if he wants to climb along the edge of a low wall. Conversely a parent who encourages physical activity will be the one who introduces a child to balancing on a fairly narrow surface, practising at home on a plank supported by piles of magazines.
One of the best ways of encouraging activity in your child is to join in and do it yourself. You are the best person to introduce your child to new physical activities. Just by imitating your physical movements, he will be learning new skills, without either of you knowing it.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 03.11.2010
Get more on this subject…
