Motor skills learning is usually an active process interrelated with cognition (Derri & Pachta, 2007, p. 38). This means that the skill concept is one perspective of cognitive concept learning particularly in physical education; where the concern is the way the body needs to move during the process of performing motor skills (Gallahue & Cleland, 2003). The importance of such knowledge base enhances the motor engagement of children and reduces errors in performance whether they are in school or not (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3).
Children can learn movement skills and the respective skill concepts as early as by seven years but only on condition that they get constant instruction and with encouragements from the adults (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3). What can be borrowed from this is that the ability a child has to carry out gross motor skills is influenced by the physical fitness of the child (Gallahue & Cleland, 2003). Thus a competent mover is likely to continue moving while that child feeling physically awkward is likely to avoid making any motion (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3).
Poor movement behaviors in most cases remain in childhood. Thus, a child who is physically inactive is likely to end up being inactive even in adulthood (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3). Considering the dangers of being unhealthy such as obesity, diabetes and hearty diseases among others, it is imperative that children learn motor skills at their tender ages just as they would learn language skills. Thus children need to be given an opportunity that facilitates their learning of motor skill (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3). These would include space, time and opportunities for movements.
Care should be taken because delays in motor skills among children are difficult to detect in which case keen observation is required. Motor Skills Learning and Play From the above it is evident that physical fitness plays a significant role in determining the extent children learn motor skills (Levinson, 2005, pp. 499-532). This brings into focus the issue of play during the development of children. This is because it is mainly by way of play that children get to engage in physical activities (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3).
Play had always been a very significant topic when dealing with occupational therapy. It is seen as an activity desirable to all and bringing with it physical and mental satisfaction (Dadkhah, 2004, p. 2). In this regard, children are seen as theorists progressing from one stage to the other in their intellectual development (Dadkhah, 2004, p. 2). Should the needs and incentives of the child not be considered, it would be impossible to understand the way a child develops since the changes in the motives and desires of the child influences their development (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3).
The implication here is that there is a relationship between play-development and training-development (Dadkhah, 2004, p. 2). Children develop mainly by the activities of play in which case play is seen as an activity which guides the child thereby determining the way they develop. Fine motor skills in many children begin at about the age of four and get fully developed at the age of six (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3). These skills can be observed in children who are yet to begin school more so with the intention of finding out any forma of delay in hand motor skills development (Dadkhah, 2004, p.
2). Play therefore has a very significant role in determining the hand-hand, hand-eye coordination in children, as well as their speed in hand skills. It promotes particular features such as concentration, awareness and motivation thereby having a positive effect on the motor skills of the child (Dadkhah, 2004, p. 8). Conclusion In conclusion the above discussions point to the fact that motor skills’ learning is significantly influenced by the physical fitness of a child (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3).
At the same time, the coordination of motor skills is positively correlated with the development of small muscles of hand, useful in carrying out such manual tasks such as writing in children (Pica, 2008, pp. 1-3). Thus a child who is not physically fit is likely to have problems in learning motor skills. Also important to note is the fact that sometimes during the practice of motor skills, spaced practice could yield better results than massed practice (Terry, 2009, p. 347). References Dadkhah, M. F. A. (2004). The Impact of Educational Play on Fine Motor Skills
of Children. Middle East Journal of Family Medicine, Vol. 6(6), pp. 1-10. Derri, V. , & Pachta, M. (2007). Motor Skills and Concepts Acquisition and Retention: a Comparison Between two Styles of Teaching. International Journal of Sports Science (3), pp. 1-45. Gallahue, D. L. & Cleland, F. E. (2003). Developmental Physical Education for All Children. USA: Human Kinetics. Levinson, M. P. (2005). The Role of Play in the Formation and Maintenance of Cultural Identity: Gypsy Children in Home and School Contexts. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 34, 499-532.
Pica, R. (2008). Why Motor Skills Matter, Beyond the Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2009 from http://journal. naeyc. org/btj/200807/pdf/BTJLearningLeapsBounds. pdf. pp. 1-3. Terry, W. S. (2009). Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes and Procedures 4th Edition. USA: Pearson Education Inc, pp. 341-345. Varadharajan, V. (2006). Using Robots to Teach Human Motor Skills, pp. 1-5. Retrieved February 18, 2009 from http://www. cs. cmu. edu/afs/cs/academic/class/16741-s07/www/projects06/Vinithra_16741_paper. pdf