Why Strong Gross Motor Skills Are Critical for Child Development

Gross motor skills are essential for a child’s development. These skills involve using large muscles in the body, and they help children with movement and coordination. Gross motor development is critical to balance, coordination, and connection to other body functions.

What are Gross Motor Skills? What do we mean when we say “gross motor skills”? When I think of gross motor skills or development, I think of using our big muscles—legs and arms.

Gross motor skills are the abilities required to control the large muscles of the body for activities such as crawling, walking, running, jumping, and throwing. These skills are important for physical development, coordination, and overall health and well-being.

Examples of Gross Motor Skills. Gross motor skill examples include the use of larger muscles. So, consider running, skiing, riding a bike, throwing a baseball, lifting a weight, climbing a rock, jumping rope, and kicking a soccer ball.

Why promote gross motor development?

1. Fosters Imagination through Story Telling and Active Play
2. Encourages Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking (e.g., how will I climb over this log?)
3. Hones Risk Taking Skills
4. Ignites a Sense of Awe and Wonder about the Nature World
5. FUN!
6. Better Sleep
7. Happier Children

Gross Motor Skills Activities

Check out the book The Brain Gym for loads of ideas for indoors and outdoors focusing on movement, using both sides of the brain, and crossing the midline.

1. Tree Stumps – the wind knocked down many trees in our area over the last several months. So we took advantage of the cutting and removing of the trees. Our stumps provide so much enjoyment to our sons. It is a little crazy how much they enjoy the straightforward setup.
2. Hiking – what better way to develop gross motor skills than to explore the natural playground?
3. Rubber Tires – These are new items for us. I am excited to see the boys jump and explore through the course.
4. Climbing Trees and Rocks
5. Obstacle Course
6. Yoga indoors and outdoors (we love these Yoga ABC Cards for Kids)
7. Games like freeze tag and hide and seek are great for self-regulation work and brain development.

Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Through movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas.

~ Dr. Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood

Work Cited: “Why Gross Motor Development is So Important in a Child’s Early Life.” Carrots Are Orange, https://carrotsareorange.com/gross-motor-development/. Accessed 17 July 2023.