Gross Motor Skills and Your Child

Have you heard your child’s pediatrician talk about “gross motor skills?” Did it make you wonder what they were talking about?

Gross motor skills are the large movements that involve the bigger muscles of the body in the core, arms and legs and are generally large, whole body movements. We start working on our gross motor skills as newborns and continue into our teenage and adult years. 

• 

• 

• 

Some examples are holding up the head, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, running, galloping, hopping, skipping and jumping. More complex gross motor skills include figuring out dance moves, yoga class, gymnastics flips, riding a bike, swimming, playing games like soccer, baseball, football, etc.

Issues with coordinating these skills can be life changing. In babies, these delays can cause postural issues like torticollis and plagiocephaly. In toddlers and preschoolers, issues with these skills can cause the child to fall frequently and be unsafe in their home, school or play environments. In teens and young adults, gross motor issues can make it hard to participate in and excel in sports. 

Reach out to PPPTC to any any gross motor questions you might be having!