In the world of education, frequently the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater, and that was certainly the case when perceptual-motor programs vanished from our nation's elementary schools. Many of us middle-aged parents fondly remember perceptual-motor programs from our early years—crawling through large wooden triangles and squares, walking heel to toe across a balance beam, skipping through a maze of traffic cones, and jumping in and out of hoopla hoops. While moving from station to station—each monitored by a teacher or parent volunteer—we had fun while improving our gross motor skills, balance, and coordination.Yet, perceptual-motor programs in U.S. Public schools have largely become a thing of the past because they don't result in the measurable academic achievements that bureaucrats demand. Unfortunately, just as some schools reduced or even eliminated recess, others let their perceptual-motor programs die out so they could add more “academic minutes. ” They foolishly disregarded the critical connection between body and mind. As children become hooked on technology at younger ages—leading to sedentary lives, obesity, bad posture, and poor gross motor skills—parents should demand the return of perceptual-motor programs to elementary schools.

More and more research supports the idea that a strong body builds a strong mind so merging these findings into the curriculum makes common sense. Just because researchers couldn't show a direct correlation between perceptual-motor programs and increased academic achievement does not mean perceptual-motor programs have no merit. Teachers who conduct the program and parents whose children take part in it attest to its benefits—most noticeably, children who are having fun, moving more efficiently, and thriving at performing activities that combine both physical and mental challenges. Nobody who has seen the program in action can doubt its worth. Download Free Dk Guide To Public Speaking Pdf Free there. We don't expect increased academic achievement from art and music classes—accepting that they're beneficial for their own sake—so why do we expect it from perceptual-motor programs?

A perceptual-motor program is for children in the early elementary school years, typically grades K-2. It's also highly suitable for preschools and day care centers. It's run by a physical education instructor or classroom teacher once or twice a week with the help of parent volunteers. Its aim is to improve the children's fitness, balance, hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills, and self-confidence. Drivers Of Land Use Change Photos there. The program also seeks to build an understanding of spatial concepts such as in, on, under, over, through, behind, in front of, and between.

Infinity Land Biffy Clyro Rar Download. A perceptual-motor program requires safe and sturdy equipment: a balance beam, large wooden shapes with stands, a parachute, traffic cones, jump ropes, a tunnel, a mini trampoline, rubber balls, see-saws, hula hoops, ride-on scooters, and EZ Steppers. Teachers base their equipment selection on how much space they have to store it and how much money they have to spend. Some teachers buy a quality piece each year to re-invigorate their program and keep it up-to-date. It's best if parent volunteers set up the equipment before the children arrive.

In order for a child to learn, the mind and body must work together, this is why a Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) is important in the early years.

Typically, there are 3 or 4 stations—each one monitored by an adult. The teacher can create her own activities for each station or buy activity cards online. Buying activity cards online is better because the skills are sequential, building upon one another and becoming more challenging as the school year progresses. For instance, in September, the youngsters may simply walk across the balance beam. In December they may walk across it backwards.

In April they may walk across it while balancing a beanbag on their head. Children get divided into small groups and each group gets assigned a station. The adult demonstrates the activity, and then the children do it. Each station lasts about 15 minutes so the children have ample opportunity to practice the skill and improve it, feeling at first challenged and then competent. When time is up, the teacher tells the groups to move to a new station.

The entire program lasts 45-60 minutes. In today's competitive, fast-paced high-tech world, there's greater emphasis on accelerated learning. Teachers present structured academic lessons to children at younger and younger ages. We now expect all youngsters to read in kindergarten, ignoring the fact they develop at different times and at different rates. To keep up with elementary schools, many preschools have also added structured academic lessons as well: teaching letters and sounds, handwriting skills, math and music lessons, computers, and even foreign languages. Children are spending less time outdoors—climbing, running, jumping, chasing, and swinging—as these activities become minimized and devalued. When we combine the lack of outdoor play at school with the sedentary lifestyles at home—watching TV, playing video games, searching the Internet—we're left with youngsters who have noticeably poor gross motor skills.