Gross motor skills are movements that require the whole or most of the body to do the activity. An example of gross motor skills is an infant learning to roll and to sit or an older kid learning to ride a bike. This skill isn’t just limited to play and movement. It’s also connected to your child’s educational success.
Beth Price, executive director of Early Childhood Enrichment Center in Shaker Heights says, “Children develop their gross motor skills first. Once children master their gross motor skills, the fine motor skills start to develop. Children with poor gross motor skills may not be able to cut with scissors, manipulate small blocks like LEGOs, or color with a crayon. Lack of gross motor skills could lead to learning lags including reading and math.”
What do parents need to know about normal gross motor skill development?
Olivia Mogilnicki, pediatric therapist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital explains that gross motor skills build upon each other.
“This starts as early as infants being able to tolerate being on their belly, all the way up to sitting, crawling, walking, jumping and running,” she explains. “When one gross motor skill is delayed or is not achieved, it makes the child at a higher risk to have these other gross motor milestones not be achieved as well.”
Although there are ranges pediatricians want these gross motor skills to occur, development looks different for every child.
Mogilnicki advises parents to “look at your child holistically, and not just from a gross motor perspective. You want to know where your child is and what normal should be. The ranges help guide us, but not every kid’s the same. Therefore, try not to compare your kid to other kids.”
However, if a child starts to lose a milestone or not achieve other milestones, there’s usually an underlying reason. That’s something that should be looked into.
What are red flags for gross motor skills development?
Red flags can start as early as infancy.
Doctors can see signs of delays in gross motor development as early as 4 months old. Mogilnicki says, in infancy parents should be contact their pediatrician if:
The baby has a preference to look in one direction, or only really use one side of their body. Babies all the way through almost age 2 should be using both sides of their body completely, symmetrically, or the same.
A young baby doesn’t like to be on their belly. Starting at about 4 months old, the baby should want to be on their belly.
The infant is not crawling on their hands and knees by the time they’re 11 months old.
The child is not walking by the time they’re 15 months old.
For older children, Mogilnicki advises parents to talk to their pediatrician if:
Their child is toe walking. These are kids that spend more than 50% of their time walking on their toes. This can cause kids to have tight ankles, not learn to walk the correct way, or have weak belly muscles. We want to see these kids as early as possible.
Their child is W sitting. This is where the kids sit with their legs out to their sides and it kind of looks like a W with their legs. Kids tend to do this because they have weakened muscles or weak belly muscles. They’re looking for stability.
What about children born prematurely?
Gross motor skill development may look different for children who are born prematurely.
Mogilnicki says milestones are adjusted for age if a child is born more than three weeks early.
“Our goal is always for kids to hit their milestones at their chronological age — however old they are from the day they’re born.” she says. “However, we’re not necessarily worried from a therapy perspective, if they’re hitting it at their adjusted age. If the children are not hitting their adjusted age milestones, I recommend therapy so these delays don’t cause other delays down the road.”
Once that child is 2 years old, their age is no longer adjusted. They’re expected to hit their milestones the same age as every other child their age.
Can your child’s school tell you more about your child’s gross motor skills development?
If your child is in school or a childcare program, your child’s teachers can help you to learn more about your child’s gross motor skills development.
“Some early childhood programs screen children for all areas of development utilizing standardized screening tools,” Price says. “They would be able to tell parents if there is a delay. If teachers do not screen, parents can ask them if their child’s development is the same as their peers or whether there is any area that seems to fall behind.”
What should parents do if they have a concern?
If parents have a concern, they should communicate with their pediatrician immediately. There is no wrong question to ask. Trust your gut and ask for a physical therapy referral to help your child hit these gross motor skills milestones.
Mogilnicki recommends that parents don’t follow the “wait and see” approach.
“There is really good research that shows early intervention is best to make an improvement in a child,” she says. “When we can address any delay, small or large, early on, when it’s first noticed, the odds that we can fix it quicker are much higher than waiting.”
