## North Carolina Early Learning and Development Progressions: Birth to Five

#### Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Health and Physical Development (HPD)

#### Subdomain: Motor Development

#### Goal: Children develop small muscle control and hand-eye coordination to manipulate objects and work with tools.

#### Skill Progression: Reach/Grasp/Release

#### Age: 33-36 Months

You may choose a different domain, go back, or click on a skill below for more information.

### Release: Releases a ball with all fingers opening and thrusting

Situations for Observation of Skill

Observe the child with a scoop, buried ball, and target.

Elicitation Strategy

Encourage the child to dig up a previously buried ball in the sand. Once the ball is found encourage the child to throw it at a target.

Behavior Observed

The child releases a ball with a strong thrust forward and opening of all fingers.

Routines-based Intervention (Embedded Instruction)

Encourage parents to let children attempt difficult tasks by themselves. Unlocking the door, turning the handle, helping with fix-it chores, etc., all build confidence as well as fine motor skills and strength.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015

©2015 by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.