Psychomotricity In Childhood: Observation And Intervention
The concept of psychomotricity in society is often diffuse. Many people believe that this child’s ability is all about knowing how to move properly. However, the importance of psychomotricity in the development of the child goes far beyond.
Good psychomotricity is often the prelude to good language acquisition and its good use in communication in interactions with others. Therefore, the term psychomotricity incorporates the cognitive, emotional, symbolic and sensorimotor interactions that operate in children throughout their cognitive, motor and emotional development.
As we will see in the rest of the article, in interventions that aim to improve psychomotricity, we work on aspects of all these elements:
- motors: balance, laterality, coordination;
- cognitive: perception, representation or creativity;
- affective-relational: acquisition of limits, regulation of impatience, emotions, security.
How to stimulate psychomotricity?
In the education of children, psychomotor activity – the bodily experience in relation to adults and peers, objects and space – is fundamental for the proper development of the child.
Activities to develop psychomotor skills should therefore be attractive, varied, motivating, enjoyable and fun. In the rest of this article, discover some fundamental recommendations to promote good psychomotor stimulation.
1. The space, the materials and the role of the adult contribute to the good motor skills of the child
The material must be varied and appropriate to the age of the child. Both the educator and the space dedicated to the lessons must accompany the children in their play and movement. The most suitable phases to create a psychomotricity space are as follows:
- space : it must be a safe environment. At the same time, it must be stimulating enough so that children can develop the skills that interest us in it;
- the material : the more variety there is in the materials used in the classroom, the better the psychomotor development of the children;
- the role of the adult : the teacher must have a capacity for observation and listening, for verbal and non-verbal communication. In addition, attitude and involvement in the game are fundamental.
2. The structure of the sessions
In order for children to get the maximum benefit from psychomotricity sessions, it is very important that they follow a well-thought-out structure. Therefore, teachers should plan exactly what kind of activities they want to do during class.
On the other hand, it is also good sometimes to let the children improvise what they want to do. This area of freedom must not go against the basic norm: the teacher must retain his authority.
3. The game promotes good psychomotricity
Contrary to what we may think, play is one of the most useful activities for children. Through play, children can:
- explore the space around it;
- learn rules;
- to create ;
- to experiment;
- build relationships with peers their own age, etc.
There are different types of play. Each of them will have a different role in the psychomotricity sessions. Nevertheless, they will all be useful for us to achieve a goal. Therefore, they should become one of the main tools of those who want to foster these skills in children.
The development of psychomotricity from 0 to 3 years
During his first years, the child will develop his psychomotricity skills. He will thus improve his personal autonomy and his relational capacity.
In this section, we will see how these skills evolve during the first three years of life. This will make it easier for us to determine if the evolution of a child is good.
Psychomotricity from 0 to 9 months
The child:
- keeps his head up when he is on his stomach;
- fixes the gaze and follows the movements of an object or a person;
- smiles when responding to a stimulus;
- recognizes her mother or nanny when she sees her;
- responds positively to social interactions by making a sound;
- rolls over onto their back or stomach;
- smiles and moves their legs in front of people they know;
- remains seated without support;
- remains standing with support;
- smiles when he sees himself in the mirror and tries to interact with him;
- is disturbed and cries when his parents leave;
- is disturbed in front of strangers.
9 to 12 months
The child:
- sits and stands up with a support;
- crawling;
- discovers objects that have been hidden in front of him;
- puts objects in and out of a container;
- take their first steps with help;
- interacts affectionately with other people;
- responds when called by his first name.
Warning signs at 12 months
The child:
- does not yet know how to remain seated without support;
- cannot grip objects with both hands;
- he does not cry yet and does not protest at the absence of very close people;
- does not smile at those concerned;
- is not yet interested in the things around him;
- does not make any sound to attract attention.
12 to 24 months
The child:
- stands up and takes steps without help;
- rolls a ball in the same way as an adult;
- start to use the spoon, holding it with force;
- begins to eat solid without problem;
- freely manipulates construction games;
- recognizes parts of the body;
- is able to recognize unfamiliar people who belong to his daily environment;
- recognizes objects of usual use (spoon, napkin, toys, etc.);
- imitates the movements of the adult during the game;
- accepts the parents’ absence despite some protests;
- repeats actions that make him laugh or catch his attention;
- explore and show curiosity about familiar objects;
- drinks from a cup, holding it with both hands;
- bends down to pick up objects;
- recognizes the basic spaces of their usual environment (house, park, school, etc.);
- plays with other children for short periods;
- shares objects with other children when asked;
- recognizes a few items specific to the season of the year such as clothing, shoes, etc.
Warning signs at 2 years
The child:
- does not walk on its own;
- it does not yet indicate the main parts of the body;
- never approaches children and is not interested either;
- he does not recognize different very familiar places (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc.);
- fails to imitate the actions of adults;
- does not respond to his first name.
24 to 30 months
The child:
- jump with two feet;
- throws the ball with the hands and feet;
- takes off his shoes and unbuttoned pants;
- use fork and spoon and drink from a cup without throwing the food away;
- knows the urinal and toilets and uses them when instructed by the adult;
- moves easily in the usual spaces (home, school, etc.);
- identify some changes in nature that correspond to the stations of the year;
- recognizes the closest people in photos. Play with children his age;
- differentiate people, animals and plants on pictures;
- greets children and adults he knows if asked.
24 to 36 months
The child:
- performs manual handling activities such as screwing, or threading;
- is able to run and jump with some control;
- asks to go to the bathroom when he needs it;
- begins to show preferences for some of his comrades;
- shows affection towards smaller children and pets;
- begins to know the norms and habits of social behavior of the groups of which he has been a part.
Warning signs when the child is 3 years old
The child:
- does not go to the toilet;
- is unable to respond to simple orders;
- does not identify images;
- stay isolated. Don’t show curiosity about things;
- uses isolated words without connectors;
- does not imitate simple plots (vertical, horizontal, etc.).
All these warning signs are just leads that should attract our attention. Thus, if we deem it necessary, we can consult a specialist who will be able to help the child to reinforce certain capacities.
Nevertheless, there is no need to worry too much if our children have not reached the milestones by age group. With timely intervention, most delays in cognitive development in healthy children are easily remedied.
Our thoughts Children imitate adults simply to learn from them, to develop their own behaviors, but also to be loved.
