Non-locomotor skills include stretching, bending, twisting, and clapping. They consist of any movement of the body that does not result in traveling from one place to another. Turning, foot tapping, and winking are also examples. Like other types of motor skills, such as walking and running, non-locomotor skills develop from infancy and progress through childhood. Many early education curricula include lessons on these skills; 21st century schools recognize the importance of helping children acquire those that are typical of each age group.
Rocking, crouching, standing up, and getting into a particular posture are considered non-locomotor skills. One of the most important skills is stretching, not just for athletes, but for anyone who participates in activities that involve repetitive motion. Stretching prepares your muscles for activity and helps them relax afterward. Injuries occur less frequently in all sports when proper stretching exercises are done before and after play. In addition to protecting muscles, stretching exercises have health benefits, including better blood circulation and flexibility.
Children between the ages of seven and eight can learn to pedal a bicycle, which is a non-locomotor skill. One month of age can lift its head and follow objects, and after the second month it can hold its head up for short periods of time while sitting. Non-locomotor abilities in children begin to develop during infancy. Various types of motor skills, therefore, can be observed and taught early on. After 10 months, toddlers can squat and squat, after 13 months rolling a ball is usually possible, and after 18 months, pushing and pulling toys are possible.
Three- and four-year-olds can often pedal and drive a tricycle. School curricula often correlate non-motor skills activities with appropriate grades. In this way, the appropriate age groups receive the appropriate instruction. Skills are taught through a variety of activities that are sometimes perceived as fun for children, but have various health and developmental benefits. Each lesson can focus on a different skill or movement of a particular body part.
The development of non-locomotor skills is a multi-step process that occurs during infancy. These skills, while not directly associated with travel, include complex activities like bicycling and even hula hooping. Coordination is needed to master these skills. Despite certain non-locomotor skills considered typical for particular age groups, some children develop different skills at faster or slower rates than others.