Motor Skills Addressed Every Day A motor skill is a movement made by using muscles. These skills are broken down into two categories: small (or fine) motor skills and large (or gross) motor skills. The basic difference is that small motor skills use small muscles, like those in the fingers, wrists, and toes; and large motor skills use large muscles, like those in our arms and legs, and feet. There are, however, many more distinctions between the two. Development- Both skills begin developing at the same time, but children achieve proficiency in large motor much earlier than small, sometimes by as much as several years. Gender- Boys tend to develop large motor skills sooner than girls, but girls develop small motor skills more quickly than boys. The use of objects- Many large motor skills can be done with no objects other than the body. These include walking, running, jumping, and crawling. Small motor skills, on the other hand, more often require accessory materials such as writing tools, scissors, or small objects to pick up.
needed for small motor skills is best in a smaller, quieter space. These are just some of the differences between the two sets of skills. They do have at least one thing in common though: Your Head Start teacher plans activities daily to enhance the development of both!
Amount of space needed- Large motor skills need safe, large spaces, while the concentration and focus
Book of the Month: Giraffes Can’t Dance In Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreas, the jungle animals tease and say hurtful things to Gerald the giraffe because he can’t dance. He is upset until he tries and discovers that he can dance. This book can help teach kids that they never know what they can do until they try and they should not let others discourage them!
