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Gross motor control refers to the movements of the large muscles of the body.
Children acquire new gross motor skills by practicing a movement or activity until that particular skill is mastered.
From birth, a baby starts developing gross motor control, beginning with the control of her head and torso. The development of gross motor control continues until the baby has learned to sit, crawl, stand, walk and then progressed to running, jumping and the range of activities that an adult can do.
Gross motor skills include:
Fine motor skills require movement of small muscles, usually in coordination with the eyes, but also include movements of the tongue and lips, wriggling of the toes and foot-eye coordination.
They are often for communication purposes, both functional and expressive, e.g. writing, manipulating tools or creating works of art.
Between the ages of 3 and 5 children usually make rapid progress in developing fine motor skills and manual dexterity.
Fine motor skills include:
In order for children to develop good fine motor skills, there are also other supporting skills that need to be well-developed. For instance children need to have strength and dexterity in their hands and fingers before being required to hold a pencil correctly and begin writing activities. This can help avoid incorrect pencil grips.