Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills involve the coordination and control of the large muscle groups. They are required for large whole-body movements involving the muscles of the arms, legs, and torso. These skills are crucial for any physical activity, which can impact crawling, sitting, walking, running, rolling, jumping, throwing, climbing, and participating in sports. 

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 Photo by: Todd Carlstrom

@toddfilms

Developmental Milestones are categorized by the typical age range a child is expected achieve a specific skill. They reach these milestones by interacting with the world around them. If infants and children are prevented from interacting with their world, because of their health, physical limitations, or even environment, they may demonstrate a delay. 

Some early gross motor milestones:

• Holds head up
• Rolls from tummy to back
• Sitting with and without support
• Crawling
• Pulling self up to standing
• Walking

*It should be noted that in recent years the CDC changed the age ranges for specific skills. For example, rolling used to be typical at 4 months of age, now it is 6 months. Walking used to be typical at 12 months, and now it doesn't start until 15 months.*

I have seen first hand the importance of crawling and can almost immediately identify a school aged child that did not crawl as a baby. They may have decreased tone in their hands, limited creases in their palms , trouble coordinating both sides of their body, difficulty with balance, decreased core and shoulder strength and stability, visual perception delays including depth perception, slower cognition, and the list goes on.....

As stated above, the CDC changed the milestone ages. Unfortunately, they completely took out crawling as a milestone altogether. Therapists, myself included, are worried that this will send the wrong signals to parents and pediatricians alike. This change does not mean that children no longer need to crawl

Trust me, THEY NEED TO CRAWL!! 

Skills gained when a child crawls for the appropriate amount of time:

• Fine Motor Skills
• Sensory Integration
  • Tactile
  • Proprioception
  • Vestibular
  • Vision
• Core & Shoulder Strength/Stability
• Bilateral Coordination
• Gross Motor Coordination
• Cognition 
  • Right & Left Hemispheres of the brain
• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Binocular Vision
• Problem Solving Skills

Just like our other motor skills, there are a lot of important factors that assist in developing gross motor skills. These precursors are: 

• Muscle Strength and Endurance
• Motor Planning and Learning
• Postural Control and Muscle Tone
• Sensory Integration
  • Vestibular = Balance and Position in Space
  • Proprioception = Body Awareness
  • Visual = How Our Brain Interprets What We See and Depth Perception 
  • Tactile = Responding to Different Textures, Temperatures, Pressure, etc.
• Bilateral Coordination

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition!!!

Provide multiple opportunities everyday for your child to participate in movement. MAKE IT FUN!! There is an unlimited amount of ideas on pintrest, youtube, and any other social media platform. 

Here is a small list of easy & fun activities:

• Any & all sports
• Playground Equipment at the Park
• Obstacle courses
• Yoga & Animal Walks
• Hop Scotch
• Ball handling (throwing, catching, bouncing, dribbling)

**Get those babies out of Containers such as:  jumpers, activity centers, Bumbos, exercisers, etc. These devices place the child's hip in a un-natural position and can lead to problems later on. Limit to only 15 minutes per day, or do without and place them on the floor in a safe area.** 

1. Assess gross motor skills

2. Create a plan of care

3. Monitor as needed and provide adaptations