There are many useful assessments which the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) framework which can be provided to parents and teachers. While attention is understandably focused upon learning skills such as reading and writing, we need to remember that childhood development includes many other facets. Gross and fine motor skills are two primary examples.
Gross motor skills involve the movements of larger muscle groups such as the arms, legs and torso. Fine motor skills are instead focused around smaller muscles including the hands, fingers and wrists. Spotting any potential problems at an early age is one of the best ways to implement targeted treatment options (such as physical therapy sessions). Why is developing these skills important? How can they be tracked within the EYFS framework? Let us examine some useful techniques.
Crucial Abilities to Build a Strong Foundation
At a very young age, children are mainly focused upon situational awareness. This is primarily developed through relatively simple movements such as crawling, playing with objects and interacting with parents. These are considered to represent a handful of gross motor skills and they are essentially used to build a foundation for the finer motions soon to follow.
Fine motor skills are associated with the precise manipulation of smaller objects such as building blocks and toys. There are actually a number of surprising reasons why fine motor skills are essential in terms of childhood development. Some research has found that fine motor skills are linked to early literacy. Children capable of interacting with small objects are also more likely to be more willing to explore the world around them. This helps to instil a sense of self-confidence and can greatly aid in communicating with others.
Now that we have begun to understand the importance of fine and gross motor skills within the EYFS years, how can teachers and caregivers track their development? Let us examine some useful methods.
Real-Time Tracking Within Classroom Settings
As you might have already imagined, there are two main ways to test the motor skills of a child:
- To make observations within natural settings.
- To perform a series of assessments (such as the Bayley test and the GOAL framework)
For the sake of brevity, we will only be referring to natural settings here. Teachers and caregivers should carefully monitor how children react under different circumstances (such as when performing common movements such as running alongside more precise tasks including helping to build a block castle or assembling a puzzle). Note that children might also react differently within social settings when compared to playing alone. The main takeaway point is that both strengths and weaknesses should be recorded for future reference.
This task can be vastly simplified through the use of EYFS assessment
software. Not only are a host of streamlined and user-friendly tracking options offered, but the information can be shared with other professionals (such as occupational therapists) in the event that a problem is detected. Gross and fine motor skills are essential for normal childhood development and thankfully, cutting-edge observational resources are now available.
