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At age 3, your preschooler no longer has to concentrate on the mechanics of standing, running, jumping or walking. His movements are now quite agile, whether he's going forward, backward or up and down stairs. While walking he stands erect, shoulders pulled back and belly held in by firm abdominal muscles. He uses a regular heel-toe motion, taking steps of the same length, width and speed. He can ride a tricycle with great ease.
However, not everything comes easily yet. Your child may still need to make a conscious effort while standing on tiptoes or on one foot, while getting up from a squatting position or while catching a ball. But if he keeps his arms extended and stiffly forward, he can catch a large ball as well as throw a smaller one overhand quite smoothly.
Your preschooler may seem to be in constant motion much of the time. This is because he uses his body to convey thoughts and emotions that he still can't describe through language. Moving his body also helps him better understand many words and concepts that are new to him. For example, if you start talking about an airplane, he may spread his wings and "fly" around the room. While this level of activity may at times be annoying and distracting for you, it's a necessary part of his learning process and his fun.
Playtime
Your 3-year-old still may be as active as he was at 2, but he'll probably be more interested in structured games at this age. So instead of running aimlessly or flitting from one activity to another, he'll probably ride his tricycle or play in the sandbox for long periods at a time. He also may enjoy active games like tag, catch or playing ball with other children.
He's extremely interested in discovering what he can do with tools, such as a paper scissors, and with materials, such as clay, paint and crayons. He now has the skill to manipulate these objects and is beginning to experiment with using them to make other things. At first, he'll play randomly with craft materials, perhaps identifying the end product only after it's completed. Looking at his scribbles, for example, he might decide they look like a dog. But soon this will change, and he'll decide what he wants to make before starting to work on it. This change in approach will motivate him to develop even more precision in moving and using his hands.
At age 3, your child is developing both the muscular control and the concentration she needs to master many precision finger and hand movements. You'll notice that she now can move each of her fingers independently or together, which means that instead of grasping her crayon in her fist she can hold it like an adult, with thumb on one side and fingers on the other. She will now be able to trace a square, copy a circle or scribble freely.
Because her spatial awareness has developed quite a bit, she's now more sensitive to the relationships among objects, so she'll position her toys with great care during play, and control the way she holds utensils and tools to perform specific tasks. This increased sensitivity and control will allow her to build a tower of nine or more cubes, feed herself without spilling very much, pour water from a pitcher into a cup (using two hands), unbutton clothes and possibly put large buttons into buttonholes.
Improving Hand Abilities
Quiet time activities that can help improve your child's hand abilities include:
· Building with blocks
· Solving simple jigsaw puzzles (four or five large pieces)
· Playing with pegboards
· Stringing large wooden beads
· Coloring with crayons or chalk
· Building sand castles
· Pouring water into containers of various sizes
· Dressing and undressing dolls in clothing with large zippers, snaps and laces
You also can encourage your child to use her hands by teaching her to use certain adult tools. She'll be thrilled to progress to a real screwdriver, a lightweight hammer, an eggbeater or gardening tools. You'll need to supervise closely, of course, but if you let her help as you work, you may be surprised how much of the job she can do herself.
Adult Supervision
Because your child's self-control, judgment and coordination are still developing, adult supervision remains essential to prevent injuries. However, it's a mistake to fuss too much over him. A few bumps and bruises are inevitable and even necessary to help him discover his limits in physical activity. As a general rule, you usually can leave him alone when he's playing by himself in his room. He'll play at his own pace, attempting only tasks within his abilities. Your concern and attention should be reserved for situations when he's around other children, hazardous equipment or machinery and especially traffic. Other children may tease or tempt him to do things that are dangerous, while machines, equipment and traffic defy his ability to predict their actions or speed. And he still cannot anticipate the consequences of actions, such as chasing a ball into traffic or sticking his hand into the spokes of his tricycle, so you'll have to protect him in these situations.