Motor Skills Build Confident Kids

Every parent wants their child to be self-confident.  Many well-intentioned parents try to reach that goal by meaningless praise for everything their child does.  But, it doesn’t fool the kids into being self-confident.  No, confidence comes from something - and that something is ability.  Kids (and adults) earn confidence by becoming proficient at skills and abilities.  In early childhood this begins with motor skills and movement ability.  Mastering motor skills enables kids to experience the reward of achievement that comes from hard work.  It is a great feeling to master new skills that you’ve worked hard to achieve.   It helps kids to face challenges with an attitude of fun and excitement rather than fear and trepidation.  This enhances their confidence and enjoyment of life.  

Very young humans experience life primarily in the physical realm.  It is a huge event in the life of a child when he learns to walk, jump, skip or turn a cartwheel.  These events have far more impact on a person’s psychological makeup than does learning to conjugate a verb or solving a math problem.   Children form a perception of themselves based on how well they compare physically to their peers.  It is more important to a 3-year-old to be able to keep up on the playground than it is to read or do math.   For young children, feeling competent physically generates a belief that ”I am capable”, a foundational component of a healthy self-esteem.  A healthy self-esteem is important for inner peace and happiness and to tackle life with gusto. 

The gift of motor skills and “physical literacy” is a gift for a lifetime.  And, there is a window of time from birth to 7 years old that is the critical time to teach these skills.  By age 7, kids with poor motor skills already struggle with self-esteem which can turn into a lifetime battle.   Therefore, the babies in my family begin this process in the first week of life.  I gently move their tiny arms and legs to begin teaching the patterns they will need to walk, throw, kick, etc.  I carefully move their bodies in every direction – upside down, each side, swinging, etc.  We progress each month and build on the patterns.  Their pediatricians are always amazed at how strong, confident and capable these little ones are compared to their peers.  However, this level of development should be the norm, not the exception.   And it could be the norm if each parent learned how to work with their baby to teach them these skills.  It would literally change the course of each life!  Research conclusively shows that good motor development prepares a baby/toddler brain for academic learning.  The same parts of the brain used for motor development are also used for academic learning.  If you have a baby or young child in your life, don’t stand by and watch their motor development, be intentional about helping them with it.  You won’t believe what they can learn!