Gross Motor Activities

gross motor activities and information

Regular gross motor activities should be an essential part of every child’s life. 

Through play, through games, and through sport, children can develop their gross motor skills to lay a foundation for school skills such as handwriting, concentrating, following instructions, sport skills and team work.

Over the years I have added many pages full of photographed gross motor ideas - so this page is where I link to them all.

I've categorized the different pages with a brief overview of each category. All pages contain photos, tips, and loads of helpful information.

The advice and learning activities on this website are NOT a replacement for evaluation and treatment by an occupational therapist. If you suspect your child has gross motor delays, please seek a professional opinion and read my disclaimer before proceeding.


Core and Shoulder Girdle Exercises

Your child’s core muscles are vital to good performance in the classroom. Without a stable core, he/she will struggle to sit still at a desk and to carry out fine motor tasks.Your child also needs stability at the shoulder girdle to help fine motor skills to develop well.

These pages on my site will help you find photographed gross motor activities to work on those areas. You can also read more about why these muscles are so important in a child's development!

Core Exercises
Importance of Core Strength
Shoulder Exercises
Importance of Shoulder Girdle Stability

Check Out My Core And Shoulder Girdle E-books!

e-book of core exercises for kids
shoulder girdle exercises e-book

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 Coordination Activities

Children need to develop coordination skills in order to carry out everyday tasks like tying shoelaces, eating with a knife and fork, cutting with scissors, handwriting, playing ball games... and many more!

These pages on my site will give you helpful information, useful tips, and lots of fun photographed coordination activities you can do with your child at home.

All About Bilateral Coordination
Bilateral Activities
Hand-Eye Coordination Info and Activities

Check Out My Bilateral Coordination E-Book!

e-book of bilateral coordination activities for kids

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More Gross Motor Ideas

These gross motor exercises incorporate ideas from various gross motor pages on my site. Some of the exercises are ideal to do with a small group of children as well as individually.

Bean Bag Games
Exercises for Classroom
Chores For Gross Motor Skills
Crossing Midline Activities
Printable Brain Breaks

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Info and Tips on Gross Motor Skills Development

Why are gross motor skills important? Why do some kids struggle with gross motor skills? What can affect my child's gross motor development?

The articles below contain some answers to these questions and many more!

Enjoy browsing - I hope you find them useful!

All About Gross Motor Skills
Gross Motor Skills in Preschool
Overview of Muscle Tone


Free Printable Gross Motor Download!

This free printable download helps you to understand how gross motor skills can have an impact on your child in the classroom.

It is part of a set of 3 handouts that I compiled to help parents understand how gross motor, fine motor and visual perception skills can affect your child's learning.

You will get all 3 handouts absolutely free when you sign up for my newsletter!

Find out more about my newsletter!

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Gross Motor Resources

What resources do you need for gross motor games and activities? Many of the activities I suggest use surprisingly little equipment, which is great for saving money!

Balls, ropes, access to a play park - these are all readily available resources. Second hand shops often stock bats, small trampolines and other gross motor items, so it is worth checking them out.

For your convenience, I have picked out a few really helpful items over at PFOT that are similar to items I use myself.

Use the coupon code OTmom to get 15% off any order of $35 or more at PFOT.

This is an affiliate link, which means I will receive a small commission if you purchase an item through my links - but you are under no obligation to do so!

Gross Motor Products at PFOT

Are you looking to have these activities at your fingertips in an accessible format?

My Gross Motor E-Books will give you all the information and activities you need to have fun doing focused gross motor exercises with your child at home.

Each affordable e-book contains a LOT more activities than you will find on my site, in an easily accessible download!

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Scheduling Gross Motor Activities

So, you want to start doing more gross motor activities with your child - so when, where and how?

There is no hard and fast rule about how often to do these activities. It depends on your child's abilities and also on your family's lifestyle. Take a look at your family’s daily and weekly routine.

Each family is different and you need to decide what works best for you. I believe you will see the most progress if you can incorporate 10 to 20 minutes of fun activities 3 times a week, but see what works for you.

  • Daily routine: is there a time of day when it is generally possible for you to focus on your child for 10 minutes? After breakfast if you homeschool? After a rest time in the afternoon? Between bath and bed? Can you make a 10-minute break in the homework routine in the afternoon? Are there any activities you can make a regular part of family outings, family life?
  • Weekly Routine: Which afternoon are you usually home without extra-mural activities? Or can you head for the playpark while you wait for your other child to finish extra-murals? What about Saturdays before chores?

Remember that incorporating gross motor exercises into your family’s life has wonderful long-term benefits!

Look at other ways of improving your child’s general fitness levels with gross motor activities such as swimming, playing catch, cycling and walking on the beach.

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