Pediatric Gross Motor Milestones
Gross motor (physical) skills are those which require whole body movement and which involve the large (core stabilizing) muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing and walking, running and jumping, and sitting upright at the table. They also includes eye-hand coordination skills such as ball skills (throwing, catching, kicking) as well as riding a bike or a scooter and swimming.
When we all develop, we develop in a cephalo-caudal pattern, meaning from head to toe. We develop from upper trunk to mid trunk to lower trunk. The Gross Motor Milestones can be categorized into four positions:
- Supine
- Prone
- Sitting
- Standing
Each child develops differently, some children may even miss certain milestones. For example, some children skip crawling on all four and go right ahead to walking with support. If your child does not receive a milestone within 3-4 months, then you may want to meet with a pediatrician and have a referral sent for physical therapy.
A physical therapist is a movement specialist who can help facilitate your child to gain the muscular strength, coordination, spatial awareness and movement to achieve gross motor milestones.
What are the building blocks necessary to develop gross motor skills?
Muscular strength: The ability to exert force against resistance.
Muscular endurance: The ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force repeatedly against resistance.
Motor (muscle) planning: The ability to move the body with appropriate sequencing and timing to perform bodily movements with refined control.
Motor learning: A change in motor (muscle) behavior resulting from practice or past experience.
Postural control: The ability to stabilize the trunk and neck to enable coordination of other limbs. Sensory processing: Accurate registration, interpretation and response to sensory stimulation in the environment and one’s own body.
Body awareness: Knowing body parts and understanding the body’s movement in space in relation to other limbs and objects.
Balance: The ability to maintain position whether that is static, dynamic (moving) or rotational.
Coordination: Ability to integrate multiple movements into efficient movement.
Proprioception: This is information that the brain receives from our muscles and joints to make us aware of body position and body movement.
Gross Motor Milestones
Prone Progression
Supine Progression
Sitting Progression
Standing Progression
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Gross Motor Pediatric Milestones please contact any of the Physical Therapists at Eyas Landing.
Eyas Landing is a therapy clinic with a mission to provide evidence-based and family-centered therapy services for children, adolescents, and their families. The primary goal is to deliver relationship-based interventions within the most natural environments and to empower families to reach their full potential. To achieve this goal, our highly educated, compassionate staff dedicates time and expertise to create experiences that maximize therapeutic outcomes. The strength, determination, and perseverance of our clients are evident as they succeed in therapy, and ultimately in their daily lives.
Eyas Landing offers a wide range of comprehensive services including Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, ABA Therapy, Social Work, Family Therapy, and Neuropsych testing. Services are provided throughout the Chicagoland area via Telehealth, In-Home, and in our state of the art clinic.
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