Gross motor skills: what they are and how to train them

Through movement we express ourselves, learn and connect with the world

Alexandre Deluze

Knowing the definition of gross psychomotor skills and their differences with fine psychomotor skills is essential to contribute to child development, especially during the first months and years of each child's life.

Let's start at the beginning: what is gross motor skills ? The medical encyclopedia Medline Plus defines them very simply: they are the ability to perform large general movements - such as lifting a leg or waving an arm. This control requires the appropriate coordination and functioning of muscles, bones and nerves.

In a baby's development, gross motor control is a milestone: they achieve this set of motor skills before reaching fine motor skills, which include small, precise movements. Gross motor skills are those that allow them to jump, walk, run, swing, skate, hop, or perform balancing postures.

How gross motor skills evolve in the first months of a baby's life

During the first month of life, the baby's muscle tone improves and he can lift his head for a few seconds when he is lying face down, although his limbs are still bent and his fists are clenched. In the first trimester, his head control begins to improve, he begins to open his hands to explore his surroundings and to kick his legs intensely.

In the second trimester of life, the baby can hold his torso upright, turn and roll over, and coordinate his upper limbs, bringing objects to his mouth. From six to nine months he can crawl and begin to crawl. Before twelve months he can usually sit up alone without support, although each child is unique and has his own rhythm.

During the first year of life - and always with supervision - there are many activities to stimulate your child's gross motor skills: placing him face down on his tummy - gradually increasing the time, so that he strengthens his neck and exercises his muscles, back or joints, preparing him for crawling later - encouraging him to stretch his limbs with toys - baby gyms are ideal for this - and clapping his hands to songs.

Gross motor skills are not only key to body control, movement or muscles, but also to proprioception, body autonomy, self-esteem, development of cognitive functions, prevention of pathologies or balance.

The best games to work on gross motor skills

Virtually any outdoor activity is great for working on gross motor skills, from playing with an inflatable ball on the beach to having a sack race in the park, preparing a gymkhana or getting on a bike. Below we have compiled some games, sports and toys that can help you.

• Trampoline : jumping is an essential movement in gross motor skills, as well as a really fun sensory experience that makes them more agile and stronger.
• Hopscotch : This is a traditional game with more than 90 names - it is called cascayu in Asturias, colache in Jaén, pachocle in La Rioja, regaña or truque in Córdoba and sambori or unet in Valencia. Inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, you throw a small stone on each number and by jumping on one or two legs depending on the squares of that level you avoid stepping on that square. You only need a piece of chalk - or a stick if the surface is sand.
• Swings : Parks are the perfect places to practice gross motor skills on swings, seesaws, slides, hanging bridges or rope ladders. As a bonus, they help them get outdoors, connect with nature, socialize and get enough vitamin D.
• Balloons and bubbles : blowing bubbles or blowing up balloons is a magical experience for children. But running after them in a zigzag pattern, jumping or making sudden turns is also ideal for training fine motor skills.
• Bike, skates, tricycle or skateboard : the little ones have a lot to learn on wheels. Pedaling, strength, balance, dexterity... they will acquire a lot of skills while having fun on their new favorite means of transport. Discover the wide range of toys for physical activity that we have at Cucamenta.
• Obstacle courses : jumping, running, crawling and dodging obstacles are essential for developing gross motor skills. Organize obstacle courses and modify their complexity depending on the age of the children.

Climbing and scrambling, martial arts, bowling (you can try using old cans), or simply dancing are other great ways to train fine motor skills.