A1: Gross and Fine Motor Skills

Question 1

What are gross motor skills?

Answer 1

• movements using the large muscles in the body
• they allow children to control body movements requiring the use of the legs, arms, neck and torso
• they develop as soon as the baby is born

Question 2

What are some examples of gross motor skills?

Answer 2

• they’re essential in play
  
  • eg throwing, catching, running, reaching, touching
• they’re essential in everyday tasks
  
  • eg walking upstairs, running, jumping, throwing
• a 4 year old can hop and stand on 1 foot for up to 5 seconds

Question 3

What are fine motor skills?

Answer 3

• they require the use of smaller muscles in the hands, fingers and toes
• they allow infants to pick things up using fingers and thumb (pincer movement)

Question 4

What are some examples of fine motor skills?

Answer 4

• wriggling toes in the sand
• holding crayon / small toy
• dressing and undressing (buttons)
• drawing
• scribbling
• stacking
• a 2 year old can point finger to something when you name it

Question 5

What are the gross and fine motor skills in newborn babies?

Answer 5

• gross = primitive reflexes
  eg grasp
• fine = holds their thumb tucked into their hands

Question 6

What are the gross and fine motor skills in 1 months olds?

Answer 6

• gross = lifts chin and have some control of their head
• fine = open hands to grasp a finger

Question 7

What are the gross and fine motor skills in 3 month olds?

Answer 7

• gross = can lift head and chest when lying on front
• fine = can briefly grasp a rattle

Question 8

What are the gross and fine motor skills in 6 month olds?

Answer 8

• gross = rolls over, can sit up for short time with no support, kicks legs when held up
• fine = moves objects from hand to hand, can pick up dropped toys if they are in sight

Question 9

What are the gross and fine motor skills in 9-10 month olds?

Answer 9

• gross = crawls, begins to cruise (walking while holding on to objects)
• fine = uses finger and thumb to hold a small object

Question 10

What are the gross and fine motor skills in 12-13 month olds?

Answer 10

• gross = can stand alone and walk with no help
• fine = can manipulate and place toys

Question 11

What are the gross and fine motor skills in 18 month olds?

Answer 11

• gross = climbs onto furniture
• fine = builds a short tower with blocks

Question 12

What are the gross and fine motor skills in 2 year olds?

Answer 12

• gross = propels a sit-on toy with feet, can throw a large ball
• fine = draws lines and circles, turns a page

Question 13

What are the gross and fine motor skills in 2 1/2 year olds?

Answer 13

• gross = jumps from a low step, kicks a ball
• fine = uses a spoon and fork, builds a tower of 7-8 blocks

Question 14

How do infants (2 year olds) use both gross and fine motor skills to become more independent?
And what does independent mean?

Answer 14

eg
- when playing with shape sorting toys, they’ll use GROSS motor skills to hold their body steady enough to grasp the shapes firmly
- they then use FINE motor skills to fit each shape into the correct slot

• independent means completing tasks on their own or with little support, NOT being an independent person

Question 15

Exam question:
describe how gross and fine motor skills are used to develop an infants ability to hold objects (6 marks)

Answer 15

• definition of gross and fine motor skills
• hand + eye co-ordination developed within fine motor skills
• using skills together enabled infant to hold objects using fingers and thumb whilst moving arms to complete a task
  eg turning pages on a book, eating, stacking blocks