What are Gross Motor Skills?
Gross motor skills are the movements we make with large muscles, like those in your legs, arms and torso. “Gross,” in this case, means “large,” and “motor” means “movement.” Walking and waving your arm are examples of gross movements.
Gross motor skills require proper coordination and function of:
Skeletal muscles (the strength and power behind the movements).
Bones (the structures that your muscles attach to).
Nerves (the “messengers” of your brain that tell your muscles when and how to move).
They’re also related to other functions, including:
Balance.
Coordination.
Body awareness and spatial awareness.
Reaction time.
Issues with gross motor control can develop at any age. But healthcare providers put a lot of focus on gross motor skills in child development. Child development refers to how your child grows and changes over time.
Experts divide child growth and development into four areas:
Physical development. Gross motor skills fall under this category.
Cognitive development.
Language development.
Social-emotional development.
Providers assess gross motor skills because delays in these milestones can be a sign of certain neurological conditions. And the sooner your child’s provider can catch it, the sooner your child can get the help they need.
Examples of gross motor skills
Examples of everyday movements that are gross motor skills include:
Standing.
Walking.
Running.
Sitting upright without a back support.
Chewing.
Jumping.
Twisting your torso.
Bending over.
Moving/twisting your neck.
Raising your arms and hands.
Waving your arm.
Examples of hand-eye and foot-eye coordination skills that are also gross motor skills include:
Throwing and catching a ball.
Kicking a ball.
Doing a cartwheel.
Skipping.
Swimming.
Riding a bike or skateboard.
Rollerblading or ice skating.
What’s the difference between gross and fine motor skills?
Gross motor skills involve large muscle groups and large movements. Fine motor skills are the small, precise movements we make with our:
Wrists, hands and fingers.
Ankles, feet and toes.
The key difference between the two lies in the location and degree of movement. For example, writing involves fine motor skills — it requires small, precise muscle movements in your fingers and wrist. Waving your arm is a gross motor skill — it requires large, sweeping muscle movements in your shoulder and upper arm. Your core muscles also support this motion.
But both types of skills require complex coordination of your muscles, bones and nervous system. Infants develop gross motor skills before they develop fine motor skills.
Why are gross motor skills important?
Movements are a part of everyday life. Our bodies change as our gross motor skills develop and vice versa. New or improved gross motor skills allow us to explore more of our environment. This then allows more and more opportunities for learning and doing.
More specifically, gross motor skills are essential for mobility, independence and overall health. Having difficulties with gross motor skills can impact several areas of your life. They can make it hard to do key tasks and can take a toll on your confidence and self-esteem.
REFERENCES
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/gross-motor-skills