Gross Motor Skills

When should I choose this Area of Focus for my Gabadoo?

Gross Motor Skills include activities in which large muscle groups are used to initiate and maintain movement and balance against gravity. Strength, flexibility, and co-ordination are components of these skills. Most sport skills are classified as gross motor movements. If your child is finding gross motor skills challenging, doing a Gabadoo can really help! 

How do I know if a skill relates to Gross Motor Skills?

Well, are you looking for support around any of the following?

Your child's ability to reach early physical milestones include rolling, crawling, sitting independently, standing, cruising or walking. 

Exploring tummy time & different play positions.

Completing movements including jumping, hopping, skipping, galloping, running, jumping, star jumps and balancing. 

Ball Skills including throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing and rolling. 

Pedalling a tricycle, managing a balance bike or cycling a bike.

Managing different terrain (sand, grass, woodland) and using playground equipment.

Guidance around involvement in beneficial extra-curricular activities, garden games and home circuits.

Exercises to build muscle strength, endurance and flexibility.

Fatigue Management. 

Ways of adapting gross motor movements to suit your child's level of ability. 

Support around fitness and general well-being. 

If so, when completing your Gabadoo, select gross motor skills as your area of focus.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

If your completing a Gabadoo because your child struggles with spatial awareness (i.e. appears clumsy) but can be coordinated when playing sports or doing movements, it might be more appropriate to select sensory processing as your area of focus. Check out this blog post to learn more. 

What information do I need to include in my Gabadoo?

As our Gabadoo Team have never met your family before and know nothing about your child, they can only provide strategies based on the information you provide so be very detailed!

After you have filled in the relevant information in your Gabadoo, go through this checklist to make sure you have included the following:

Family & Home Life:

Description of your family & the structure of your family including siblings, pets or any extended family who are living in your home.

The space available inside and outside your home including garden space, nearby parks, beaches, farms, woodlands or playgrounds. 

Your daily routine including school hours, drop offs, child-care and free time in the evening and at the weekends so our team provide activities that are achievable for your routine. 

Also include any extra-curricular activities that your child is involved with.

Strengths and Interests:

What does your child like to do?

What games, toys, T.V. programs, characters do they like?

Do they like to play inside or outdoors?

Do they like playing with other children? 

What motivates them?

Do they respond to praise from adults? 

Additional Information:

What class is your child in at school?

What type of schooling do they receive? i.e. homeschooling, mainstream N.S., gaelscoil, preschool, ASD class, Special School. 

Has your child seen any professionals in the past in relation to their gross motor skills? Or has your child ever had a medical review because of their motor skills ?(i.e. fatigue, arthritis, hypermobility, fractures). If so, what was the outcome?

What have you tried before to work on their gross motor skills? 

Make sure to include:

What gross motor skills would you like support around (see list above) and what level is your child is at with these skills? E.g. can balance on one leg but can't hop. 

What would you like to gain from this Gabadoo? 

List your observations in relation to this skill include details like how your child reacts to doing exercise, do they prefer if siblings are involved, what part of the skill does your child seem to find challenging, do they tire easily? etc. 

Next include videos and images of your child doing lots of different gross motor movements & make sure that:

  • The video clips should show their whole body so we can review the way their body moves when doing different skills.
  • Include clips of lots of different movements and on lots of different terrains e.g balancing on one leg, balancing while walking over cushions, doing yoga poses etc.
  •  Include clips during free-play when your child isn't as aware of being filmed so that they can relax and move as they typically would.

Remember: The more information you give our team, the more individualised and relevant your plan will be. Videos are vital when completing a Gabadoo for gross motor skills.

What support will I receive for my child?

Your information will be reviewed by one of our Gabadoo Experts who is experienced in the area of 'gross motor skills'. They will detail individualised strategies, activities, next steps and helpful organisations and products that you can use at home to develop your child's skills. 

So, I'm ready to do my Gabadoo, what's my 'Area of Focus'

Gross Motor Skills - CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED

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