Sep 5, 20223 min read

SUPERSKILLS EXPLAINED

Physical Skills

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

Gross motor skills are physical, whole body movements. Large (core stabilising) muscles are used to perform gross motor functions. Examples are standing, walking, running, jumping, doing a cartwheel and sitting upright at the dining room table. Physical Skills Fine motor skills involve smaller movements in the wrists, hands, fingers, feet and toes. We use fine motor skills every day; buttoning our clothes, eating with a knife and fork, cutting with scissors, using our keyboard or typing on our phones. We even use fine motor skills when we blink.The games and activities at the Magical Crafting Club plans encourage kids to practice gross motor skills by giving them the opportunity to move.

FINE MOTOR SKILLS

Fine motor skills involve smaller movements in the wrists, hands, fingers, feet and toes. We use fine motor skills every day; buttoning our clothes, eating with a knife and fork, cutting with scissors, using our keyboard or typing on our phones. We even use fine motor skills when we blink.

Fine motor skills are used and developed in every single creative crafting class

HAND-EYE COORDINATION

Hand-eye coordination is the superskill that enables our eyes to guide our hands in accurate movements. It is important for children to practise this skill as it will enable them to catch a ball, and to hit a ball with a bat, it is an important base for handwriting and eye tracking skills are important for reading. We also need our eyes to guide our hands when we tie shoelaces and when we build towers with lego

Social and self-regulation skills

We all have a desire to feel connected, valued, to have a sense of belonging and to feel safe. Being human not only involves caring for your family and friends but also for our environment. As humans we interact with others (whether we like to or not) and mastering the art of self-regulation is very important. Self-regulation is the ability to manage and regulate one’s emotions and behaviour. Recognising one’s own feelings, recognising the feelings of others and controlling behaviour by communicating feelings and managing impulses.

Social and self-regulation skills are practised during classes in the following ways:

🔯Class participation creates social interaction opportunities.

🔯The pace of the class will teach kids to regulate themselves and not to rush ahead of the others.

🔯Kids are encouraged to ask a lot of questions during a class. Asking questions encourages conversation.

🔯Kids learn to listen to what others have to say and how they feel. If kids understand how others feel they are likely to feel more connected, create positive bonds and show compassion towards others.

Speech and Language

Now that we understand the importance of social skills and self-regulation we will explore how we can teach kids how to communicate their ideas and feelings. How do we develop these skills?

🔯Talk, talk, talk

🔯Read, read, read

🔯Sing, sing, sing

Talking, reading and singing as part of creative crafting class also helps to develop pronunciation and articulation

The Magical Crafting Club classes activities provide ample opportunities to incorporate speech and language skills in your classes.

Sensory Awareness

We use our senses to interact with the world around us on a daily basis. From smelling freshly cut grass, to chatting to shop staff or a family member about our day. We also use our senses as a safety mechanism, for example when lightly touching the handles of a pot on the stove, we receive sensory input, identify that it is safe and then respond by picking it up. For most adults this is a natural process, but for many younger kids sensory processing may still be underdeveloped.

The Magical Crafting Club classes provide many opportunities to develop sensory awareness.