Concerns about a child’s physical needs should initially be raised with parents/carers and discussed with relevant professionals e.g. Health Visitor.
Information from a child’s Progress check at age 2 - GOV.UK may be available.
Awareness of a child’s physical needs and how these may impact on developmental milestones particularly in communication, play and socialisation.
Use observation in a variety of settings and contexts e.g. home visits, indoor and outdoor play to identify any particular barriers that affect the child’s access to play and participation.
Discussions with parents/carers to identify strengths and any needs can be helpful for planning.
Creation of a One Page Profile which is shared with all staff.
Create a ‘clutter-free’ environment. It may be helpful to complete a risk assessment of the setting including indoor and outdoor areas and trips outside of the setting.
Encourage a range of movement – up/down; different speeds; activities that develop balance e.g. yoga, sticky kids, climbing frames, dancing, jumping, football.
Consider the organisation of play areas and make sure that it enables children to move freely between them and allows for sufficient playing space.
Implement an accessibility plan to move around the setting and give thought to if an individualised fire evacuation plan is required.
Provide additional equipment or resources such as sloping board, adapted cutlery, chairs, scissors and pencil grips etc.
Include different physical literacy and physical play activities into as many aspects of the EY curriculum as possible to support specific skill development and targets.
Consider activities which focus on spatial awareness, planning and body awareness.
Consider whether the child is developing hand dominance and complete activities to support and encourage hand dominance.
Monitor the child’s performance and preference.
Consider any additional support for self-care tasks, when required or requested by the child.
Take account of potential fatigue and reduce the pace of structured sessions and provide opportunities for breaks and rest.
Use technology to support early learning including apps e.g. Dexteria Jr, Blobble Write, Hairy Letters and LetterSchool.
Teach sequencing skills for everyday tasks to increase independence e.g. putting on clothes in the right order etc. Use of visual timeline can assist with dressing sequence.
Attach paper to table, easel or wall with masking tape when mark making to assist the child and improve shoulder stability.
Encourage children to strengthen their shoulder/arm muscles by supporting them to complete large scale den building, mark making, messy play, malleable materials etc.
Incorporate pre-handwriting/hand strengthening activities into daily plans e.g. using playdough, thickened sand, elastic bands, tying skills, tweezers, peg boards, threading, dough disco, funky fingers and finger gym and Feed the Ball - OTPlan Activity Idea. Encourage self-feeding.
Consider completing a gross motor task prior to a focused or challenging fine motor task as this can facilitate improved concentration and focus.
Consider if avoidance of activities is evident. If a child is struggling with fine/gross motor skills, they may avoid these activities especially during free play.
Ideas for whole setting interventions:
Considerations for good transitions between rooms, and how to plan and prepare for these; e.g. opportunities to walk with an adult, repeating the process, moving towards more independence.
Talking the child through the route, noting key points, textures or space to feel for.
Development of a transition plan for children starting pre-school or moving between Nursery and Reception.