Motor Planning

What is it?

The ability to create an idea of what you want to do, plan how you are going to do it and then carry out the activity.

Example:

When we learned to wash our hands as young children, someone showed us how to do it. Eventually though, our brain had to figure out how our body would physically do what we’d been shown.

• How would we move our arms and fingers to get the soap?
• How would we hold the soap in order to rub our hands on it?
• How far would we stand from the sink so that water didn’t splash everywhere?

We also had to think about the order of all of these steps. In the beginning, it was very hard. We had to do things very slowly. We had to constantly adjust what we were doing—scrub for longer or get closer to the sink. We paid a lot of attention to the process. And with corrections and help, we eventually were able to do it on our own.

Two things change dramatically once we really know how to wash our hands. We move much faster and are much more precise. We don’t need to pay as much attention to our actions. They’ve become automatic. Our planning for the whole task is quick and efficient. And if we need to make corrections, we can do it easily.

How you can help: For motor planning to occur, a child must be encouraged to THINK about what he/she is doing.

For example: Say to the child “How are you going to get the toy that is underneath the bed?

• Break down the task into smaller parts e.g. cycling – learn to balance on the bike without pedalling, then practice pedalling the bike without balancing, then put the two together.
• Explain the activity, describing exactly what your arms/hands/legs are doing.
• Repetition and practice are essential.
• You may need to give some “hands on” prompting / to help the child “feel” the required movement or position.
• Visualise the task before he/she does it (close eyes)
• Verbalise what they are going to do before they do it, or repeat what it was he was told to do.
• Verbalise the sequence i.e. what must be done next and what was done previously.
• Verbalise the end result before he/she does it. Planning involves the anticipation of the end result.
• Analyse whether his/her plan worked after the execution, and if not successful the child must work out an alternative method.
• Follow a routine e.g. dressing, lay clothes out in the same place each morning
• Modify the activity – make it easier e.g. dressing – sitting on a chair so the child doesn’t have to balance, arrange the clothes in the right order to start with so the child learns the sequence, then get the child to problem solve what they need to do first.
• Use simple one or two step commands when giving instructions but try to get the child to problem solve the activity.
• Keep it fun! Set out obstacle courses for the child to go over, under, around, play hopscotch, clapping games, origami, twister, ball games, board games, etc.