Children learn gross and fine motor skills, with gross motor skills developing earlier. Infants learn to lift their head, roll over, crawl, and grasp small objects. Fine motor skills, such as the pincer grip, develop more slowly. Parents should be aware of normal milestones and notify their pediatrician if a child is not meeting them.
A child must learn fine motor skills to thrive and grow. These motor skills in children include gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills involve the ability to control large muscle groups such as the legs, arms and torso. Fine motor skills involve the ability to control small muscle groups, especially the hands and fingers. The most significant motor skills in infants include the ability to lift their head, roll over, crawl and grasp small objects.
A new baby is born with certain reflexes, but motor skills in newborns need to be learned. During the first year of his life, a baby will learn various motor skills, both gross and fine. Learning new motor skills requires both increased muscle strength and cognitive functioning.
Infants usually start developing their gross motor skills earlier. A milestone in gross motor skills is when a child learns to hold their head up. During the first year of life, a baby will learn other gross motor skills such as how to roll over, how to sit up by itself, how to crawl and how to walk.
Fine motor skills in children are learned at a slower pace than gross motor skills because a child must learn to control the large muscles of the body before he can control the small muscle systems. Over the course of the first year, a child will acquire the ability to grasp, pick up and throw objects. An important fine motor milestone is when a child can pick up objects using his thumb and forefinger. This is referred to as the pincer grip and is important for learning other skills as your child becomes a toddler.
Every child develops at their own pace and the development of fine motor skills in children varies from child to child. Doctors have timelines of when normal motor skill development occurs. Parents are encouraged to be aware of when normal motor skill milestones usually occur. If a child is not reaching motor skill milestones, their pediatrician should be notified, as this may be a sign of a developmental problem.
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