What are Gross Motor Skills? Tips and Tools to Help Your Toddler Develop.
As you are search for insights into the topic “what are gross motor skills,” it’s likely you’re thinking about how to help your baby or toddler develop these important skills. Gross motor skills act as a building block toward using larger muscles of the legs, arms, and torso. It’s these muscles that lead to balance, coordination, and physical strength, which are important for all ages. For young kids, building these skills will lead to a child lifting the head, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and walking. That’s why it’s so important to help a child learn how to build these skills. As a parent or caregiver, all it takes is playing with your child every day. This will help build their strength and confidence.
Helping Your Child Practice These Skills
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 180 minutes of play for children. This ensures they are developing these gross motor skills. As your child grows and develops, there are some simple playtime activities that you can use to help your child master gross motor skills. Children should be proficient at performing these skills by the age of 5, so giving your baby or toddler plenty of time to practice each day should be your focus.
There are simple ways to play with your child that will teach them these important skills. Playing ball with your child teaches hand-eye coordination while building the muscles in their hands. Going swimming and allowing your toddler to kick and splash strengthens the core for walking and sitting up. Taking your child to the park where they can swing, slide, and climb builds the arm, leg, and core muscles for balance. From jumping, crawling, climbing, and running, active games help those muscles get strong while also boosting coordination, problem solving, sensory processing, and more. As you educate yourself on “what are gross motor skills,” rest assured you can take the time to build them. Simple playtime also increases your bond with your child.
Let PALS Help You with Every Stage
As you focus on giving your child a foundation for growing into a healthy adult, PALS Praise & Leadership Schools is here to help. We’ve built a curriculum based upon world renowned teaching practices. Our school is designed to teach the core skills that infants through pre-Kindergarten need to grow. And our curriculum is designed to set kids up for a lifetime of success. We’ll help your child flourish. With two convenient campus locations, we have the right option for your needs. Our downtown campus, located at 700 NE Greenleaf in Peoria, is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. And our North Peoria campus, located at 2327 W. Willow Knolls Rd., is open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Contact Us
Learn more about PALS by getting in touch with us today. Call PALS at 309-691-4326 or 309-674-2938 to schedule a tour and to see how we’re thinking about your child and their long-term success. We’re already thinking beyond “what are gross motor skills” and we look forward to showing you how.
