Body
Movement Intelligence
at 3 Years
at 3 Years
| Characteristics | Things to do | ||
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Large Muscles:
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| Three year olds can move in many ways. Their balance is better. They are starting to swing their arms at their side for balance. Three year olds like to run, gallop, jump, dance, and ride trikes. They still have a hard time skipping. Some 3 year olds can alternate feet when they climb stairs. | Climbing is important. Find safe, sturdy objects to climb. Visit different parks to try different climbing structures. Make a simple balance beam out of a 2 by 4 board. Put it on the floor. Hold your child’s hand while she tries to walk. Forward - sideways - backwards - on all fours - tip toe. When this gets easy put the board on blocks. | ||
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Small Muscles:
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| Three year olds are still learning to control their hands. They have a hard time holding a pencil and cutting with scissors. Many 3 year olds hold a pencil with their whole fist. | Playing with play dough, water, or sand help
children learn to control their hands. Squeezing, poking and rolling
builds hand muscles. Pouring builds coordination. Try letting your
child “cut” play dough with plastic scissors. Hold paper
so she can cut “fringes.”
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