A baby’s small growth milestones such as crawling, standing and walking are the most precious moments for a parent. Better gross motor skills in babies result in timely milestones of movement. Your precious one will be able to control their hand movements to strike a toy in your hand by 3 months of age. Their muscles will be able to do a variety of actions in the later stages of their growth.
If a parent is willing to do a few activities with their baby, they can expect to see healthy growth in their baby’s motor skills. Simple practices like gently pulling a rattle from them have the power to strengthen their muscles. Moreover, you’ll also get to know the signs of slow motor skills development. If your baby shows these signs, an intervention by a doctor may be needed.
In This Article
- What Are Gross Motor Skills?
- Why Are Gross Motor Skills Important?
- Different Forms of Gross Motor Skills in Babies
- What is the Difference Between Fine And Gross Motor Skills?
- Baby’s Fine Motor Skill Development After Birth – Milestones
- List of Top Activities to Encourage Baby’s Gross Motor Skills in Infants
- Signs of Delays in Developing Gross Motor Skills in Babies
- FAQ’s
What Are Gross Motor Skills?
Your baby needs gross motor skills to control the muscles which allow them to do large body movements. These skills help them in their movements from point A to point B in the future.
Some gross motor skills include crawling, walking, running, jumping, scooting etc.
Why Are Gross Motor Skills Important?
Gross motor skills help babies move around with confidence and help them develop a strong body. In addition, babies are able to exercise and do some physical activity which will help with their overall growth and development.
Different Forms of Gross Motor Skills in Babies
Gross motor skills are of many types and can be classified into three main categories.
1. Locomotion Skills
Babies use these skills to wander around places. The following are the skills which fall under this category.
- Rolling
- Crawling
- Crawling with hands and knees
- Walking
- Running
- Climbing
- Jumping
2. Stationary Skills
The movements under this class occur in one place such as
- Control over the head muscles
- Ability to sit
- Hold one’s weight on legs to stand
- Bending
- Pushing
- Pulling
3. Manipulation Skills
To understand this category of skill, take an example of a few things they can do with a ball.
- Throwing
- Catching
- Rolling
- Kicking
What is the Difference Between Fine And Gross Motor Skills?
Fine motor skills are more about subtlety than gross motor skills in babies. As mentioned, gross motor skills help a baby to move their major muscles for large movements like running, standing, walking, jumping and much more. On the other hand, the delicate muscle movements in their hands, wrists and fingers happen because of fine motor skills.
Let’s take an example – Your little one is grabbing the storybook from your hands. They may have the capability in their muscles to lift the book. However, they won’t be able to grab that book by using their fingers without fine motor skills. For babies, developing their fine motor skills opens a whole new world of activity.
In short, they would be able to do things like
- Grasp a pencil or a book.
- Play Lego games.
- Close the buttons of their cloth.
- Cut with scissors.
Things like drawing and writing become a lot easier if your baby has properly developed their fine motor skills. But first, improving their gross motor skills is vital. For instance, if they can’t balance their weight to sit at a desk, it will be an uphill task to move towards fine movements such as controlling the wrist, hands and fingers.
[Read : When Do Babies Start Grabbing Objects?]
Baby’s Fine Motor Skill Development After Birth – Milestones
Be patient with your baby’s motor skills development. They are going to hit many milestones before you see them crawling. Here you will see the normal development of gross motor skills associated with age.
Birth to Three Months (0 to 3 Months)
- The first couple of weeks, your infant may try to clench your fingers in their wrists. But usually, their fists will stay clenched.
- Approaching the 1-month mark, your darling will learn to guide their hand movements rather than aimlessly wiggling.
- Hand-eye coordination starts to spring up at this age. Show them a vibrantly colored toy, they will be able to control their hands to touch or hit the toy.
- Aside from that, if you place the baby on its tummy, you will observe that the baby is trying to raise its head and chest.
Four to Six Months (4 to 6 Months)
- Babies gain more mobility at this stage. First, they’ll start rolling left and right from their back. After some time, they’ll become rolling aces – they will do complete rollovers from back to belly and from belly to again lying on their back.
- They will hold their arms to bring them into a sitting posture. By now they’ll easily lift their heads while you raise them to sit and during their sitting time.
Seven to Nine Months (7 to 9 Months)
- They’ll learn to sit as long as you’re supporting them. Later, they’ll use their own hands as support while they sit without your help. Once the muscles in their abdomen and back gain some strength, you’ll be able to see them sit properly.
- Their legs will become strong enough to hold their weight, but you’ll have to support them completely.
Ten to Twelve Months (10 to 12 Months)
- Typically, toddlers begin to crawl before they approach their first birthday. With their tender little hands holding onto a table or a part of the furniture, they’ll begin standing and cruising.
- You can expect them to stand entirely on their own. And remember to watch them closely because they may show you their first few steps. Let them grab your hands while taking a few steps.
List of Top Activities to Encourage Baby’s Gross Motor Skills in Infants
Parents can play a huge role in the advancement of their baby’s gross motor skills. Some of the activities that boost gross motor skills in babies are as follows.
1. Switch Their Head Positions
Every day, gently change their head position (left or right) while they’re awake. On one day, let them face the left side and on another day, change their head position to the right side. Your baby will try to shift her head in a different direction if her head position is changed every day. This will enhance the strength of their neck muscles while doing it.
2. Play With Your Baby During Their Tummy Time
Place your baby on their stomach as it encourages them to use their back and neck muscles. Jiggling a vivid toy before their eyes will add fun to their tummy time.
[Read : Tummy Time For Babies- A Must Do]
3. Rattle Tugging Game
Let them grasp a rattle with their hands and softly try to pull it out from their hands. They’ll try to hold on to the rattle, and when you both tug the rattle, your baby will strengthen their biceps.
4. Make Them Sit
Support your baby as they sit. Hold their hands, so that they can balance. With time, the necessary motor skills for sitting voluntarily and for maintaining this position will form.
5. Use Colourful Sticky Notes
Colourful sticky notes will draw their attention. After they start standing with some support, they’ll use their hands to grab and pull the notes. This will encourage them to perform something with their hands while standing.
6. Create a Harmless Environment For Their Action Time
Set up a baby gate in your home and make sure that your little one’s surroundings are safe for play. Spread their beloved toys all over the room. They’ll try to crawl or even walk to collect their personal property.
Signs of Delays in Developing Gross Motor Skills in Babies
The speed of gross motor skills development can vary among babies. But as observed numerous times, most babies become capable of lifting their heads under 3 months. And by the time they touch the six-month mark, they start to sit with some help.
The following are some signs which indicate that your little one might be a bit behind in her gross motor skills development.
- Tight arms and legs.
- Looseness in trunk and limbs.
- Insufficient movements of arms and legs.
- More spontaneous reflexes than voluntary movements.
- Not able to sit independently by 9 months of age.
- Unable to stand up by their first birthday.
Gross motor skills in babies develop when they touch certain age groups, and these age groups have a few motor skills associated with them. So, only expect them to do what most children of their age group can do. For example, if your baby is 6-9 months old, you can’t expect them to walk a few steps.
[Read : Baby Milestones – Sitting]
FAQ’s
1. Is Rolling Over a Gross Motor Skill?
Yes. An infant learns this motor skill first so that they can move from one place to a new one.
2. What Role Do Gross Motor Skills Play in the Development of Fine Motor Skills?
Gross motor skills are responsible for the balance and coordination of muscles and the neurological system. Without these basic skills, fine motor skills like using a pencil won’t develop.
3. What is the Reason For Poor Motor Skills?
Conditions like Premature birth, autism and genetic causes can affect an infant’s motor skills.
Read Also: Baby’s Fine Motor Skill Development – Timelines, Activities and Developmental Delay
