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What are gross motor skills?

 

Motor milestones include both gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are postural and movement abilities developed through infancy (0-12 months) and childhood coming from control and strength in large muscles of the body. Fine motor skills are those involving precise control of small muscles to achieve tasks like tying shoelaces. 

 

This section of information focuses on gross motor skills. Perhaps the most well known gross motor milestone is the achievement of independent walking occurring around 12-18 months of age.

 

Other gross motor milestones include sitting, all fours, crawling, kneeling, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, stairs, ball kicking, throwing and catching.

 

Underlying a child’s ability to achieve these gross motor milestone are:

            -nerve input and strength in the muscles required for task

            -crossing of midline

            -body awareness

            -spatial orientation: awareness of body in relation to environment

            -balance

            -co-ordinated use of major muscles

 

The way in which a child achieves gross motor milestones occurs in a predictable but variable order. Each child has a unique way they achieve a gross motor skill and the time spent in each stage of motor development varies also. For example children often have differences in the amount of time spent crawling with some children skipping this stage and moving straight onto walking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do gross motor skills develop throughout infancy and childhood?

 

A baby starts movements within the womb. These are mainly due to internal nerve signals of the baby. After the baby is born movement is influenced not only by the internal nerve signals but increasingly so by their environment. The best way parents and carers of infants and children can stimulate the development of movement in their baby or child is through providing a changing stimulating environment.

 

This can be achieved by having a variety of positions baby is in, the way baby is carried, the physical environment around the baby and other environmental stimulus that encourage baby to move. These might include things such as interesting noises and objects to look at.

 

The stimulation from the external world will combine with the baby’s internal nerve signals to produce movements. When baby is encouraged to move more strength develops in the muscles used. Over time and much practice this allows the movement pattern to become smoother and goal directed eg reaching for toys.

 

In summary children’s motor skills – both gross (large muscle movement) and fine (small muscle movement) are determined by a combination of their inherited abilities (nature) and their environment (nurture). The consensus is that both play a significant role. Therefore enhancing the external environment sourrounding your child will help them develop motor skills.

 

Why is the development of gross motor skills so important for my child?

 

The ability of a child to move and interact with their environment has a snow-ball like effect on their whole physical and cognitive development. The more they can move and play in their environment, the more skills and abilities they develop.

 

Conversely if there is a problem preventing a child participating in play eg cannot maintain enough strength to sit and play, this can reduces the skills they develop. That is why early identification of delays in motor skills is best because it lessens the impact these may have.

 

Development of gross motor skills enhances the development of fine motor skills. This is because it allows a child to have a strong, stable base from which they can focus and control smaller muscles required for fine motor tasks such as tying shoelaces and handwriting.

 

Other reasons why gross motor skills are so important for children are:

 

-promotes psychological health, self-esteem and confidence from being successful in taking part in games with other children.

-gross motor activities support muscle growth and development as well as bone strength.

- when children are able to perform gross motor activities with confidence eg running and climbing they are more likely to want to be involved in active play. This helps integrate physical activity into daily life from a young age, promoting a healthy lifestyle.

-release of “feel-good” hormones (endorphins) from doing exercise, helps improve mood, reduces stress and anxiety, and helps with sleep.

-improved school skills – fine motor skills needed for school such as handwriting and typing.