ABSTRACT
By the time they are fi ve – or six or seven – most children have made tremendous strides in their motor development. They can run and jump and climb and swing and many like to challenge themselves further by adding bicycles or roller blades, even skis! Others love to dance and can learn complex step patterns. These activities require quite a sophisticated sense of balance, coordination and control but they give a great sense of enjoyment and satisfaction. Acquiring these skills also allows the children to join in group activities and so they learn the social skills of playing together, e.g. turn taking and sharing and following someone else’s lead. They learn to follow the ‘rules’ in a game and so begin to empathise with children who win and those that lose. All of this is part of the rough and tumble of growing up.
