The Importance of Gross Motor Skills Activities for Preschool

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The importance of gross motor skills development for preschool kids cannot be overstated. Before a child is developmentally ready for school, the student needs to meet certain milestones related to gross motor skills. This is hugely important as a foundation for learning.

The Importance of Gross Motor Skills Starts at Birth

First, your baby learns to roll over and then learns to sit on his own. These skills seem to happen almost on their own. You can encourage gross motor development right away by making sure your child gets tummy time or plays with toys that encourage reaching and stretching and swinging those arms.

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Crawling

The connection between early gross motor skills development and later learning is not widely understood. For instance, children who skip crawling and go straight to walking often struggle with math. This is because the act of crawling builds mathematical neural pathways in the brain. First one hand and then a leg, and then another hand and a leg.

Like many gross motor movements, the process of crawling is inherently organizational and mathematical. As parents, we do not realize how everyday things that seem so basic and just physical milestones are actually forming the foundation for a lifetime of learning abilities in our children. This is just one example of a basic gross motor skill you expect and encourage your child to develop quite naturally.

Free Gross Motor Activity Cards

The Progression of Motor Skills

Gross motor skills development also has to reach a certain point before a child can really develop fine motor skills. There is a natural progression for the body-brain connection that almost never varies. In order to be ready to use scissors and pencils in school, your child needs to be able to jump and hop and skip.

Furthermore, the more your child improves in the area of gross motor movement, the more improvement she will have in the area of fine motor control. So it’s something you can keep working on throughout the elementary years. That’s why we play games like the letter run and the emotions number toss as part of learning.

Gross Motor Skills Activities You Can Teach at Home

Your student does not need to be in a class to improve. You can help your child by encouraging gross motor skills activities. A gross motor skill is anything that uses large muscles or large muscle groups. Jumping, jumping on one foot, hopping, skipping, running, and catching or throwing a ball are all excellent activities to practice. Bear walking, crab walking, frog jumping, and toe touching are also fantastic.

Playing Outside

Climbing on a playground, hanging on monkey bars, or clambering through the woods is also very beneficial. In fact, the more time you can spend outside with your child the better. Walking on uneven surfaces, running around in the grass, and climbing on tree stumps all work those large muscle groups.

Outdoor Toys that Encourage Gross Motor Play

These toys use large muscle groups and build core strength.

Hopping Ball

Plasma Car

Tricycle or Balance Bike

Playing Inside

Inside, you can have your child crawl through a play tunnel, play catch with a soft inflatable ball, or bounce on an individual-sized indoor trampoline. You can also encourage jumping jacks, running in place, Simon-Says, or Follow-The-Leader to get your kids up and moving and stretching. Yoga is amazing for indoor gross motor skills development! We love Cosmic Kids Yoga on Youtube.

Indoor Games that Encourage Large Muscle Movement

Sometimes getting outside is really difficult especially if it’s cold or extra rainy. For those days, be ready with a bag of balloons. Have your child race to keep the balloon off the floor, that’s a classic balloon game that provides a workout for large muscle groups. You can also make a balloon on a string to punch or try to toss the balloon back and forth.

Playing with Friends

Relay races, hopscotch, and jumping rope are all fun games to play with friends that also happen to improve gross motor skills. Hitting the local trails with friends is fun. You can combine social development with physical development by inviting your child and her friends to enjoy these activities together. If you live in an urban area, prioritize time at local playgrounds and parks.

Gross Motor Skills Activities Cards

Download our free activity cards to encourage gross motor skills development. Each card shows an activity. You can draw random cards and mix things up for relay races, outdoor play, or fun in a long hallway on a rainy day.