Proprioception is the awareness of where your body is in space. The early years at Willows are a time when our Children learn gross and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are large movements like running and jumping. Fine motor skills are smaller movements like writing and using scissors.
Proprioception is important for gross motor skills like throwing a ball, but it’s also important for fine motor skills like writing. When children have good proprioception, they can sit still and concentrate on their work. They know where their hands and feet are, so they don’t have to look at them all the time. If proprioception is off, children might fidget a lot or have trouble knowing where to put their hands when they write.
At willows, we work on our gross and fine motor skills daily.
The children in the baby room have been practising standing, walking, and crawling through fun games and activities which help them develop their gross motor skills. At a later stage, they can start interacting with their friends and you can see them dancing, working on both Personal, Social and Emotional Development and gross motor skills. For their fine motor skills, they practice threading as it helps them focus on details and pass the thread through holes.
In the toddler and preschool room, the children attempt more complicated movements and combinations. They have a lot of fun playing games that include running. jumping, skipping, hopping, and climbing. The children have also been working on their throwing, catching, balancing, kicking & aiming skills through adult-led activities that are different from the usual and free outdoor play.
The Willows Way help to improve proprioception, including gross motor activities, vestibular input (activities that move the head in different directions), and proprioceptive activities (stretching or massage).
Why not join in and have a dance with the children.
With some help from adults, most children can develop good proprioception by the time they finish preschool.
