Early Intervention Support

Are My Baby’s Gross Motor Skills Typical?

Gross motor development involves a person’s larger, stronger muscles. As your baby grows into a child, it’s the development of these muscles that will enable it to hold its head up, sit, crawl and eventually walk, run, jump and skip.

If your neighbor’s nine month old is already walking and your nine-month-old baby is content to crawl, don’t become alarmed. Babies develop at their own pace, so use this only as a guideline of what to expect.

Below in each age range, there are ideas to help promote typical motor development. There are also “red flags” listed and what activities you can do.

Infants Under Three Months

For an infant under three months, gently flex your baby’s legs in a bicycle movement while it is are on its back.

Gentle neck exercises. Help your baby reach for a rattle held above its chest. Or, make some silly sounds to encourage your baby to lift its head.

Babies need variety. Put your baby in different positions when it’s awake so it can move its arms and legs in different directions. (Always stay with your baby and watch it when placed on its stomach.)

Take a bath together. While you hold your baby safely, it’ll enjoy kicking and splashing the water. You can gently massage its entire body.

Babies Between Three and Six Months

Most 6-month-olds can (or have already mastered):

• Hold their head up when held in sitting
• Rolls
• Push up onto arms when on belly
• Pivot body when on belly
• Sit momentarily when leaning on hands

When your baby is between three and six months, place your baby on its belly and help it reach a rattle out in front of it.

Have fun with bubbles! Encourage your baby to move its arms by blowing bubbles and showing it how to swat at them.

Turn yourself into a chair for your baby. Sit behind your baby for support, and let it hold a toy or a soft book. You can whisper in its ear, gently kiss its cheek – anything to let your baby know it’s loved.

Help your baby stand. Place it on your knees and gently hold it up to a standing position. This will strengthen your baby’s legs and help to gain balance to see the world in a new perspective.

Babies love to bounce. Hold your baby’s hands to help it stand up on the floor, your lap or the sofa. Watch your baby smile as it bounces up and down.

Six to Nine Months

From six to nine months, your child is turning into a little explorer. Once its legs are strong, it might enjoy standing, so put some toys on the sofa or a low table, to encourage reaching for them.

Create an obstacle course. A few pillows and blankets on the floor make crawling much more exciting.

Let your child create its own obstacle course. It will crawl under tables and behind chairs, so make sure those areas are safe and clean.

Once your child can sit alone, give it toys. No need to run to the store, simply give it a shiny pot lid. Your child will enjoy seeing its reflection and making music when banging on it.

By 6-8 months:

• Too stiff or too floppy
• Favors one side of the body
• No rolling, sitting, bearing weight through legs in a supported stand
• Retention of certain primitive reflexes

Nine to Twelve Months

Most one-year-olds can:

• Sit without support
• Crawl
• Pull up to a standing position without using chairs or other people, then stand
• Walk while holding something for support (a hand or toy)
• Imitate you as you roll a ball
• Crawl on hands and knees
• Pull to stand and cruise around furniture
• Walk with 2 hands held
• Stand for a few seconds
• Move into standing by lifting one leg

When your baby is between nine and twelve months, open a large box at both ends and encourage it to crawl through the new tunnel.

Another fun tunnel can be made by placing a sheet over a table. Turn this into a game by calling your baby’s name and rewarding it with kisses when it comes out of the tunnel.

Turn changing diapers into a mini workout. When your baby is kicking its legs, start singing a song. When it stops kicking, you stop singing. When it starts kicking, you start singing again. Your baby will be working those legs, plus enjoying being in control of your actions.

Containers are great toys. Now that your baby can sit, put a large see-through container in front of it with plastic lids, blocks anything that will fit in the container. Your baby will love putting things into the bowl and dumping them out.

Turn bath time into fun time. Measuring cups and plastic funnels are great in the tub. Or, take a small plastic watering can and making it ‘rain’ during bath time.

By 12 months:

• No crawling or abnormal crawling pattern
• No supported stand
• Righting reactions not present
• Not able to sit in a child-sized chair

Twelve to Twenty-four Months

Most 18 month olds can:

• Walk alone
• Walk downstairs holding rail, one step at a time
• Run in a hurried walk
• Walk into a large ball to kick
• Throw underhand in sitting
• Pull toy behind while walking
• Stand on one leg with help

Most two-year-olds can:

• Walk alone
• Walk backwards
• Lean over to pick up something without falling
• Pull and push toys
• Sit down in a small chair
• Walk up and down stairs, holding your hand
• Dance to music
• Run fairly well
• Throw a ball into a box
• Kick a ball forward
• Walk downstairs with one hand held
• Squat in play and begin to jump in place

Suggested play to help a baby between 12 and 24 months develop gross motor skills

• When your child is steady on its feet, pushing a stroller can be more fun than riding in one. Let it push the stroller in a safe spot. Your child will feel so strong and powerful pushing it all by itself.
• Rocking chairs delight this age group. If you don’t have a rocking horse or chair, let your baby use your body to rock back and forth. Sit across from each other and sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” while you’re both gently pushing and pulling each other back and forth.
• Bring out the balls. Rolling a beach ball back and forth is a great inside activity. Between 16 and 20 months is a good time to show your child how to kick a ball.
• Have a dance party. Clapping hands, stomping feet to the beat and twisting and turning are fun ways to strengthen muscles. Vary the music, wave around scarves and giggle!
• Discover playgrounds. This is the time to introduce swings. Make sure to use the seat belt, then gently push your child. Remember to show it how to push its feet out when going forward.
• Try laundry basketball. Get soft balls, small pillows or bean bags and toss them into a laundry basket.
• Chase me! Go to your back yard or the park. Make a game out of letting your child run, and then you chase it. Hugs and kisses are a nice reward when you catch it, then switch. Run slowly and let your child try to catch you.
• Give a wagon ride. Encourage your toddler to fill a wagon with its teddy bears and give them a ride. Don’t have a wagon? Tie a string around a box and have your toddler pull it.
• Make music. Pots and pans can easily become a drum set. Or, get a toy piano or tambourine and let your child shake and bang its way to happiness.
• Take baby steps. Learning to walk down steps are harder than walking up. Hold your child’s hand and let it slowly practice going up and down. The stairs at a small slide at the playground are a great place to practice climbing steps.
• Make a pretend balance beam. Put a 2-inch wide strip of masking tape on the floor or sidewalk. Have your child walk along the tape, placing one foot in front of the other.
• Get ready to bowl. Empty plastic soda bottles or milk cartons can be used as pins. Show your baby once how to roll a large ball to knock them over and your baby will be getting strikes in no time.
• Be a frog. First, hold your baby’s hands and encourage it to jump off a low step. Once it has the hang of that, put something small on the ground and tell your baby to pretend it’s a frog and jump over the object.
• Teach your baby how to drive. While too young for even a tricycle, a car with pedals can strengthen its legs and help it learn how to control large car/truck.

By 18-24 months:

• No walking (by 18 months)
• Abnormal gait or toe walking
• Skills regressing
• Constant drooling/difficult eating

Two to Three Years

Most two-and-a-half-year olds can:

• Jump from the bottom step
• Jump a distance of about 8 inches
• Jump on a trampoline with 2 hands held
• Begin to stand on one foot
• Begin to ride a tricycle
• Catch a large ball

Most three-year-olds can:

• Run forward well
• Jump in place with two feet together
• Stand on one foot (with some support)
• Walk on tiptoe
• Kick a ball forward
• Walk on tiptoes and stand on one foot for up to 5 seconds
• Avoid obstacles in path
• Catch an 8 inch ballClimb and walk up stairs alternating feet

Suggested play to help a toddler between two and three develop gross motor skills:

Visit playgrounds often. When children see the slides and climbing structures, they naturally want to run, swing and climb everything in sight. If you can’t make it to the playground, chasing each other in the backyard or taking a walk can help your child’s little muscles get strong.

Imitate each other. Stick your arms out wide and pretend to fly around the room. Tell your child it’s his/her turn to be the bird. Then, let your child be the leader and you copy whatever he/she does.

Become a horse. If you cross your legs and place your child on your knee, it’s easy to take it for a horse ride. A variation would be to hold your child’s hands while it straddles your foot. Then bounce, bounce and bounce some more.

Play catch. Show your child how to hold out its hands and throw a ball directly into its hands. Start out standing close together. As your child gets better, move farther away.

It’s soccer time! Turn a large box on it can become your goal. Then take turns trying to kick the ball into the goal, cheering of course, when your little athlete makes a goal.

Let’s be kangaroos. Make a chalk line on the sidewalk or place a washcloth on the floor. Show your child how to jump with both feet together and see how far each kangaroo can jump.

Have fun with balloons. Here’s a fun game for a rainy day. Kick a balloon from one side of the room to another. Put a laundry basket on its side and your child can kick it into the basket.

Act like animals. Can your child stand like a flamingo, squat like a duck, run on all fours like a lion? It’s fun to try. Don’t forget to make the appropriate animal sounds!

Make a river. Put a folded towel on the grass. Tell your child the towel is really a river and ask if he/she can jump over the river without getting his/her feet wet. As your child gets better, unfold the towel for more of a challenge.

Go nuts with bubbles. Blow bubbles up high and watch your child jump and try to pop the bubbles by clapping its hands. Switch and blow the bubbles towards the ground so it can stomp on them.

Close to 3 years:

• Difficulty using stairs
• Excessively clumsy
• Not able to jump

Three to Four Years

Most four-year-olds can:

• Run around obstacles
• Walk on a line
• Balance on one foot for five to ten seconds
• Hop on one foot
• Push, pull and steer wheeled toys
• Ride a tricycle
• Use a slide independently
• Jump over six inch high object and land on both feet together
• Throw a ball overhead
• Catch a bouncing ball

Suggested play to help a child between three and four years develop gross motor skills:

Make a parade. Show your child how to march like a member of the band with its knees up high. If you have a drum or flag, that’s great. Then get a friend, or even the dog, to join you as you march around the house.

Start a kangaroo family. Mommy and Daddy kangaroo can start by jumping with both feet together. Invite your little kangaroo to follow you as you jump and jump.

Play Simon Says. Simon says touch your toes. Simon says pat your head. Simon says shake your body. Pat your knees. Oh, did Simon say to pat your knees?

Get ready for the Super Bowl. Show your toddler how to kick a football. Place a cardboard box on its side and encourage your child to kick the ball into the box. Remember to yell, “touchdown” when he/she gets the ball in the box.

Play some basketball. Take that same box and put it on a chair. Show your child how to throw overhand and cheer as he/she tries to get the ball into the basket.

It’s time to take off! Turn your back yard into an airport. Have your child and a friend pretend to be airplanes with their arms outstretched. When it’s time to land, they must slow down and bend over.

Create an obstacle course. Have your child follow you as you walk up the stairs, stop to sit on the bed, then walk on all fours around a table. To do this outside, place a cooler in the center of the yard and a lawn chairs or two. Have your child follow you as you weave through the objects.

Play catch. Toss a soft ball to your child while standing relatively close. Slowly take a step back as he/she gets better, until you’re about 5 to 6 feet away.

Play freeze. Turn on some music and have your child and some friends dance. When you stop the music, they must stop moving and “freeze” in their last position. When the music starts, they can start moving again.

Aim for red. Place three different colored towels on the ground. Have your child toss plastic lids from coffee cans to the different towels. It the red one is farthest away, see if it can toss its lid to that one.

Practice the high jump. Place a block on the ground. Can your child jump over it and land with two feet at the same time? Now add a block, and another. How many blocks can your child jump over?

Four to Five Years

Most five-year-olds can:

• Walk backwards toe-heal
• Jump forward 10 times without falling
• Walk up and down stairs independently, alternating feet
• Turn a somersault

Suggested play to help a child between four and five develop gross motor skills:

X marks the spot. Paint an X, or tape a piece of paper with an X on it, to a fence. Take turns throwing tennis balls at the X. Keep trying until you get the X.

Make the balloon fly. Tap a balloon so it goes up into the air. When it comes down, your child must tap it to make it fly again. See how long you can keep the balloon flying in the air.

It’s time for basketball. At this age, you can teach your child how to dribble a ball. A small basket on a picnic table can be your hoop.

Dance your heart out. Turn on some music and get out some dish towels or scarves. Let your child swing the scarves as it moves to the beat.

Visit a playground. What to do first? With so many choices, your child will swing, slide, climb and run!

Have fun in all seasons. In the fall, jumping in leaves is great fun. In the winter, bundle up and make snow angels. When summer comes, mom or dad can get out the sprinkler.

Play animal charades. Cut out pictures of animals from a magazine and put them in a hat. Pick one out and act out the animal. Pick a turtle? Get on the floor and slowly crawl. Pick a bunny rabbit? Start hopping.

Be the conductor. Play some music and have your child direct the music. This is more fun if your child has ribbons in its hands so it can watch the designs it makes in the sky.

Techniques for Engaging in Play

Sometimes, despite the back flips and cartwheels we try, kids just don’t seem terribly interested in our attempts at engaging them in play. Before stepping up your efforts to even more outrageous antics, make sure that all of your child’s basic needs are met. As adults, if we are hungry or tired, we’re not usually in the mood to play either. If they seem to be well rested, well fed and have a clean diaper, here are some strategies to attempt:

• Change the type of play. If you’d been trying to engage in rough and tumble play, switch to quiet activities like books, puzzles or blocks. If quiet activities aren’t doing the trick, try motor games like airplane flying, climbing on sofa cushions, or jumping jacks.
• Engage in play that requires reciprocal interaction, like rolling a ball back and forth or building a tower of blocks for your child to then knock over.
• Deliberately establish eye contact and wait for reciprocation before initiating interactions.
• Model the appropriate way to play with a particular toy while commenting on your actions. (“I put the circle in the hole. In. Your turn!”)
• Use hand-over-hand assistance to help your child use a toy appropriately.
• Follow your child’s lead and then build on what it shows interest in. For example, if your child’s only interested in lining his/her cars up, line them up with him/her and then model pushing a car along a “road”.
• Eliminate distractions from the environment. Some children become over-stimulated very easily. If there is a lot of noise or overly stimulating activity happening in the environment, your child may not be able to focus on what you’re presenting.
• Start with just one or two simple items, and as your child is able to tolerate those, gradually add more.

Your child’s temperament plays a large role in how he or she responds to play initiations. Some kids will always prefer to sit back and watch rather than be in the middle of the excitement. If you feel that your child is excessively passive in his or her interactions or doesn’t seem to be motivated to interact with you or presented toys, talk to your pediatrician about your concerns.