The first year of a child’s life is filled with major milestones in their gross motor development, including their first step. But to get there, they must first develop many important gross motor skills. Skipping any of those skills can result in developmental delays.
Gross motor skills are like building blocks with each skill helping to improve the child’s strength and coordination. This makes it possible for the child to advance to the next gross motor skill.
During a child’s first year of life. They will master independent sitting, rolling, crawling, pulling to stand, tall knelling, cruising, squatting and then standing and your child will take that first step.
Crawling is a vitally important gross motor skill that can have consequences if it is not achieved. Crawling on hands and knees in a reciprocal pattern is the first time a child mimics the reciprocal pattern or walking in the forward motion.
Crawling can strengthen abdominal and shoulder girdle muscles. It establishes depth in the visual field when the child moves through a visual field to reach a toy. The skill of crawling may even relate to a child’s future reading skills.
After crawling, children quickly figure out a pull-to-stand sequence. They grab a supportive surface and pull to their knees and into the standing position. This helps them establish strength and muscle balance.
As children get stronger, they start practicing lateral weight shifting. They will reach for toys and then cruise on supportive surfaces. With the skill of cruising, children first learn brief single-leg stance that is required for a normal gait pattern.
From cruising, children move to unsupported standing. Once they have the strength and balance to maintain unsupported standing, while reaching and shifting their weight, they will be ready for early stepping.
Typically squatting follows early stepping and is important for establishing strength and muscle balance in the lower extremities, muscle control, and center of gravity. The squat position help children improve leg strength and balance to advance to a more mature gait pattern.
When children skip early gross motor skills that are vital for neuromotor development, they can experience problems with strength, coordination, and education. A physical therapist can help correct deficits and enable your child to achieve greater independent function.
Katie Kirby, DPT, PT is a physical therapist at Memorial Health in the Pediatric Rehabilitation Department. Pediatric PT is provided in both Savannah and Pooler locations. You can obtain a referral for PT from your pediatrician if you have concerns about gross motor development.
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