Motor milestones Flashcards
What motor skills are developed between 0-3 months?
- In prone, pushes up on arms and able to hold head up
- WB on elbows for developing shoulder girdle strength
- Able to close and open fists
- Able to bring hands to mouth
- Move legs and arms off of surface
What are the red flags for motor skills at 0-3 months?
- Difficulty lifting head
- Stiff legs with little or no movement
- Keeps hands fisted and lacks arm movement
- Pushes back with head while lying on back
What motor skills are developed between 4-6 months?
- Rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back (using momentum)
- Accepts entire weight with legs while standing with support
- Reaches for nearby toys while on tummy
- Transfers a toy from one hand to the other
- Tripod sitting; uses hands to support self while sitting
- Reaches for feet while lying on back; important to develop strength to fight against gravity and reach towards midline
What are the motor red flags for 4-6 months?
- Sits with a rounded back
- Poor head control and unable to lift head
- Difficulty bringing arms forward to reach out
- arches back and stiffens legs when pulling to a sit
- Holds arms back and has stiff legs in a supported stand
What motor skills are developed between 7-9 months?
- sits without support; good for core strength
- Sits and reaches for toys
- moves from tummy/back into sitting
- Reciprocal movements; creeping, crawling
*Picks up head and pushes through elbows when prone
*Turns head to visually track - Imitates others during play
- Picks up small objects with thumbs and fingers
What are the red flags for motor skills at 7-9 months?
- One hand used predominantly; only using one side of the body to move
- Rounded back while sitting
- Poor use of arms in sitting
- Difficulty crawling
- cannot weight bear
- does not transfer toys from one hand to the other
What motor skills are developed between 10-12 months?
- Pull to stand
- Cruise along furniture
- Able to stand alone
- Several independent steps
- Maintain balance while throwing objects
- Able to clap hands
- Able to grasp small objects with thumb and pointer finger
- Releases objects into a container with a large opening
What are the motor red flags at 10-12 months?
- Difficulty standing due to pointed toes and stiff legs
- Sits with weight shifted to one side
- Poor head control in an upright position
- Only uses arms during pull to stand
- Strongly flex/ext arms
- Needs hands to maintain sitting
- Stuck in primitive reflex
What motor skills are developed between 13-18 months?
- Walks independently with few falls
- Squat to pick up toys
- Stacks objects
What are the motor red flags for 13-18 months?
- Unable to take steps independently
- Poor standing balance or falls frequently
- Doesn’t use pincer grasp to hold small objects
- Walks on toes
- Doesn’t pull to stand
- Cannot crawl or climb stairs
- Doesn’t use pincer grasp for small objects
What motor skills are developed between 19-24 months?
- Starts to jump with both feet
- Runs
- Climbs on low furniture
- Kicks large ball
- Navigate stairs with support
- When walking, pull toys behind them
- Stands on tiptoes
What are the red flags for motor skills at 19-24 months?
- Hasn’t met previous milestones
- Losing skills they once had
What motor skills are developed for a 2-year-old?
- Walks and runs fairly well
- Kicks a ball with either foot
- Jumps in place (both feet off the ground)
- Navigates stairs alone
- Throw a ball overhead
- Tiptoes
What motor skills are developed for a 3-year-old?
- Can balance on one foot for a few seconds
- Catches a large ball
- Jumps forward 10-24 inches
- Imitate movement
- Navigate stairs with alternating feet
What are common motor red flags for 2-3 years?
- Not being able to navigate stairs
- Frequent falls
- Not engaging with other kids
- Not able to build a tower with blocks
What are the motor skills expected for 4-6 years old?
- Running, climbing, jumping, skipping
- Adequate strength, endurance, and coordination to play with peers
- Normal gait
- Adequate static and dynamic balance
- Throw and catch; swing bat
- Good posture
What are the red flags for motor skills at 4-6 years?
- Not able to walk, run, climb, jump confidently
- Lacks coordination with activities
- Unable to hop 5 times on one leg or stand on one leg for 5 seconds
