Motor Skills

Downloadable PDF - What are motor skills?

Information adapted from Pathways.org

Motor Skills

• Motor skills are essential for physical strength and movement

• Motor skills are used everyday throughout our lives

• They help us move and do everything from lifting heavy items to typing on a keyboard. Motor skills and motor control begin developing after birth, and will progress as children grow

• Having good motor control also helps children explore the world around them, which can help with many other areas of development

• Motor skills are broken up into two categories: 

  • Gross motor skills - which are movements related to large muscles such as legs, arms, and trunk

  • Fine motor skills - which are movements involving smaller muscle groups such as those in the hand and wrist

• Mastering both are important for children’s growth and independence

Click below for some resources from Tools to Grow OT that you can share with parents about motor skills and speech development. Click on the top right corner to download a PDF version.