5) Improve Gross Motor Development, Fine Motor Skills and

Creativity With These Screen Time Alternatives

A child’s brain gains much more from coordinating various parts of the body at
the same time. This activates more parts of the brain.

Cells that fire together, wire together! When kids play and participate in multi-
sensory learning activities, they strengthen pathways in the brain needed for
learning.

Screen use is often sedentary and does not require much movement or use
from the body. Pediatricians are concerned regarding screen time use and its
correlation to obesity.

Another negative about screen time use and physical development, is that it’s
not good for children’s posture. Kids are often slumped in a rounded posture
with their eyes very close to the screen. This negatively affects their alertness
and attentiveness when the screen is removed.

Screen Time Alternatives to Improve Gross Motor Skills and Fine

Motor Skills
Core strength, sensory development, and basic gross motor skills are gained
through movement and physical play. Additionally, proper seated posture
during fine motor activities supports the proper developmental sequence that
kids need for success in school with basic motor activities.

Encourage participation in hand-eye coordination activities, physical outdoor

games, gross motor coordination activities, as well as indoor gross motor
games.
For example, gross motor games can include throwing or rolling a ball to a
target, kicking a ball, climbing a structure, jumping on a target, balancing on a
curb, or riding a bike on a path.

Gross and fine motor play activities help children develop bilateral
coordination and crossing midline skills.

Crossing the midline should naturally and developmentally happen around age
two but I see numerous school age kindergarten through third grade students
who don’t automatically cross the midline.