Page 5 - CrossingtheBLineBook1

Introduction

Activities with Six Bricks allow children to make mistakes without feeling ashamed or embarrassed - they
enable the process to become important, not the result. Children can make mistakes and learn from
their mistakes - improve; try out; experiment without the fear of being wrong. In this way they become
confident and adventurous and as a result other ideas spark in their brains.

“Children must master the language of things before they can master the language of words.” (Friedrich
Froebel). Froebel understood just how important tactile stimulation and the use of manipulatives are for
the perceptual development of children. Would you believe that with just six LEGO DUPLO bricks you can
help children refine and develop their perceptual and motor skills?

The ‘Crossing the B-Line’ and the ‘Move, Jump and Follow’ mat activities force children to move their
eyes left and right and to track objects across their midline, thereby invoking bi-lateral integration and
opportunities to practice moving objects from concrete to abstract.

Many of the toys kids play with today are too small and don’t require children to work outside their range
of vision. This limits the exercising and movement of the eyes, resulting in control and tracking problems
and can lead to tiredness. This in turn may contribute to restlessness, distractibility, poor concentration
and problems with coordination. However, while working on the ‘Crossing the B-Line’ mat, children grow
their perceptual skills, visual & auditory skills and fine motor skills.

Looking at each of these skills categories in more detail:

Perceptual development - This involves the accurate observation, organisation and interpretation of
information gained from the senses to the brain. The process of perceptual development is very closely
linked to motor skill development.

Visual and auditory perceptual skills - These are important in the development of children and to
ensure that learning is effective. Visual perception is the accurate observation, analysis and interpretation
of sensory inputs transmitted from the eyes to the brain. Visual perceptual skills are critical to all aspects
of learning and in particular reading, writing, and mathematics, as they form the basis for academic
achievement.

Fine motor development - This involves the coordination of the small muscles of the body and usually in
conjunction with the eye. Fine motor skills involve strength, dexterity and control.

All these skills are developed as children engage the call activities while working on their ‘Crossing the
B-Line’ and ‘Move, Jump & Follow’ mats.