Gross Motor Skills in Early Childhood

Gross motor skills are serious business.  Many of us attribute the development of these skills to expending energy, or child’s play, especially outdoors. The truth is that gross motor skills are important to the physical development and well-being in all children. 

According to the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health, gross motor skills are the abilities required in order to control the large muscles of the body for walking, running, sitting, crawling and other activities.  Encouraging gross motor skills requires a safe, open play space; peers with whom to interact; and some adult supervision.

Recently DuPage Children's Museum had the opportunity to conduct several gross motor workshops with one of our partners, One Hope United.  Below you will find a video titled “Healthy from the Start.” This video highlights gross motor skills as well as the Communities on the Move video challenge.  

 

The Let’s Move! Communities on the Move Video Challenge invites faith-based, community, and other non-profit organizations working with children to create short videos highlighting their participation in Let’s Move! and efforts to reverse the trend of childhood obesity (challenge.gov, 2012).  

Read more: 

Gross Motor Skills - symptoms, average, Definition, Description, Common problems http://www.healthofchildren.com/G-H/Gross-Motor-Skills.html#ixzz1urFtKsux

http://communities.challenge.gov/