Physical development is one of the seven areas of the early years foundation stage and is used to develop a child's movement, handling of objects, understanding of their own body and health and levels of self-care.  Physical activities help children to refine their motor skills which is important for writing, help them develop concentration skills, keep them fit and healthy and develops thinking skills.

Here are some ideas to do at home to improve your child's physical development skills. 

 

1. Build a cardboard den.

Give your child some cardboard boxes and a basket of material. Watch and listen as children experiment with different ways to make a private space, encourage them to voice their ideas by modelling thinking aloud. Observe how they tackle the physical elements of the task and discuss different ways to bend, cut, join, or carry the resources.

 

2. Dance to different styles of music. How many ways can your child move to a beat? Can they...tap, clap, stamp, nod, sway?

 

3. Thread pipe cleaners or dried spaghetti through holes in a colander. This will help children develop their fine motor skills.

 

4. Do some cooking/baking. Getting children to mix, pour, whisk and chop different textures is great for their physical development and it is fun with a tasty reward at the end. Check out the links below for some child friendly recipes.

 

5. Make pasta jewellery. Children can colour the pasta then thread them on to string or cotton to make jewellery.

 

6. Use pegs! Pinching pegs is a great fine motor skill. Children can help put out the washing or get creative and draw some animals with spikes. Get the children to add their spikes by clipping the pegs on.