Compare Gross And Fine Motor Skills And How They Develop

Gross and Fine motor skillsThe first motor skills that develop in infants are Gross Motor skills. These are a set of voluntary movements that encompass the infant’s use of large muscle groups. Typically, such actions would involve movement of the torso, the head, the arms or the legs. Examples of actions that involve this category of motor kills include upward movement of the chest, upward chin movement when lying on the belly, exploration of objects using the feet, and rocking back and forth on the hands and knees. Generally, when suspended from the waist or in positions where the waist is freed, babies at 8 weeks old or more often use their feet to explore objects out of their hand’s reach. At this stage of their development the use of their legs requires less practice than the use of their hands and has the potential to result in involuntary backward movement due to having stronger arms (Martin&Fabes, 2008).On the other hand, fine motor skills are precise movements that involve arm, hand and finger movements. Babies between one to four months old have the ability to wave their arms towards an object but lack the ability to grasp them voluntarily.