What are Motor Skills?

Think back to the first time you saw your child take their first step or the first time they opened a lid to a jar full of snacks. Can you recall the level of excitement the child had upon their discovery that they did it on their own? Recall how proud you felt seeing the moment happen and unravel before your eyes. These movements are what defines motor skill development. Motor skill development is characterized as specific muscles working together to create movements to complete a task.

Fine motor development is the ability to coordinate smaller muscles in the arms, hands, and fingers. We can think of this as activities that are done while sitting with minimal movement of the body.

If we consider activities that are fine motor, we think of children at a tabletop doing art which could include coloring, cutting with scissors, painting, gluing, putting together puzzles pieces, building a playdough sculpture, etc. It is also common for children to be sitting down on a carpet where they are building Lego, stacking blocks, and playing with dolls or puppets. If we examine more day-to-day fine motor skills, we are looking at children holding and using a cutlery, zipping up their jacket, brushing their teeth, drinking from a glass/bottle etc. These skills are more focused and specific. Smaller movements such as grasping, holding, or grabbing are what fine motor skills are made up of.

Gross motor is defined as physical movements that requires the use of larger muscles in the body such as legs or arms, as well as general strength and stamina.

If we take a closer look at what gross motor skills look like, we can picture children running in a playground, kicking a ball, or walking up the stairs. Gross motor can be thought of the movement that takes us from one place to another or skills that allow the body to be independent. Typically, gross motor movements can be seen in a larger setting with a lot of space. This can include a setting where children are running on a soccer field chasing a ball or climbing up a ladder while playing at a park to get to the top of the playground. Gross motor skills allow the body to be completely independent as a child learns to stack, run, bend, climb, roll over, or sit without support.