Gross Motor Skills in Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Your little one will master a myriad of milestones in their first few years, and many of them involve gross motor skills. These "whole body" movements require coordination of the large muscle groups, like those in the legs, arms, and torso.

Gross motor skills are necessary for everyday activities like walking, jumping, balancing, kicking, running, and climbing. Mastering these skills lets your child perform everyday tasks like sitting at the table, playing in the park, and throwing a ball.

Keep reading for a breakdown of gross motor skill milestones by age, activities to improve these skills, and situations that warrant a visit to the pediatrician.

Gross Motor Skills vs. Fine Motor Skills

Physical development in young children can be divided into gross and fine motor skills. You've likely heard both of these terms before, but you might not know how they relate. So what's the difference between them?

Gross motor skills require the larger muscles in our body. In contrast, fine motor skills describe the small muscle movements usually displayed by the hands and wrists. Fine motor skills allow people to hold a crayon, draw, thread a bead, and pick up or manipulate small objects.

Gross motor skills are actually crucial for fine motor skill development. After all, you can't use scissors (a fine motor skill) without sitting at the table, stabilizing your core, and moving your arms (gross motor skills). Both fine and gross motor skills require complex coordination, and learning them is a huge milestone for your little one!

Gross Motor Skill Examples By Age

Wondering what to expect for gross motor skill development? It's important to note that children's physical development doesn't always follow a straight line, so you shouldn't compare your kid to others their age (as tempting as it may be.) That said, there are certain gross motor skills that children usually have mastered, or at least begun to display, at particular ages.

Here, we break down some examples of age-by-age gross motor skill milestones for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Gross Motor Skills in Newborns and Young Babies (0-6 Months Old)

• Rolling from their back to their tummy, and vice versa
• Turning their head sideways while lying on their back—and also during tummy time
• Pushing up with their arms during tummy time
• Engaging in leg kicking and arm movements while lying on their back
• Raising their head when pulled up to sit
• Tolerating tummy time comfortably
• Bringing their feet to their mouth while lying down

Gross Motor Skills in Older Babies (6-12 Months Old)

• Sitting by themselves
• Reaching for items while in a seated position
• Moving their bodies into different positions (like lying and sitting)
• Crawling on their tummy
• Creeping, and then crawling, on their hands and knees
• Pulling up to stand
• Standing alone for a few seconds
• Walking with support—and possibly taking a few steps without support

Gross Motor Skills in 1-Year-Olds

• Squatting to pick something up
• Standing up without holding onto anything for support
• Walking alone proficiently
• Carrying items while walking
• Crawling, and then walking, upstairs—usually with the assistance of hands or rails
• Crawling downstairs on the belly, leading with the feet
• Running, although 1-year-olds usually fall easily
• Sitting on small objects by themselves
• Climbing onto bigger objects and then turning to sit down

Gross Motor Skills in 2-Year-Olds

• Walking and running with reasonable proficiency
• Stopping and starting easily while moving
• Ascending and descending stairs independently
• Jumping in place with feet together
• Kicking a ball with either foot
• Learning to throw with their arms
• Standing on tiptoes

Gross Motor Skills in 3-Year-Olds

• Maintaining balance on one foot for a short time
• Walking backwards and sideways
• Jumping forward for a small distance
• Riding a tricycle
• Catching a large ball (usually with stiff arms)
• Standing on one leg for a short period of time

Gross Motor Skills in 4-Year-Olds

• Going up and down stairs normally
• Demonstrating good running, jumping, and climbing skills
• Hopping on one foot
  
• Catching a ball with their arms
• Climbing ladders and playground equipment
• Moving on tiptoes
• Navigating around obstacles
  

Gross Motor Skills in 5-Year-Olds

• Skipping on alternate feet and galloping
• Jumping rope
• Walking along a narrow path
• Riding a bicycle (possibly without training wheels)
• Swimming, dancing, and skating
• Playing ball games

Activities for Gross Motor Skill Development

Every child has their own timeline for gross motor skill development, and milestones will usually come naturally. That said, parents can encourage activities that promote gross motor skills, such as the expert-approved ones listed below. Keep reading for gross motor skill activities broken down into three age groups: babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Baby Activities

Practice tummy time regularly. Tummy time builds strength for physical development. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends starting tummy time when your baby comes home from the hospital. You can start slow (about two to three daily sessions for a few minutes each time) and to work up to longer stretches. "Most caregivers think [tummy time] should be for long durations, but really one minute is fine until the infant can tolerate longer durations," says Crystal Barchacky, a licensed occupational therapist. Note that tummy time on a caregiver's chest counts, especially in the newborn period.

Get on the floor with your baby. Ensure your baby has a soft, safe place to practice their gross motor skills. You can play along by placing a favorite toy out of reach and seeing if they'll roll over to find it.

Bring out a mirror. Use mirrors as a prop when practicing gross motor skills. "Add a low mirror to inspire your baby to push up during tummy time," says Amanda Vierheller, COO and co-founder of Playgarden, which creates educational and developmental programs for children. "Show your little one how to look in the mirror by pushing up. Make funny faces to encourage your baby to spend more time building upper body strength."

Play peekaboo. Vierheller says that babies love to mimic their favorite adults and that practicing gross motor skills should be fun. "Model pushing up from your tummy by playing peek-a-boo with your baby," she says. "Lay in front of your little one face down, and then push up to say, 'peek-a-boo!' Smile and laugh while you play and your baby will eventually copy your actions, working their arms with baby push-ups."

Use a pop-up tunnel for crawling practice. Vierheller also recommends using a pop-up tunnel to encourage babies to practice crawling. "Place a beloved toy, or a favorite person, at the end of the tunnel and have your little one practice crawling all the way through," she says.

Toddler Activities

Invent your own games. Vierheller recommends inventing little games for toddlers to develop essential skills. "Promote balance by having little ones carry items from one place to another," she suggests. "Put two laundry baskets or cardboard boxes on either side of the room, one that is empty, and one filled with stuffed animals. Play 'rescue the animals' and make a game of moving the animals from one side to the other."

Get bouncing. Toddlers love to jump, so they'll probably go crazy for a small trampoline or rebounder. This will allow them to get some energy out while they practice their coordination and strengthen their legs and core. That said, Jennifer Cross, M.D., a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, cautions against baby jumpers. "In general, avoid baby jumpers. They do not help promote the development of trunk control needed for sitting and crawling, and they can exacerbate toe walking," she says.

Create an obstacle course. An at-home obstacle course can give your child space to practice balancing, running, crawling, and spatial awareness. With close supervision, you could also get toddlers to climb stairs and continue the course on another floor. Barchacky says that caregivers often guard children too carefully and won't give them opportunities to try new skills. "Many children can start climbing stairs at 16 months or earlier. Stair climbing allows for reciprocal motion (body awareness and discrimination skills) which are the foundational development for sports skills later in life," she says.

Throw a dance party. Put on some music and get moving! Vierheller recommends playing 'Freeze Dance' with balloons. "When the music plays, try to keep the balloons in the air by bopping them with hands and bodies and when the music stops, catch a balloon and 'freeze.' This simple twist on a classic game builds hand-eye coordination, balance, core strength, and upper arm strength," she says.

Preschooler Activities

Combine gross motor skill development with learning. Consider this game for preschoolers, courtesy of Vierheller: "Write letters or numbers on paper, cut them out, and tape them to a wall. Then have your child throw a ball at the wall to see which letters or numbers they can hit. You can call out the letters or numbers they hit together to work on gross motor skills and strengthen letter and number recognition at the same time."

Use the playground to your advantage. At the park, kids can practice gross motor skills by jumping from small heights, balancing on equipment, and climbing. You can model safe jumping first and then let them test their limits. "Allow kids to [climb] with as little assistance as possible, providing supervision or 'hands at the ready' so they can achieve it successfully, which builds both gross motor skills and self-esteem," says Barchacky. "Most children know if they can climb something successfully; it's typically the parents that are worried, which stops the child from ascending."

Ride a bike. Your preschooler can test out a tricycle or scooter to promote independence, balance, and coordination.

Walk in nature. Go on a nature walk to practice gross motor skills and get a healthy dose of fresh air. "As you step from stone to stone, balance on fallen trees, climb up rocks, and hop over logs, incorporate a variety of ways to move and engage different muscles," says Vierheller.

Play in the backyard. Gross motor skill development happens when you're playing hopscotch, throwing a ball, chasing each other, and doing various other fun activities.

Managing Delays With Gross Motor Skills

Caregivers might worry if their baby, toddler, or preschooler isn't hitting gross motor milestones as quickly as their peers. While this could be normal, Barchacky says that some missed milestones may suggest a gross motor skill delay. These delays might also be observed at your child's annual pediatrician check-up, or through daycare or another child care professional.

Gross motor delays are sometimes caused by a medical condition, such as low muscle tone, a central nervous system disorder, or a muscle disorder. Treatment usually involves some form of physical therapy.

"For a significant delay, a pediatric physical therapist would provide therapy and teach the parents how to facilitate gross motor development," says Dr. Cross. "Sometimes this can be done through a hospital outpatient clinic, or the child may receive this through the early intervention program for children." Early intervention programs are available for children under age 3.

If there are other medical concerns, your child might be referred to a developmental pediatrician, a neurologist, or a neuromuscular specialist.

Tracking Gross Motor Milestones

Every child develops at a different pace, but if you're looking to track gross motor milestones, Barchacky and Dr. Cross both recommended the CDC's Milestone Tracker App. This free app includes illustrated checklists to monitor your child's development from 2 months to 5 years of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics also has a tool for tracking potential developmental delays in kids.

Finally, Dr. Cross recommends that parents observe their child's movements in everyday activities. For example, "babies should move both sides of their bodies equally. Signs of asymmetry—like not moving one side as much as the other—could signify a problem," she says.

Remember to bring up any concerns with your child's pediatrician. They can help diagnose potential gross motor delays and figure out the best course of treatment.