Gross Motor Skills
Outcome 3, Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Overview
Milestone. Child develops whole-body movement, balance, coordination and postural control for physical play, independence and spatial awareness.
Why it matters. Gross motor development is both a physical milestone and a regulatory tool. Movement builds vestibular and proprioceptive foundations underpinning attention, regulation and learning readiness.
Age-banded milestones
- Rolls, sits and begins crawling
- Pulls to stand at furniture
- Takes first supported steps
- Walks independently
- Climbs onto low furniture
- Squats to pick up a toy
- Runs with control
- Jumps with both feet off the ground
- Kicks a large ball
- Hops on one foot
- Climbs playground equipment
- Rides a balance bike or trike
Red flags, when to seek support
If you notice one or more of these patterns, talk with a GP, child health nurse, speech pathologist or occupational therapist for further assessment.
- Not sitting unsupported by 9 months
- Not walking independently by 18 months
- Frequent falls or clumsiness that stands out from peers by age 3
- Loss of previously acquired motor skills
Strategies & activities
Activities
- Obstacle courses: crawling through tunnels, stepping stones, balance beams
- Ball skills: kicking, catching, throwing (graded by size and distance)
- Climbing structures at increasing heights with educator supervision
- Dancing and movement songs with directional language
- Outdoor running, chasing and physical rough-and-tumble play
Materials
- Balance beams, stepping stones, tunnel, wobble boards
- Balls of varying sizes for kicking, throwing and catching
- Climbing equipment appropriate to age and ability
- Riding toys: tricycles, balance bikes, scooters
Speech pathologist
- Building movement-related language: over, under, through, beside, balance
- Embedding positional and directional vocabulary into movement activities
- Supporting narrative play that incorporates gross motor activity
Occupational therapist
- Gross motor and balance assessment (MABC-2, BOT-2)
- Postural stability and core strength evaluation
- Coordination and motor planning assessment for DCD screening
- Designing graded gross motor programmes for the outdoor environment
Educator role
- Provide daily outdoor time, minimum 60 minutes for preschool age
- Facilitate and encourage physical challenge, allow managed risk
- Observe and document gross motor milestones: first steps, jumping, hopping
- Report concerns about balance, coordination or gait to OT early
Family support
- Prioritise physical outdoor play every day regardless of weather
- Limit screen time to protect gross motor development opportunity
- Share OT gross motor programme with family for home practice
- Encourage physical independence: climbing stairs alone, jumping off curbs
Signs of progress
- 1Walks, runs and climbs with increasing confidence and control
- 2Jumps with two feet, hops on one foot, gallops (age-sequenced milestones)
- 3Catches a large ball, progressing to smaller ball sizes
- 4Navigates obstacle course with decreasing adult support
- 5Shows increasing physical confidence and willingness to take managed risk
Related focus areas
Fine Motor Skills
Child develops hand strength, precision, coordination and bilateral integration for manipulation tasks including self-care, drawing and tool use.
Sensory Processing
Child processes and responds to sensory input in a way that supports participation and regulation across the childcare day.
Play Skills
Child progresses through exploratory, functional, constructive and symbolic play, using objects, imagination and peers in increasingly complex ways.
Take gross motor skills further
Download our practitioner-ready summary, milestones, red flags and evidence-based strategies you can share with families and educators today.