GROSS MOTOR SKILLS ARE PHYSICAL SKILLS THAT REQUIRE WHOLE BODY MOVEMENT AND INVOLVE THE LARGE MUSCLES IN THE ARMS, LEGS AND TORSO. THESE SKILLS ARE IMPORTANT IN ORDER TO PERFORM EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES LIKE WALKING, RUNNING, JUMPING, THROWING, CATCHING AND KICKING A BALL.
Gross motor skills relate to body awareness, strength, balance and reaction speed.
Children develop gross motor skills at different rates, however if they have trouble with performing these skills and need some extra help, the Gross Motor Class is perfect to help.
If a child has difficulties with their gross motor skills they may:
- Be late in reaching developmental milestones (i.e. crawling, walking, running, hopping)
- Lack fluid body movement and appear clumsy
- Develop avoidance tactics when performing the tasks
- Only participate in physical activity for short periods (due to low endurance)
- Unable to perform the same skills as their peers (i.e. catching, kicking, throwing a ball)
- Be unable to follow multiple instructions
- Be unable to plan and correctly sequence steps in a process
When helping to improve gross motor skills, various factors need to be considered. These include the following:
- Muscle strength
- Muscle endurance
- Motor learning (developing and practicing motor skills)
- Motor planning (ability to move the body with appropriate sequencing to perform the movement)
- Postural control
- Balance
- Coordination
- Sensory processing
- Body awareness/ proprioception (knowing where each of our body parts are in space to make us aware of the movement)
During the 45-minute class, a physiotherapist will focus on incorporating these factors into the class to help improve your kids motor skills over the term.
If your child needs assistance in developing their motor skills, please contact us today to book in for an assessment to join the class.
