Motor skills are the ability to initiate and control movement impulses. Signals within the body's nervous system that coordinate movement for activity are divided into gross motor and fine motor. Gross motor and fine motor interact and overlap one another, each area having its own importance and influencing the other's development.
Gross motor is the use of the large muscles. They can be used in two ways:
- Moving from one place to another (locomotor skills). e.g. crawling.
- Movement that does not involve whole body movement from place to place (non-locomotor) e.g. reaching and bending.
Activities that help develop gross motor skills include walking, balancing, dancing, climbing, running, jumping, throwing and catching.