Walking on this number line physically reinforces beginning number concepts such as counting, sequencing, number recognition, and relationships while
developing gross motor coordination.
Differences in physical fitness and
gross motor coordination in boys aged 6 - 12 years specializing in one versus sampling more than one sport.
Boys in the 10 - 12 year age group who played multiple sports performed significantly better on standing broad jump and tests
of gross motor coordination than boys specializing in a single sport.
Boys participating in more than one sport before age 12 are more physically fit and have
better gross motor coordination than those who specialize in a single sport early, says a new study by researchers in Belgium.1
Spending many hours per week playing sports was found to have a positive effect on explosive strength and
gross motor coordination among all age groups, supporting the theory advanced in earlier studies.»
Appropriate for: 3 to 6 months Skills developed:
Gross motor coordination What you'll need: No equipment necessary Lay your baby on her back, propped up slightly on a pillow.
It also strengthens fine and
gross motor coordination in children, improves their visual - motor and auditory processing, aides in the cognitive functions of sequencing and memory, and heightens body awareness and self - control.
To establish a clear causal relationship between sampling of more than one sport before the age of 12 and physical fitness and
gross motor coordination would, Franzen said, requires longitudinal research (repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time).
The positive effect of early sports diversification on explosive strength, speed and agility, cardiovascular endurance, and
gross motor coordination was found mainly in the group of boys aged 10 - 12 years.
Researchers tested a total of 735 boys in three age groups (6 - 8, 8 - 10, 10 - 12) for body mass and height, muscular strength and strength endurance, flexibility, speed and agility, cardiovascular endurance, and
gross motor coordination.
The study's findings, however, «do not necessarily imply that better physical fitness and
gross motor coordination are the direct result of sampling.
Dyspraxia - otherwise known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD)- is a common condition affecting fine and / or
gross motor coordination, in both children and adults.