Gross motor skills require the use of large muscle groups and are important for activities like sitting, crawling, standing, walking, and running. As your child grows, they continue improving their body awareness and control, reaction speed, balance, and strength.
Children develop these skills at different rates, but it is expected that they meet these milestones around the ages listed below. Many skills are built upon each other, so achieving earlier milestones and creating a strong foundation is important for further development.
Image source: https://blog.dinopt.com/motor-milestones-from-birth-6-months/
3 Months
- Raises head and arms or supports body with arms during “tummy time”
- Smoothly moves legs and arms
- Rolls to back from right and left side lying
- Plants feet onto firm surfaces and pushes onto it
- Brings hands to mouth
6 Months
- Rolls over from front to back and back to front
- Sits up, possibly using arms to help support self
- Rotates head to both sides to follow a toy
- Pushes up on elbows when laying on stomach
- Brings both feet to mouth or grabs feet with hands
- Rocks back and forth on hands and knees
9 Months
- Crawls on hands and knees
- Sits up without support
- Pulls self to a standing position
- Reaches in sitting without falling
- Breaks forward falls by extending arms
12 Months
- Walks with use of object to hold onto for support (i.e., furniture)
- Takes 2-3 steps independently
- Stands with less support
- Goes from standing to sitting without falling
- Stops a backwards fall by extending arms back
18 Months
- Walks alone without falling
- Squats down to pick up toys
- Can maintain kneeling position
- Climbs up stairs on hands and knees
- Can take backward steps
- Can throw a ball in standing
2 Years
- Walks forward, backward, and sideways
- Carries a large toy/multiple toys while walking
- Kicks a ball
- Throws a ball over and underhand
- Walks up/down stairs with help
- Runs
- Stands on tiptoes
- Climbs up and down stairs while holding on
- Climbs on furniture and playground equipment
- Slides independently
- Jumps forward with both feet together
- Jumps down for elevated surface
3 Years
- Climbs and runs
- Pedals a tricycle
- Navigates stairs with one foot on each step without assistance
- Stands on one foot
- Catches a ball
4 Years
- Hops on one foot
- Completes a forward roll
- Gallops
- Throws a ball overhand and catches a bounced ball most of the time
5 Years
- Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer
- Throws a ball with good accuracy
- Completes 5 sit ups
- Jumps over objects
- Swings
6 Years
- Can move in time to music/beat
- Runs with speed and endurance
- Skips
- Can perform push ups
Further Resources for Parents:
- Pathways.org