Motor Skills Stages of Learning
Motor skills allow a person to move and control his body. The development of motor skills can be divided into four stages: basic locomotion, object exploration and manipulation, self-locomotion and fine motor skills. These stages are age-related but not age-dependent because children in different cultures master certain motor skills at different ages. However, the general progression of motor skill development is the same for all children.
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Basic Locomotion
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Locomotion, the ability to move your body, is one of the first motor skills children learn. Children will learn basic locomotion (ie, the ability to move in place) before learning true locomotion (ie, the ability to move from place to place). Basic locomotion includes lifting the head and rolling over. Children start developing basic locomotion around 2 to 3 months of age.
Object Exploration and Manipulation
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Between 3 and 6 months of age children will begin to recognize and move objects. Babies developing these motor skills will begin reaching for objects, grasping objects and passing objects between hands. Children also begin moving around more and make attempts to hang on to walls and other objects in an attempt to balance themselves.
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Self-Locomotion
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Self-locomotion is a person's ability to move her body from place to place. The development of self-locomotion is prompted by an baby's desire to interact with external objects not located near her. During this stage, which takes place between 9 and 20 months of age, a child learns the skills necessary to make the transition from crawling to walking. These skills include coordination, which is used when a child begins to crawl, and balance, which allows a child to stand up without support. The combination of coordination and balance allows the child to begin walking successfully.
Fine Motor Skills
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After mastering self-locomotion a baby begins fine-tuning his motor skills for early childhood by developing fine motor skills. The skills, learned from 20 months of age onward, require increased strength, reaction time and coordination. One of the first indications that a child is developing her fine motor skills is her ability to create structures with toys, such as building towers out of blocks. Fine motor skills incorporate all previous skills learned in a manner that allows children to turn thoughts and images into actions. At higher ages, these skills allow a child to perform complicated tasks such as playing sports, performing music and creating art.
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References
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