Which of the following gross motor skills is not typically mastered in the second year of life?

“Fine motor” refers to the movements we make with the small muscles of the hands. Children start to use their hands right at birth to explore their own bodies and the world around them. Their fine motor skills develop as their whole body starts to move and become more stable. They also learn to do more things with their hands as their cognitive and social/emotional skills improve.

Below are some of the typical infant developmental milestones for fine motor skills. After each age group, you will find some “red flags” that might indicate a problem.

Between the ages of 0-4 months, your baby will:

• Turn their head toward sounds and voices
• Stare at bright objects and follow them with their eyes
• Move their arms together and apart

• Bring hands to their mouth, and possibly suck on their own hands or fingers
• By 4 months, lift their head and shoulders off the floor when laying on their tummy

Between the ages of 4-8 months, your baby will:

• Grab onto objects within reach
• Roll over to explore and get to objects
• Prop themself up on their arms when laying on their tummy

• Sit independently for brief periods
• Pass objects from one hand to the other

Red Flags for Fine Motor Development (0-8 months)

If you notice some of the following things about your baby by the time they are 6-8 months old, you may want to talk to your doctor, or to another health professional such as an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist.

• They still keep one or both hands clenched in a fist
• Arms seem very stiff
• Not able to prop themself up when laying on their tummy

• Not able to pick up objects within reach
• Not able to sit by themself for short periods
• Not able to roll over to get objects

Between the ages of 8-12 months, your baby will:

• Reach, grab, and put objects in their mouth
• Pinch small objects (e.g. cheerios) with thumb and pointer finger
• Move objects from one hand to the other
• Drop and pick up toys
• Bang two objects together
• Let go of objects on purpose

• Put things into containers (with large openings) and take them out again
• Bite and chew toys
• Hold a spoon (but not yet feed themself)
• Hold their own bottle
• Hold out an arm or leg to help with dressing
• Wave hello or goodbye

Red Flags for Fine Motor Development (12 months)

If you notice some of the following things about your child by the time they are 12 months old, you may want to talk to your doctor, or to another health professional such as an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist.

• Not able to grasp toys and let them go
• Not able to bring toys to their mouth or bang them together
• Not able to bring their hands together at the middle of their body (e.g. clapping)
• Not able to feed themself finger foods, using thumb and pointer finger to pick up food

• Their movements seem shaky or stiff
• Not able to move around on the floor to get the toys they want
• Not able to put objects into a large container
• Their hands are kept in a fisted position
• Not able to hold a bottle by themself

If you have concerns about your child at any age, please feel free to contact us to speak to a professional. You can also make a referral to our centre at anytime.

When healthy babies are born, some of their internal systems, such as their ability to suck, swallow, and breathe, are developed and functional. To support the best possible physical development, all infants require responsive care from loving adults, proper nutrition, and appropriately stimulating environments. Infant and toddler physical development can occur quickly; so it is essential to understand the various stages of physical development.

From birth, infants want to explore their world. While each child has their own schedule for development and mastering new skills, infants are often eager early on to move their mouths, eyes and bodies toward people and objects that comfort or interest them. They continue to practice skills that let them move closer to desired objects. Ongoing observation and frequent conversations with their families can help you learn what infants and toddlers are able to do, what they are learning to do, and in what areas they could use your support.

Infants develop physically from the top down, starting with their head and neck. At birth, an infant has a very difficult time holding up their head because the neck muscles are not strong enough to provide support. As infants and toddlers grow, their determination to master movement, balance, and fine- and gross-motor skills remains strong. Rolling and crawling occur as infants develop skills in using large-muscle groups. Grasping and picking up objects with fingers are signs of small-muscle skill growth.

There is no exact age at which all infants should be able to grasp objects or hold up their heads without support. Physical development occurs at different times for all children depending on many factors, such as the child’s unique characteristics, the family’s values and culture, and available resources. However, many infants and toddlers experience developmental milestones at similar times. The chart below outlines information about what infants and toddlers are likely experiencing and learning during different periods:

Keep in mind that the milestones above are simply the average ages at which specific skills are observed.

Certain conditions must exist for an infant or toddler to grow and develop. A young child’s basic needs, or physical needs, include:

• Food (nutritious and age-appropriate)
• Shelter (protection from harm)
• Warmth
• Clean air and environment
• Health and dental care
• Activity and rest

We also know that the way we ourselves were raised is important to our understanding of how and in what contexts children develop. The values and beliefs held by our family and culture contribute to our knowledge of growth and development.

Culture Affects How We See and Interpret Behaviors and Development

Understanding the practices, beliefs, and values of the families you support can help you understand how culture shapes so many parts of an infant’s and toddler’s development. Without this understanding, it is difficult to interpret the infant’s or toddler’s behaviors and development. For example, you may believe it is important to help toddlers learn to become independent and begin to feed themselves using their fine-motor skills. A family, however, may not view independence as important because they believe it is more valuable to depend upon one another.

Other influences on infant and toddler physical growth and development are:

• Prenatal care and development, including genetic inheritance, family patterns, exposure to drugs and alcohol, birth experience
• Prematurity (birth before the 38th week of development) and low birth weight may result in respiration difficulties, vision problems, feeding and digestive problems
• Temperament, or the ways an infant or toddler approaches his or her world
• Family’s composition, lifestyle, level of education, and housing
• Maturation, or the genetic or biological development that reflects a pattern of growth from conception through adolescence
• Developmental delays or disabilities, including health and medical concerns

Review the handout, Infant and Toddler Physical Development located below in the Learn activities section to learn more about important milestones in physical development, as well as variations in the rate of physical development of infants and toddlers.

The Brain’s Role in Physical Development

You can easily observe infants making movements with their bodies and refining their motor skills. Thanks to advances in research and technology, we can now also see how the brain changes and grows as young children develop. At birth, the brain is 25 percent of its adult size, and by age 5, it reaches 90 percent of adult size. Early-life interactions and experiences of infants and toddlers help them make sense of the world and form connections between different parts of the brain.

These supportive experiences and connections help improve coordination and strengthen muscles. Research tells us that as infants repeat and practice different movements, such as turning their heads or reaching for an object, they are building and maintaining connections between brain cells. The brain is busy making sense and learning from the experience.

It is important for infants and toddlers to have time for these new experiences and to explore the world around them with you, a trusted and caring adult caregiver. The repeated experience of safely exploring together helps infants and toddlers learn they can trust you, while also ensuring that their brains focus on learning, developing, and making connections. If infants and toddlers do not have nurturing and responsive adults to help make them feel safe, their brains will instinctually focus on survival and they will have less opportunity to create and strengthen connections for further skill development, including physical growth.

Supporting Physical Development for All Learners

Physical development, including gross- and fine-motor skills, consumes the interest of infants and toddlers as they practice learned skills and look to develop new ones. Healthy physical development is dependent on adequate nutrition, brain development, the central nervous system, muscles, bones, and the interactions and experiences offered to infants and toddlers. By recognizing developmental delays during infancy or toddlerhood, early intervention may be more effective than if the delays are not acknowledged until later in childhood. Below are some characteristics of possible physical concerns or developmental delays:

Signs of Impaired Physical Development - Infants & Toddlers

Delays in physical development may affect more than gross- and fine-motor skills. For example, if an infant is unable to smile at parents or lift their arms to be picked up, this could affect social and emotional development in terms of relationship building. Recognizing some of the delays listed above can be critical to a child’s development. The connections in a baby’s brain are most adaptable in the first three years of life. These connections, also called neural circuits, are the foundation for learning, behavior, and health. Over time, these connections become harder to change. Getting children the help they need is much more effective earlier in life rather than later.

If you have concerns about an infant’s or toddler’s physical development, be sure to speak with your coach, trainer, administrator and/or the child’s parent. They may wish to share your concerns with the child’s health-care provider. Early intervention can help children improve their abilities and learn new skills. To find your state or territory’s early intervention contact information, go to: cdc.gov/FindEI

For more information, including what to say when you contact early intervention and how to get support for your family, visit: cdc.gov/Concerned.

See

Physical Development in Infants and Toddlers

Do

How can you make sure you are providing age-appropriate experiences to support infant and toddler physical development? Take a moment to read and review the sets of guidelines on the following webpage from SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators, formerly known as the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, or NASPE): https://www.shapeamerica.org/standards/guidelines/activestart.aspx. Next, try one or more of the following activities with the infants or toddlers in your care:

• When an infant is awake and active, offer tummy time — lay the baby on the floor on his or her tummy while you interact with the infant. Provide stimulating and high contrast toys or pictures for the infant to look at. Because suffocation is swift and silent, remember to never leave an infant alone when they are on their stomach—not even for a second.
• Hold an infant or dance with a toddler to music. Toddlers can also swing colorful scarves in the air, dance or play maracas while the music is playing.
• Encourage imitation of gestures and other movement experiences in which mobile infants and toddlers can use their bodies to interact and play.
• Have toddlers experience kicking, catching, rolling, and bouncing balls.
• Encourage toddlers to scribble on paper with crayons.

Incorporate daily physical play into your daily routines. Infants and toddlers enjoy being active!

What is the order of motor milestones?

Which motor skills develop first?

Which of the following is not a fine motor action?

Which of the following actions is an example of gross motor skills?