Stages of Motor Skills Development in Infants

How would you know if the motor development of your baby is normal? Will you just wait for other people to tell you or perhaps let your pediatrician do the checking  for you? Isn’t it better if you, on your own, can easily monitor the skills development of your kid?

By the way, the chart below is not exclusive for infants only but for kids ages 0-8 years of age.

First, let’s define what is motor skills development, so we know we’re talking the same subject.

What is motor development?

Growth and movement are two of the most notable features of young children and basic motor skills develop in the early childhood years and lays the foundation for movement and motor proficiency and if they are not developed during their early years, these motor skills will often remain unlearned.

Motor development is a sequential stages of change in motor behavior based on the interaction of the following:

• maturation
• prior experiences
• new motor activities

The following chart shows the sequential order of motor development during the early years. The ages shown are averages and it is normal for these to vary by a month or two in either direction.

[table]Age,Development
2 months,able to lift head up on his own
3 months,can roll over
4 months,can sit propped up without falling over
6 months,is able to sit up without support
7 months,begins to stand while holding on to things for support
9 months,can begin to walk and still using support
10 months,is able to momentarily stand on her own without support
11 months,can stand alone with more confidence
12 months,begin walking alone without support
14 months,can walk backward without support
17 months,can walk up steps with little or no support
18-24 months,able to manipulate objects with feet while walking such as kicking a ball
3 years,can walk up/downstairs independently and running
3-5 years,jumping on two feet and hopping on one foot
4 years,walk up/downstairs with continuous movement
5 years and up,running much faster
5-6 years,skipping
5-8 years,roller-skating/bicycling[/table]

Motor development follows a directional pattern as large muscles develop before the smaller muscles which explains why most preschoolers are more apt at running than using scissors for cutting.

Parents can better foster children’s motor development when they understand their temperament and know what skills are suitable for their age. Temperament plays an important role in motivating and stimulating interest in children to learn and practice motor skills. Some children are “motor driven” and want to try everything while others are “motor cautious” and need time to watch others before trying things themselves.

Train Your Child to Think Like a Genius. CLICK HERE NOW!