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Let's March!

Developing Motor Skills, Physical Fitness and Fun Through Marching

By Donna Smith

Start by having your toddler raise his knees as he walks, which turns into marching, Clark says. "After a while, get him to swing his arms while he marches," she says. "You can even practice marching backwards. Not only does it help your child's physical coordination, but she learns a new word, 'backwards.'"

Balance and coordination are certainly developed when a child is marching," Pica says. "There's also cross-lateral movement involved (the use of the right arm and left leg at the same time, and the reverse), which requires both hemispheres of the brain to communicate across the corpus callosum," she says. "This stimulates the brain and is critical to a child's later ability to read and write with ease."

Marching also encourages and promotes physical fitness. "Because it's an exaggerated movement, it uses more of the child's own weight than does walking, which means it promotes muscular strength, one of the five health-related fitness factors," Pica says. "And if it's a lively bout of marching (lasting for several minutes), it can also promote cardiovascular endurance, another of the fitness factors."

Pica suggests practicing marching in place, then challenging your child to see how high he can lift his knees and swing his arms. "While marching, turn in one direction and then the other," she says. "Pretend to play a musical instrument typically found in a marching band, like a slide trombone or cymbals. And, of course, you can put on a recording of a march, or break out the pots and pans and hold a parade around the house or yard. It doesn't matter if it's only a two-person parade!"

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• A Balancing Act: Helping Toddlers Find Their Center of Gravity
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