Perceptual Motor Programs
Motor Development and Skill
Acquisition - EDED 11331
What does Perceptual Motor
mean?
Perception = the input system
Motor = the output or
responsive system.
What is Perceptual Motor
Development ?
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Perceptual motor development is defined as one’s ability to
receive, interpret and respond successfully to sensory
information
Perception means to know or to interpret information, and
motor refers to output or responsive movement
(Capon, 1975)
A perceptual motor program, therefore, uses movement
activities to enhance academic or cognitive skills
Perceptual Motor Programs
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Fundamental motor skills have been developed as an
integral component of the HPE curriculum.
Traditional P.E programs have centred on the output or
performance e.g. Can the child skip? With perceptual
motor programs, input and perception are the first concern,
then you examine how it affects one’s performance.
PMP’s aim to be preventative rather than curative.
PMP’s should involve all students in their early years of
schooling, not just children who are “at risk”
“Before he can learn that “p” is
down and “b” is up, he must learn
when he is down and when he is up.
Directionality must become a part
of the body scheme before any
child can have a real appreciation of
the directionality of letters,
numbers and words.” (Capon, 1975)
What is Perceptual Motor
Development ?
Perceptual motor development is defined as one’s
ability to receive, interpret and respond
successfully to sensory information
 Perception means to know or to interpret
information, and motor refers to output or
responsive movement

(Capon, 1975)
A perceptual motor program, therefore, uses
movement activities to enhance academic or
cognitive skills
The Importance of PMP’s
1.
2.
2 main reasons:
The influence PMP can have on non-impaired
children (Learning Readiness)
The influence of PMP on children requiring
remedial programs for PM skills (Remediation)
Readiness programs are preventative programs,
that is why they are so important in every
schools early grade curriculum.
What is Involved in a PMP?
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Gross motor co-ordination(locomotor)
Balance
Visual motor control
Auditory motor activities
Fine motor control
Laterality
Body awareness
Spatial awareness
Gross Motor Activities

Rolling, crawling, walking, running,
jumping and landing, hopping, skipping,
galloping, leaping and dodging.
Balance
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Rolling (over balls), forward and backward
rolls, spinning, balance, scooter boards,
skipping (with and without ropes), jumping
activities, see saws and trampettes.
 The vestibular centre in the brain receives
and processes sensations from the gravity
and movement receptors found in the inner
ears. This information is used to regulate
muscle tone, equilibrium and posture and
allows people to know how fast they are
moving and in which direction.
Visual Motor Activities

Ability to combine visual and motor
responses into physical action
 Allow an individual to move from one place
to another smoothly.
Auditory Motor Control

Singing, rhymes and chants.
 Responding to auditory cues/commands,
ability to utilise auditory cues.
Fine Motor Control
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Co-ordination of small muscles to perform
specific tasks.
 Cutting, painting, writing, grasping.
Laterality
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Ability to control two sides of the body together or
separately.
Bilateral movements (Simultaneous or parallel).
Unilateral movements (one side of the body)
Cross lateral movements (Simultaneous movement
of different limbs on opposite sides of the body
e.g. crawling)
Directional awareness - left and right.
.
Body Awareness
• Concept of body parts
• Physical structure and function
• Position of body in relation to other objects.
Spatial Awareness
• closely associated with body awareness
• Knowledge of the body and its position
• Locating a reference point for activities.
Recognising Children at Risk
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Children who often go unnoticed are those
who try very hard with little success.
 Children with poor muscle tone or poor
posture.
 Children with co-ordination problems, who
appear clumsy, unable to run easily, often
have falls.
(ANSUA, 1991)
Children at Risk cont.
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Children who display poor fine motor coordination, have problems with all manual
skills such as managing buttons, pencil grip,
avoiding colouring activities, dislikes
jigsaws and trouble managing scissors.
 Children who display a difficulty in
expressing themselves properly (poor
speech, stuttering)
Children at Risk cont.
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Children who demonstrate difficulty with
spatial awareness and poor visual
perception. They may avoid using
playground equipment to avoid climbing,
swinging and heights.
 Children with mixed laterality. Children
who may write with their left hand but
prefer to hop on their right leg.
 Children who display an under-developed
tactile system or a hyper-tactile child.
Children at Risk cont.
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Children with sensory input problems I.e
cannot filter out irrelevant sounds and
stimuli, easily distracted, talk loudly to
drown out background noise.
 Children with poor eye contact.
 Children with immature head movement
development e.g moves their head while
reading instead of moving their eyes or
jerky head movement while reading.
Children at Risk cont.
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Children with poor visual memory.
 Children who have a poor auditory memory
I.e can only handle one command at a time.
 Children with visual problems – squints, red
rimmed eyes, headaches, watery eyes
following reading, book close to eyes when
reading and inability to cope with small
print.
 Reversals with letters and numbers.
Children at Risk cont.
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Children with poor concentration and learning
ability leads to poor comprehension e.g can read
well but demonstrates little comprehension.
 Children who demonstrate poor time concepts e.g
unaware of lunch time and dinner time, yesterday
and tomorrow.
 Children who display midline problems. Children
who have not integrated both sides of their body
e.g may be ambidextrous, writing hand may
change, when writing across one side of the page
then moves the paper so they do not cross the
midline.
Improving Literacy Through
Motor Development
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PMP’s have been shown to be an avenue to
which the perceptual abilities of a child may
be enhanced. There has been research
conducted that demonstrates that improved
perceptual motor development can
positively affect a child’s academic
performance.
Safety Considerations
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Adult supervision(aware of responsibilities)
Equipment checked regularly
Appropriate clothing (usually bare feet)
One person on equipment at a time
Good starting positions
Sufficient space
Movement control NOT speed
Encourage concentration on the task
References
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ANSUA. (1991). Movement for learning. Motor sensory
therapy. Victoria: author.
Capon, J. (1975). Perceptual motor development. Belmont,
Ca. : Fearon Pitman.
DECCD. (1997). Fundamental motor skills. Tasmania:
author.
Pangrazi, R. P., & Dauer, V. P. (1992). Dynamic physical
education for elementary school children (10th ed.).
Ontario: Macmillan.