Gross motor skills – what is that anyway?

Fine motor skills vs. gross motor skills:

Motor skills (from Greek: movement) refers to the totality of the body's muscle movements. The term gross motor skills refers to all actions that serve whole-body movement, for example walking, running, hopping. Fine motor skills include movements for which individual muscle groups must be coordinated, for example hand-finger coordination when grasping, but also oral motor skills when speaking or facial motor skills.

Balance as a prerequisite:

All gross motor movements require a well-developed sense of balance. Children must also first build up the necessary muscle strength or muscle tone in order to be able to perform movements such as walking or hopping. The basic body awareness also has to be developed first. Only when children can estimate, for example, how long their arms are or how big they are compared to their environment, can they safely coordinate their own bodies.

Important developmental foundation:

Gross motor skills are not the basis for all later fine motor movements, but rather an important prerequisite for your child's responsiveness at school age.

Encouraging gross motor skills playfully in everyday life

Balancing:

• You can balance almost anywhere. For example on low walls, tree trunks, or on the color-marked paving stones on the sidewalk. You can encourage your child to balance by showing them how – on the way to kindergarten, during a walk, or when out in the city.

Playground:

• Playgrounds offer many different opportunities to promote gross motor skills. Without your child being aware of it, they train their strength, sense of balance and coordination when swinging, climbing, sliding and running.

Jumping:

• If traffic allows, you can jump up and down curbstones together with your child while out and about. Jumping over puddles after a rain shower or "skipping" individual, color-marked paving stones is great fun for children and playfully promotes their sense of balance and body awareness.

Roughhousing together:

• Roughhousing with mom and dad is fun for all children – and it supports motor development. Children learn to assess their bodies correctly and train their muscles and reaction skills.

Throwing and catching:

• It's no accident that balls are among the most popular children's toys. The various possibilities of throwing and catching, and also kicking a ball with the foot, are important exercises for gross motor skills. If you don't feel like throwing a ball back and forth, you can make a can-toss game yourself from clean tin cans and a soft ball. Scarves and balloons are also great alternatives for throwing, catching and chasing.

Ball games:

• Kicking a ball with the foot is a considerable gross motor achievement for younger children. Take a lightweight rubber ball to the park or playground more often. Not only boys enjoy kicking with friends or with their parents.

Toys and play equipment for better gross motor skills

Hopper balls and bouncy animals:

The popular bouncy animals made of rubber are especially liked by small children. Even if they initially move only a little with them, they do train their balance and gradually learn to stay on the moving surface.

Balance bikes and scooters:

These vehicles not only give children self-confidence through the new, fast way of getting around, they also promote balance, muscle strength and endurance.

Jump mats and trampoline:

A soft mat in the child's room or a trampoline in the garden basically makes any further parental encouragement unnecessary - most children jump very persistently and with great enjoyment. Especially with the trampoline you should definitely pay attention to safety and always be nearby when your child is jumping.

Tin-can walkers and stilts:

For small children, tin-can walkers are a great exercise option; older children enjoy stilts of various heights. With a little DIY skill, parents can also build these play devices themselves.

Gross motor skills checklist: What matters

• Give space:Children need freedom to move in order to playfully explore their bodies and abilities

• Give time:In free play, children often experiment and "train" their gross motor skills all by themselves, e.g. on the playground

• Set an example:Children look to their parents – promote your child's motor development by being active together

• Play together:Balancing, climbing on walls or jumping over puddles is fun and incidentally trains gross motor skills

• Imagination:Be creative and encourage your child to try new games and movements