MY BODY AND SPACE AROUND ME For Grade R and Grade 1 children (4 7years) 1 2 3 4 I know the parts of my body My body is strong and balanced There is space around my body Moving in space around my body Compiled by Brigid Comrie with Dana Katz (Occupational Therapist) for WORDWORKS 2013 2012
1 I know the parts of my body: I can name the parts of my body including fingers, knees, tongue, chin, elbow, cheeks. See Helpful Hint at the top of page 2. I can draw my body including neck, feet, hands and fingers See Helpful Hint at the bottom of page 2 for details and some examples on page 3. I can follow instructions about my body (for example: touch your nose, touch your feet) I can count the parts of my body (for example: one head, two arms,) I know that I have one head, one chin, one nose I know that I have two hands, two feet, two eyes, two ears I know that my body has two sides, left and right I know that my body has a top (my head) and a bottom part (my feet) I know what I can do with my hands (clap, wave, write) and feet (walk, dance, jump, kick a ball) Did you know? Body image refers to the emotional/attitudinal feeling towards our bodies. Body concept refers to the cognitive processes of naming and identifying parts of our body, and having a picture of how they fit together. 1
Helpful hint: Guidelines for the development of body concept: Children generally learn the names of the more obvious body parts first and then the others, more or less like this: Age in years children name and point to these body parts on their own body: 2 Arms, legs, back, head, tummy 2 3 Hair, nose, ears, eyes, mouth, hands, thumb 3 4 Feet, fingers, little finger, knees, shoulder 4 5 Elbow, hips, tongue 5 6 Middle finger, wrist, ankle, eyebrows, left and right hand Helpful hint: Guidelines for how children learn to draw a person: Children s drawings generally develop from very simple representations of a person to more complex drawings with lots of detail. This table will give you an idea of what children can do at different ages. See page 3 for examples. Age in years 3 Draw a person: By this age children generally include the following body parts in their drawings: One or more vertical lines, or a circle; then a circle with lines going out from it (spider) or a circle with two circles inside for eyes 4 Head, legs and eyes 5 6 Person with a head, body, 2 legs, 2 arms; then a mouth, nose and eyes. Sometimes feet and hands Person with feet, hands, neck and clothes; more details such as chin and cheeks 2
Children s drawings at different ages Age 4 years 9 months Age 4 years 3 months Age 5 years 3 months Age 6 years 2 months 3
2 My Body is strong and balanced Movement teaches the child about his / her body and the space that it occupies. Providing opportunities for exploration through movement, prepares a child with the building blocks on which all academic learning will take place Dana Katz, Occupational Therapist (BSc O.T. UCT) Games to play together to build strong and balanced bodies: (Gr R Gr 1) Jumping: on grass, a mattress, a trampoline Forward rolls Egg-and-spoon race and 3-legged race Playing skittles Playing with a ball on a string Jumping in and out of hoops on the floor Skipping with a rope or jumping over a rope Throwing, bouncing and catching a ball Hopping and dancing Wheelbarrow walk Obstacle courses 4
Activities for balance Walking on stepping stones, sand or uneven surfaces Walking along a log, a line of bricks; a chalk line Walking between two lines Playing hopscotch Standing on one leg with eyes open and then closed up to the count to ten, then for as long as you can Standing on two legs on blocks or a raised plank, carrying a bean bag in your hands or on your head. Throwing the bean bag into a bucket while walking along the plank Hopping Riding scooters and bikes Pushing scooters and skate boards Balancing on wobble-boards Activities to develop strength Big muscles: Wheelbarrow walks, bunny hops, spider walks, worm crawl Handstands Carrying reasonably heavy items, such as shopping bags Pushing and pulling games such as tug of war, pushing friends in boxes, rolling heavy barrels, rolling friends Climbing and swinging Junglegym play 5
Small muscles: Playing with clay or play dough Pegging clothes pegs onto a box or paper plate Screwing and unscrewing lids on jar Newspaper tearing and crumpling you can make a ball by stuffing it into an old stocking or plastic bag Popping bubble wrap Tearing, rolling and then flicking paper balls at a target or into a container Cutting Colouring and finger painting, drawing in sand 3 There is space around my body; I know where my body is in space; I look around me and see where I am Important words to understand: In / out Above / below My right side / my left side On my left / on my right Up / down Next to Behind / in front of In the middle Between Top / bottom Far / near 6
4 Moving in space around my body I can move: Forwards / backwards Towards / away from Around Through Up / down Turn to the right / left Move to the right / left Over / under I can make other things move, and put them in different places Behind / in front of On top of / under Next to Between Above / below Put it in / take it out At the top / at the bottom (of a page) On the right / on the left (of a page) Include cause and effect words, for example: If I push this spoon/book it will fall off the table and onto the floor. Helpful hint: Your child is unique with his/her own strengths and weaknesses. Be proud of your child s strengths but also be realistic and understanding about any difficulties. Try not to compare your child with his/her brothers and sisters or friends. If you are concerned, speak to the teachers to get an idea of how your child is doing in comparison to the others in the class/group. How to make play dough Ingredients: 2 cups flour 1 cup salt 2 tablespoons oil 2 cups water 2 tablespoons cream of tartar Method: Put all the ingredients in a pot and mix well. Cook slowly over a low heat, stirring all the time for 5 or 10 minutes. When it forms a ball and is less sticky, take it off the heat and add food colouring. Knead well. KEEP IN A SEALED PLASTIC BAG. 7