Gross and Fine Motor Skills that Children Develop During Early and Middle Childhood

Gross and fine motor skills refer to the physical changes that occur through someone’s life span.

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  Gross motor skills: involve the large muscles of the body that enable such functions as walking, kicking, sitting upright, lifting, and throwing a ball. 

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    Fine motor skills: involve the small muscles of the body that enable such functions as writing, grasping small objects, and fastening clothing.

Gross motor skills:

3-4 years:

-they can climb stairs using their own method.

-jump.

-run.

-pedal a small tricycle.

-catch and throw balls and objects.

4-5 years:

-kids can down and up the stairs alone.

-their running continues to smooth and increase in speed.

-they master some activities they could already perform, but with difficulty like: driving their bicycles faster.

5-6 years:

-they continue refining earlier skills.

-they start playing sports more organized such as: soccer, football, baseball, swimming, among others.

From 7 years old and on:

-they continue mastering the abilities they have already gotten.

Fine motor skills:

3-4 years:

-kids start manipulating clothing fasteners, like zippers and snaps.

-have more independent in dressing themselves.

-they start using scissors.

-can use utensils like forks and spoons.

-kids can use crayons, pencils, and pen. At this stage they may not use them properly, but they do use them.

4-5 years:

-they can button and unbutton their clothes by themselves.

- They artistic skills get better.

-they can draw more complex figures.

5-7 years:

-kids improve their use of pens, crayons and all tools related to writing.

-they can brush their teeth and hair.

-they can also feed themselves without any adult supervision.

It is of vital importance that adults encourage and help kids build up their gross and fine motor skills so that their physical development does not show any sight of delay. Parents should teach every activity that has been mentioned above with the intention that kids can extend their innate gross and fine abilities because most of the delays that kids present in their physical development are due to lack of teaching from their parents and not because natural disabilities. In such a case, parents and caregivers play an important role in their children good or bad development of gross and fine motor skills.

 

References:

v Papalia, D, et al. A child’s world. Mc Graw Hill, USA, 2006.

v (http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=12755&cn=462)