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Early Years Motor Screening Programme

Additional Body Control Activities 

Aiming at an angle

Applying gentle Pressure 2

Balance on a bench

Balance on one foot 1

This teaches crossing in opposite directions. You can vary the sharpness of the angle, increase the distance to make the task more difficult.
 
Ensure children can complete block A and B first before progressing. Children should try to balance on the floor first, then with an adult to support them and finally progressing to balancing on the bench.
Children need to learn to keep their arms outstretched and balance on one foot, keeping as still as possible for 5 – 10 seconds. Ideally this should be bare foot to encourage enhanced proprioception.

Balance on one foot whilst throwing 1

Balance on one foot 2

Balance Practice

Balance practice 3

One child at a time balances their foot on an object, this could be a beanbag to start and then progress to a ball when the child is ready. The aim is to develop core strength enough for the child to stand stationary whilst throwing the ball.
This is a progression from balance on one foot, this time children wrap their arms around themselves and try to balance, relying on more core strength.
You can use a balance board that adheres with safe practice guidelines, encourage children to balance on two feet on the balance board in order to develop proprioception.
 

Balance practice 4

Balancing a beanbag on a racket

Beanbag balance 1

Bench bunny hops 1

 
Children need to practice with a beanbag first, putting this on a tennis racket and then moving to a table tennis racket to develop wrist strength. You can challenge them with more than one beanbag.
Children put one beanbag on their head and try to walk across the mat without it dropping. See if they can vary the speed they walk at
Ensure children hold onto the edge of the bench firmly so they don’t fall. They need to slide hands along first and then bring their legs to join them. If children are unsure, they can practice on the floor first.

Bench bunny hops advanced

Bench pulling

Bouncing the ball 1

Bouncing the ball 2

As with the previous video, children need to grip onto the sides of the bench firmly and swing legs over from side to side.
Children need to lay on their tummies and use the bench to hold onto a slide along (be careful of the bumps at the end of some benches)
Children to bounce the ball from chest height, straight down to the floor and back, with control and coordination.
Children need to keep control of the ball now with one hand, bouncing the ball to the floor and back, ideally from chest height and returning to chest height. As they get more advanced, this can change to hip height.

Bunny hop

Controlling the ball with your foot

Controlling the ball with your foot 2

Gentle pressure 1

Children need to practice bunny hop on the floor, moving hands first and bringing the feet towards the hands.
Children need to practice dribbling the ball with control, moving it around their partner and returning to the spot.
Children to practice stopping the ball and sending it to each other with control and coordination, sending it in the correct direction. Increase the distance to increase difficulty.
Ensure children feel comfortable touching each other for this exercise. One child kneels up and the other child applies gentle pressure to their shoulders to try and create some resistance. Ensure children are briefed on where is appropriate and how to safely touch each other.

Gentle pressure 2

Gentle pressure 3

Gentle pressure 4

Hop and jump

This time, a child is on hands and knees, the other child has to apply pressure to the shoulders to create resistance. The child on hands and knees needs to try and move forward.
This time, a child lays on their tummy and the other child attempts to roll the child onto his / her back. The child on their tummy needs to try and resist the movement.
This progression involves one child crawling forward and the other child applying pressure to stop them from moving.
Using spots, encourage the children to hop – jump – hop – jump. Ensure there is enough space to do this effectively. Try to encourage children to increase their speed once they master this.

Hopping 1

Hopping backwards

Hopping in different directions

Kicking the ball

Children need to hop in a controlled manner, without wobbling. As they progress they can increase the speed.
Children need to be careful to be safe, they need to try and hop backwards, keeping control and trying to increase the distance each time.
Call out different directions – forwards, backwards, side to side etc, clockwise, anticlockwise to encourage following of instructions.
Encourage the child to receive the ball with control, stop it and then send it in the correct direction and speed to keep the ball steady.

Kicking the ball - Controlling the ball

Log roll

Log roll 2

Obstacle course

Children to practice scoring a goal. Encourage them to receive the ball, stop it and aim at the goal to score. They can increase their power if it is safe to do so and they are using the correct indoor ball.
Encourage children to maintain an extended body, making their body as long as they can and rolling over without their body twisting.
This time, children hold a ball above their head and roll across the mats, keeping their body extended and as long as they can without twisting.
Set up an obstacle course similar to the above and encourage children to combine skills to practice.

Reaching for an object

Reaching for the beanbag

Rolling the ball

Sending and receiving in different ways

Children to practice now using a bench and leaning over the bench, trying to maintain core stability.
Children to begin kneeling and aiming to reach forward for the beanbag.
Children to practice sending and receiving the ball along the floor with two hands initially and progressing to one hand.
This time, use a beanbag and a small table tennis bat (or you could use a tennis racket) to send and receive the beanbag.

Stepping stone 1

Stepping up on a bench

Throwing a beanbag into a bucket

Throwing from knees 1

Children to progress along the stepping stones, you could use spots on the floor or lines on the playground.
Children to step up and down to begin with, using different alternate legs to step up.
Children to have a bucket or tub and practice throwing an object into it, this can be made more difficult by increasing the distance.
one child is on their knees and throws the ball to their partner who is in standing position. They then take it in turns to swap and be the child on their knees.

Tip toe 1

Toe to toe backwards

Toe to toe backwards with beanbag

Tummy throwing

Children need to walk the line, toe to toe. They can use lines on the playground at first if they want to have a line to follow, eventually they should be able to do this without the painted line.
This is more tricky, children need to complete the same task, moving toe to toe backwards, aiming not to wobble from wide to side.
this time a beanbag is added to the child’s head to encourage greater control with the balancing.
Encourage children to lie on their tummies and throw a beanbag into a tub. Change the objects and the distance to be thrown to vary the task.

Two footed jump and landing

Walking backwards on a bench

Walking on a bench with a beanbag

This can be completed on the floor initially and then progressing to a balance spot.
Children need to demonstrate they can do this on the floor first and with an adult holding them. Eventually they can progress to doing this independently but there must be an adult spotting them to ensure they don’t fall off the end.
This time, children can have a beanbag on their head and try to keep this balanced whilst the walk forwards on the bench.

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