Physical Activities and Development Stages for Preschoolers

Leg Movement

• At the age of three, preschoolers have developed a range of activities using their legs, including being able to walk on their tiptoes, standing on one foot, jumping horizontally and the ability to pedal a tricycle. By the age of four, children will progress in these activities further so that they can run on their tiptoes, hop on one foot, use their legs to pump them forward on a swing, gallop and skip. Activities for preschoolers that will help aid in these developments include encouraging dance and movement to music; outdoor play that includes running, jumping and climbing; parachute play; tumbling exercises and balancing exercises.

Throwing and Catching

• Before they reach preschool age, children can generally throw balls in an underhand motion. By the age of three, they should develop the skills necessary to catch the ball and by four are able to throw a ball in an overhand motion. Allowing preschoolers to participate in balloon toss, games of catch and other development activities like attempting to throw and catch a scarf will help to improve their throwing and catching skills.

Getting Dressed

• The developmental milestone of dressing oneself is exciting for preschoolers as they learn to manipulate the buttons, zippers, snaps and laces on their clothing around the age of four. There are a variety of dressing boards available for preschoolers to practice each skill on, often used in Montessori preschool settings. Additionally, activities such as dressing dolls and playing with toys that feature snaps and zippers will aid in children's progression through this developmental stage.

Arts and Crafts

• Arts and crafts is a subject that lights up the eyes of a preschooler as you take out the supplies of finger paints, crayons, scissors and more. At the age of three, preschoolers are developing the ability to create vertical, horizontal and circular motions as they smear and daub with paint and color with crayons and markers. By the age of four, they will become more independent in their art projects and can learn to cut following a line with scissors (with adult supervision of course). To aid in the development of the fine motor skills that used by the preschoolers to create arts and crafts, allow them to participate in activities such as finger painting, building with craft sticks and working with play dough.

Writing

• At the age of three, a preschooler is able to hold a small object such as a crayon and create lines and circular patterns that mimic writing, but it is not until she is four that she will begin to show the ability to write crude letters and designs. Activities that will enhance her writing skills include tracing, mazes, practicing the movement of writing by drawing with her fingers in pudding or foam and completing printouts in which she draws or follows objects in a straight line.