Gross Motor Skills in Early Childhood

Slide 1 of 10: Synopsis

Human Development Video Activity

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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

fine motor skills

Physical skills that involve small and precise movements usually of the hands and fingers, such as writing with a pencil or tying a shoe.

gross motor skills

Physical skills that involve large muscle groups and the coordinated control of arms, legs, head, and torso.

motor drive

The pleasure young children take in using their new motor skills.

Author

S. Stavros Valenti, Hofstra University

Synopsis

This activity explores the development of gross motor skills throughout early childhood. After learning how and when gross motor skills develop, you will have an opportunity to identify a variety of gross motor skills demonstrated by young boys and girls in a video clip.

Slide 2 of 10: Gross Motor Skills: Moving Around in the World

A young girl preparing to jump on a hopscotch board represents a gross motor skill. A young boy attempting to turn a door knob represents a fine motor skill.

Between two and six years of age, children all over the world show tremendous gains in their abilities to move around and participate in the world. To get to where they want to go, they do not just walk. Now, they hop, skip, jump, run, and rarely will they give up an opportunity to climb! These physical skills involving large muscle groups and coordinated control of arms, legs, head, and torso are called gross motor skills. In contrast, other physical skills that involve much smaller and precise movements, such as writing with a pencil or tying a shoe, are called fine motor skills, and they take more time to develop.

Slide 3 of 10: How Do These Skills Develop Over Time?

This table shows which gross motor skills appear at which age. At around 2 years old, a child can walk well, run, go up and down stairs alone, and kick a ball. At around 3 years old, a child can run well, march, ride tricycle, and stand on one foot briefly. At around 4 years old, a child can skip, perform a standing broad jump, and throw a ball overhand. At around 5 years old, a child can hop, skip, skate, ride a scooter, and demonstrate good balance.

Children develop gross motor skills primarily through watching other children and through self‐initiated practice during play and exploration. Learning gross motor skills does not actually require direct instruction. Instead, it is fair to say that children have an innate need to move their bodies. It just feels good to run, skip, and jump! Developmentalists refer to this desire to move as motor drive.

As their strength gradually increases relative to their body weight, children become slimmer and less top‐heavy. With this physique, their gross motor skills improve with repeated practice. Children take great pride in their ability to move their bodies with skill, and the development of these skills contributes to their overall self‐esteem.

The table below lists examples of gross motor skills and the typical age at which they first appear.

Slide 4 of 10: Do Boys and Girls Differ in Gross Motor Skills?

A young boy climbing on monkey bars demonstrating his upper body strength and a girl in a ballet class demonstrating balance and agility

Boys can, on average, jump a little higher, run a little faster, and throw a ball about five feet farther than girls can. Boys generally perform better in skills that require strength, especially upper body strength.

Girls also have areas of excellence. On average, girls demonstrate better balance and agility than boys do, and girls excel in complex foot movements. This deftness gives girls an edge in gymnastics and dance.

While groups of boys and girls may differ on average, this does not mean that girls always show less strength or that boys always show less agility. The degree of encouragement from parents and peers in addition to the availability of opportunities to practice various skills determine which abilities any particular boy or girl will develop.

Slide 5 of 10: Identify the Gross Motor Skills

Gross Motor Skills Video 2 SVA

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Here, you will have an opportunity to observe and identify some of the gross motor skills that we have discussed. This video clip shows children engaged in a variety of activities. Watch the video clip from start to finish one or two times to get a sense of the range of activities. As you watch, ask yourself “Which of these actions are gross motor skills?” Remember that gross motor skills involve the large muscle groups of the body, such as running, throwing, jumping, hopping, and climbing.

Question 2.

List all the unique gross motor skills that you observe in this video. Be sure to provide some detail about the skill because something that may look like the same skill may, in fact, be different. Think about the muscle groups and body mechanics involved in order to identify the different gross motor skills.

Answer box for question 2

These are the gross motor skills that are represented in this video: bouncing on trampoline (which is slightly different from a standing jump), standing on one foot, hopping on one foot, walking or marching on an uneven/slanted surface, climbing (the slide), balancing on one foot (which is slightly different from simply standing on one foot because she appears to be doing so effortlessly without using other movements to hold herself up), somersaulting, spinning, hanging (briefly before sliding), sliding down the slide, getting off slide, running, riding the scooter (which involves balancing and pushing with foot), changing direction quickly while running, dancing, walking on a beam, jumping down off the beam, throwing a ball, pushing trucks (involves pushing, running in bent over position, steering, stopping), catching a ball, jumping, walking backwards, squatting, high fiving/slapping.

Slide 6 of 10: Summary

To review some of the main points discussed in this activity…

Gross motor skills refer to large movements of the body, such as waving the arms, walking, running, or climbing.

Gross motor skills require self‐initiated practice and are usually not taught directly.

Boys typically excel in gross motor skills that require strength, such as running fast or throwing far, whereas girls generally demonstrate proficiency in skills that require coordination and agility, such as gymnastics.

Children everywhere take great pleasure and pride in their movement skills. Running, jumping, throwing, climbing, and hanging are just some of the giant steps in the journey through childhood.

Slide 7 of 10: Assessment: Check Your Understanding

A young child climbing some stairs at a playground

Slide 8 of 10: Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Slide 9 of 10: Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Slide 10 of 10: Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Question 6.

Janet, a friend of yours, had fraternal twins, a boy named Mark and a girl named Margee, several years ago. The twins are now entering preschool, and Janet is worried that Margee may have developmental problems because she is lagging behind Mark on many physical skills. What can you tell Janet that might calm her fears?

Answer box for question 6

Gross motor skills vary in the extent to which they require strength or agility. Since preschool‐aged boys typically are a little stronger and preschool‐aged girls typically are better coordinated and more agile, their gross motor skills will likely differ. Parental and peer encouragement and availability of opportunities for practice affect how quickly gross motor skills are acquired, and these influential factors vary from boys to girls and from child to child.

Congratulations! You have completed this activity.Total Score: x out of x points (x%) You have received a provisional score for your essay answers, which have been submitted to your instructor.