Hopping, twirling, spinning, stretching, throwing, lifting, buttoning, squeezing, and scratching are just a few of the many movements children and adults use in their everyday lives. Motor activities are included in the daily routines of effective early childhood programs because they are instrumental to all areas of child development, including, but not limited to, physical development.

Children develop important physical abilities by becoming aware of what their bodies can do when they move both with and without objects. As they move in many ways, children also acquire an understanding of the concepts and language that are connected to actions and positions.  Words and phrases like squeeze, stretch, inside, in between, and on top of become real to children when they physically experience the motions and positions described. Adults support and extend children's movement experiences by providing them with opportunities to exercise all their muscles, to move to a steady beat, and to follow movement directions.

M. Exhibiting body coordination

1.Child's movements are not yet coordinated.

2.Child shows coordination in climbing steps and walking and seldom runs into objects or other children.

3.Child alternates feet when walking up the stairs without holding onto the banister; tosses and catches a ball or a beanbag.

4.Child moves around while manipulating an object.

5.Child engages in complex movements (skipping, dribbling a ball).

1.Child uses whole hand to grasp and pick up small objects.

2.Child uses appropriate finger and hand motions to handle or pick up small objects.

3.Child fits materials together and takes them apart (pegs and pegboards, nuts and bolts).

4.Child manipulates small objects with precision (threading a large needle, stringing small beads, fitting tiny pegs into holes).

5.Child performs precise actions involving opposing hand movements (buttoning clothing, starting and zipping up a zipper).

    1. Child does not yet imitate actions performed to a beat.

2.Child imitates single movements presented one at a time (puts hands on knees).

3.Child responds to the beat of songs or instrumental music with simple movements (patting knees to the steady beat).

4.Child responds to the beat of songs or instrumental music with more complex movements (walking or jumping to the beat).

5.Child chants or sings while performing a sequence of movements to the beat.

1.Child does not follow spoken instructions for music and movement.

2.Child follows spoken instructions for a single movement ("Raise your hands").

3.Child follows spoken instructions for a two-part or two-step movement ("Put your hands on your head; now put your hands on your shoulders").

4.Child follows spoken instructions for more complex sequences of movements ("Put your hands on top of your head; now put one hand on your ear and the other on your nose").

5.Child describes and carries out movement sequences (patting and saying the name of two body parts twice each: "Head, head, shoulders, shoulders, knees, knees, toes, toes").