Skills Guide

Learn more about the skills our toys are designed to develop!

Cognitive

Speech & Language

Creativity & Imagination

Fine & Gross Motor

STEM

Cognitive

Speech & Language

Social & Emotional

Creativity & Imagination

Fine & Gross Motor

STEM

Fine & Gross Motor

Build fine motor and gross motor skills through play—check out our collection of both fine motor and gross motor toys and start the fun!

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As babies grow, so does their ability to move—this is referred to as motor development. Motor development happens step-by-step: rolling can lead to sitting, which can then lead to crawling [1], for example! However, since every kiddo is different, the order of skills learned can vary from child to child [1,2]. Not to mention, a child’s surroundings can also affect their motor development. For example, if a baby spends most of their time in a hammock, they may not try to crawl and then learn to stand. In comparison, another baby left to explore on the floor would be more likely to crawl before standing [1].

There are two types of motor skills:

Gross Motor Skills: Involving large muscles in the arms and legs, these skills are used to move around in an environment. Examples include crawling, standing, and walking!

Fine Motor Skills: Involving small muscles in the hands and fingers, these skills are used for precise tasks. Examples include holding a pencil and putting together a puzzle.

skillshub_motors_kiddo

We use motor skills to accomplish a variety of different things! For example, we use them to get across a room or kick a ball. Based on these goals, there are three main categories of motor skills, which may involve fine motor skills, gross motor skills, or both:

Locomotion (Gross Motor Skills): moving from one point to another

Ballistic Skills (Fine & Gross Motor Skills): applying force to an object to move it

Manipulative Skills (Fine & Gross Motor Skills): handling and controlling objects

Locomotion

Locomotion encompasses all the skills we can use to move from one place to another! The first types of locomotion infants learn are usually crawling (moving on hands and tummies in a ‘combat crawl’) and creeping (moving on hands and knees).

As children grow, their center of gravity moves downwards, which improves their balance. This, along with improved muscle strength, enables them to start walking! Their movements also gradually become smoother and more rhythmic, allowing them to start lifting both feet off the ground and learning skills such as running, jumping, hopping, and skipping.

Once children feel steady on their feet, they can try their hand at new motor skills with their arms and torso, like throwing a ball. They can then combine upper and lower body skills for more complex movements, such as steering a tricycle [1].

Ballistic Skills
 Skills that involve applying force to an object in order to move it are called ballistic skills. These include throwing, kicking, and striking—all of which require foot-eye coordination. For instance, in order to kick a ball, kids have to identify where the ball is and coordinate their foot movements to kick it. Being precise in ballistic skills requires both fine and gross motor skills

Manipulative Skills

When we handle and control an object using our hands, we are using our manipulative skills [3]. As kids’ arms and legs grow, so does their strength—this contributes to the development of these very skills [2]!

There are three main manipulative skills, and they often build on one another: after kids learn to grasp (fine motor skills), they can start reaching (fine and gross motor skills), and eventually learn to catch (fine and gross motor skills).

Grasping

Learning to grasp an object happens in stages:
1. Infants squeeze an object against their palm without using their thumb.
2. Infants start using their thumb in a power grip.
3. Infants develop precision grips, using only their thumb and one or two other fingers [2].

Many different factors affect a child’s ability to grasp an object: the object’s shape and size, individual differences, the child’s environment, and the task at hand [1]. When kids get older, they’ll also start to use visual information to assess how to best grasp an object, for example, through hand-eye coordination [2].

Reaching

In order to reach for an object, infants have to control their arm movements, which develops with practice and repetition. Infants begin by reaching with just one hand, without using visual information. Later on, they’ll start using their sight to coordinate hand and eye movements and determine the best path of reach. They will also start to understand when a task requires both hands and how best to use them, for example, when opening a jar [2].

Catching

Catching is a challenging motor skill! In order to catch, kids need to predict the direction of a moving object, reach in that direction, and stop it from moving [2]. Keep in mind that all attempts at catching help build this skill—both successful and unsuccessful catches help children better understand the relationship between the position of their body and the moving object [2]!

In Conclusion…

One step at a time, kids are learning to move and explore the world around them! For more complex skills, such as self-dressing, drawing, and painting, they’ll need to combine fine motor skills with cognitive skills.

Our Collection of Fine & Gross Motor Toys

Hot

ABC Railway

Alphabet Learning Train Set

Alphabet Fishing

Magnetic Alphabet Fishing Game
Hot

Bright Explorer

Educational Light Box Playset

Dive & Discover

Ocean Learning Color Changing Book Set
Hot

EggXpress Yourself!

Match & Learn Eggs

I Am Responsible!

Magnetic Responsibility Chart

I Can Plan!

Magnetic Calendar

Knock-Knock Who’s Inside?

Lock & Latch Board

Lace-Up & Learn Animals

Fine Motor Wooden Lacing Toy

Learning Ladybug

Ladybug Counting Toy
Hot

Locbloc Counting Blocks

Educational Building Block Set

Mini Barista

Wooden Barista Playset

    References:
    [1] Berk, L. E. (2022). Development through the lifespan. Sage Publications.
    [2] Haywood, K. M., & Getchell, N. (2019). Life span motor development. Human kinetics.
    [3] Mohd Fadzil, H. (2014). Sudents’ science manipulative skills during transition from primary to secondary school/Hidayah Binti Mohd Fadzil (Doctoral dissertation, University of Malaya).

    References:
    [1] Berk, L. E. (2022). Development through the lifespan. Sage Publications.
    [2] Haywood, K. M., & Getchell, N. (2019). Life span motor development. Human kinetics. </small
    [3] Mohd Fadzil, H. (2014). Sudents’ science manipulative skills during transition from primary to secondary school/Hidayah Binti Mohd Fadzil (Doctoral dissertation, University of Malaya).