Developmental Milestones – Physical
Holding a crayon and colouring, stacking blocks, clapping hands and skipping are all examples of physical developmental milestones. Physical development is often broken into two distinct sections. Fine motor skills are the child’s ability to use small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers, to pick up small objects, hold a spoon or use a pencil to draw. Examples of gross motor development include activities which use larger muscle groups for crawling, walking, running and hopping. Helen Doron Kindergarten encourages activities which develop both areas of physical development. Your child’s day at Helen Doron Kindergarten will be filled with unique programmes and activities which help him strengthen and grow.
Physical Skills and Brain Development
Neurological brain connections, essential to all growth, are dependent upon stimulation from the environment and experience in the environment. It is this stimulation that completes the architecture of the brain.
Scientists, physicians and educators now believe that to achieve optimal brain development, stimulation in the form of movement and sensory experiences during the early developing years is necessary. Strengthening and bonding synapses, which are the connections that are made between neurons create optimal development. Connections that are not made by activity, or are weak, are “pruned away,” much like the pruning of dead or weak branches of a tree. If the neurons are used, they become integrated into the circuitry of the brain.
Through yoga, Pilates, song and dance, children can easily learn language and enhance cognitive development. This video shows the integration of movement and language learning.