The document discusses how various physical activities and playground equipment can help young children develop important gross motor skills. It notes that movement, balance, and vestibular stimulation through activities like climbing, spinning, swinging, and sliding can help children's brain and sensory development. Specific pieces of playground equipment like rockers, spinners, bridges, and tire swings are described as aiding skills like balance, coordination, spatial awareness, and strength building.

1. What Research Suggests
• Movement
• Motion
• Balance
are needed for young children to develop
good gross motor skills.
Gross motor skills develop before fine
motor skills.

2. How do we help children develop
Gross Motor Skills
• Vestibular Sense
• Climbing
• Rocking
• Spinning
• Swinging
• Side to side
• Sliding
• Running

3. Vestibular (inner ear) System
• The vestibular system helps children control their
equilibrium, balance, and orientation to upright
(sitting, standing, kneeling, jumping, running, etc.)
• Studies show that rocking, spinning and other physical movements
through space, help children’s brain development and their ability to
pay attention, by stimulating the vestibular system.
• When children's bodies get lots of motion through space
(swinging, spinning, etc.) it actually helps their senses work better.

4. Good Balance
• Helps you keep your balance
• Helps you to know how you fit into space
(proprioceptors).
• Allows you to stay still while sitting, standing
or lying down.
• Helps to develop eye movement and visual-
motor movement
• Supported by strong core back and stomach
muscles.

6. Climbing
• Climbing helps to build neural pathways which teach the
muscles and brain to work together to use both sides of their
body at the same time.
• When children climb, the brain tells the right and left foot to
move together, and the left hand and right hand to move
together. When children climb their eyes and brain work
together to learn where to grasp and hold; as well as where to
put their feet and knees.
• The ability to use alternate hands and feet is important for
developing spacial awareness.
• Strengthen of core, hip, ankle and well as upper body strength
and grip.

7. Steps and Ladder
• Steps help with cross lateral movement of arms
and legs. Helps with balance, and
proprioceptors so body knows where it is in
space.
• Many kindergarteners are fluent going up stairs
using alternate feet, but some are still developing
the skill to securely go down stairs.
• Ladders help with bilateral movement like the
climbing wall, as well as helps to develop
proprioceptors when going down.

8. The Buckle Bridge is a good piece
of equipment to help develop
balance, equilibrium, and
proprioceptors, which enhances
one’s awareness in space.
It is also a piece that encourages
imaginative play.

9. Kid Force Child sits securely in the sits. Seat
Spinner begins moving with a rocking
motion. The child’s own weight and
momentum, allows the children can
spin these unique seats in 360
circle.
Daisy
Spinner
Although older children can use this spinner it
is ideal for younger children and children with
an under developed vestibular sense. The
child sits on and moves with their feet or lay
on the tummy and spin that way. This will
improve a child strength, coordination and
balance while developing kinesthetic
awareness.

10. Kid Spinner
Challenges children to
utilize their
strength, coordination
and balance to create
motion
One or two children

11. Fierce Cyclone
• Helps with the development of
kinesthetic awareness as well
as focus on proper posture.
• Develops strength and
coordination; development of
proprioceptors.
• Poles can be used to support
the back or just to hold on to.
• Up to 3 children.

12. 4 Seat Rocker
Can be used with 2 or 4 children. Focus is on
developing leg strength, coordination, and balance.
The up and down movement helps to again
develop the vestibular sense. Can be used
with 2 or 4 children. Promotes team work
when used with 4 children,
P3

13. Tire Swing

14. Where would the
Lower Elementary Playground be Located?