LEVEL THREE (PERCEPTUAL-MOTOR SKILLS)
As the child develops, so does his perception – the cognitive understanding of the information that his senses take in. As sensory perception a nd discrimination improve, his ability to interact with the external world broadens.
Hearing (the auditory sense) becomes more refined. He understands language and communicates through speech.
Sight becomes more precise. He can interpret visual data more accurately. He understands spatial relationships and can judge where he is in regard to people and objects.
Eye-hand coordination develops. Now the child can hold a crayon, draw a simple picture, catch a ball, and pour juice. Eye-hand coordination contributes to visual-motor integration, necessary for stringing pop beads or fitting a jigsaw puzzle piece into place.
The child can do a jigsaw puzzle now – just for the fun of it – with purposeful, playful activity. When he picks up a jigsaw piece, it is his developing sensory integration that lets him see it, handle it, understand it, and fit it into the puzzle.
At the age of three, the child is continuing to develop and strengthen basic skills. Now he is ready for the “top floor” of his block building – the end products of sensory integration.