What are the milestones in motor development?

Gross motor skill development involves the large muscles in the arms, legs and torso. Gross motor activities are important to everyday physical activities like walking, running, throwing, lifting, kicking, etc. Gross motor abilities also form the basis for fine motor skills and relate to body awareness, reaction speed, balance and strength. Learn more about all developmental milestones by age.

Índice Show

Gross motor development milestones: General physical activity guidelines for children ages 0 to 5 years
Newborn to 2 months
3-4 months
5 months
6-8 months
9-11 months
11-12 months
13-14 months
15-18 months
2 years
3 years
By 4 years
By 5 years
Physical activity recommendations
Problems with reaching developmental milestones? How to improve your child’s gross motor skills

Gross motor development milestones: General physical activity guidelines for children ages 0 to 5 years

Newborn to 2 months

Turns head to both sides while on back
Lifts head and able to turn to both sides while on belly
Head lag with pull to sit
Kicking both legs and moving both arms equally while on back
Performs tummy time on floor regularly

3-4 months

Raises head in line with trunk when pulled to sit
Pushes up on forearms and turn head side to side while on belly
Tolerates tummy time well
Rolls from belly to back

5 months

Rolls from back to belly
Brings feet to mouth laying on back
Pushes up on hands with arms extended while on belly
Pivots in a circle while on belly to each side

6-8 months

Sits alone
Reaches for toys to play in sitting
Catches self with loss of balance in sitting
Crawls on belly

9-11 months

Moves between laying down and sitting upright without help
Crawls on hands and knees
Pulls to a standing position with one foot leading
Cruises around furniture
Walks with two hands held

11-12 months

Walks with one hand held
Stands alone for a few seconds

13-14 months

Crawls up stairs
Stands up from the floor without support
Walks alone well
Squats and stands back up without holding onto support

15-18 months

Walks up stairs with hands or rails to help
Crawls down the stairs (on belly, feet first)
Can run, though falls easily
Kicks a ball forward

2 years

Walks and runs fairly well
Jumps in place with both feet off the ground
Walks up and down stairs alone
Kicks a ball with either foot

3 years

Balance on one foot for a few seconds
Jump forward 10-24 inches
Catches a large ball
Rides a tricycle

By 4 years

Can run, jump and climb well, is beginning to skip
Hops proficiently on one foot
Can do hopscotch
Catches a ball reliably
Begins somersaults

By 5 years

Skips on alternate feet and jump rope
Begins to skate and swim
Rides bicycle with/without training wheels
Climbs well

This information is a general guide to help you determine if your child is progressing at the rate expected for his or her age. Please keep in mind that each child is unique and develops skills at their own rate.

Physical activity recommendations

By exploring many different types of movement, your child can build the confidence, motivation and physical competence to engage in an active lifestyle.

According to the American Heart Association, a daily dose of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is recommended for children ages six to seventeen years old. Infants and toddlers are recommended to get 180 minutes of activity spread throughout the day based on the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is suggested that both structured play as well as unstructured play should be incorporated throughout the day.

Ideally, children should participate in 60 minutes of continuous activity. However, for both older children and toddlers the daily amount of activity can be split up throughout the day. For example, two 30-minute segments or four 15-minute segments for children is still beneficial. Whether you’re at home or on the playground, here are some activities, that with proper guidance, may encourage your child to get moving: •

Indoor:

Infants/toddlers: crawling and walking over various surfaces such as creating obstacles with pillows and blankets; sitting with support at torso on an exercise ball, mommy/daddy and me classes (yoga, tumbling, swimming)
Children: bounce house play, jump rope activities, yoga, dance, gymnastics, cheerleading

Outdoor:

Infants/toddlers: mommy/daddy and me swim classes; water play in buckets or playing at water tables; infant/toddler swings or slides at the playground; obstacles over various surfaces such as gravel, grass
Children: swimming, sprinkler water play, water parks, marco polo, ice skating, snow tubing, sledding, roller skating, skateboarding, playgrounds, riding scooters, tricycle and bicycle riding, hiking, jumping and hop scotch activities, soccer, baseball, swinging

Our therapy programs can also help bring out the best in your child. From aquatic therapy, to sports therapy and more, our team takes an integrated approach, using the right therapy or therapies your child needs at the right stage in their development. We can help your child learn or regain the skills they need to be successful during everyday activities and participate with peers.

Problems with reaching developmental milestones? How to improve your child’s gross motor skills

If you have concerns regarding your child’s development or your child is regularly missing development milestones, physical therapy can assess development and address concerns. If you are concerned about your child's development of gross motor skills, a physician or therapist may be able to assist with an evaluation.

Physical therapists can provide a comprehensive examination of your child’s strength, balance, coordination and gross motor skills in order to determine barriers to safe body movement. We provide therapeutic activities that are engaging and specific to a child’s age, cognitive status, ability level and interests.

To make an appointment with a pediatric physical therapist, call one of these locations:

Information provided by Kristen McBee PT, DPT; Anisha Craft PT, DPT, PCS; Renee Leiby PT, DPT and Jan Steinberger PT, DPT.

< Back to Child Development Charts

Gross Motor (physical) skills are those which require whole body movement and which involve the large (core stabilising) muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing, walking, running, and sitting upright. It also includes eye-hand coordination skills such as ball skills (throwing, catching, kicking).

Note: Each stage of development assumes that the preceding stages have been successfully achieved.

How to use this chart: Review the skills demonstrated by the child up to their current age. If you notice skills that have not been met below their current age contact Kid Sense Child Development on 1800 KIDSENSE (1800 543 736).

Age	Developmental milestones	Possible implications if milestones not achieved
0-6 months	Rolls over front to back and back to front Sits with support and then independently	Poor muscle development for locomotion Delayed ability to play independently
6-12 months	Crawls forwards on belly Assumes a seated position unaided Creeps on hands and knees Transitions into different positions: sitting, all fours, lying on tummy Pulls self to stand Walks while holding onto furniture Takes 2-3 steps without support Rolls a ball in imitation of an adult	Delayed sensory development due to decreased ability to explore the environment Poor muscle development Delayed play skills
18 months	Sits, crawls, walks Still has wide gait but walking/running is less clumsy Pushes against a ball (does not actually kick it)	Delayed play skills Difficulty interacting with the environment due to delayed ability to mobilise effectively Poor muscle development
2 years	Walks smoothly and turns corners Begins running Is able to pull or carry a toy while walking Climbs onto/down from furniture without assistance Walks up and down steps with support Picks up toys from the floor without falling over	Poor muscle development for running and jumping Delayed ability to play independently and interact with the environment Decreased ability to interact socially
3 years	Imitates standing on one foot Imitates simple bilateral movements of limbs (e.g. arms up together) Climbs jungle gym and ladders Pedals a tricycle Walks up/down stairs alternating feet Jumps in place with two feet together Able to walk on tip toes Catches using body	Decreased opportunities for social interaction Poor development of body awareness and movement planning skills Difficulties using playground equipment Difficulties or lack of confidence interacting with other children in active environments (e.g. play cafes, playgrounds)
4 years	Stands on one foot for up to 5 seconds Kicks a ball forwards Throws a ball overarm Catches a ball that has been bounced Runs around obstacles Able to walk on a line Able to hop on one foot Jumps over an object and lands with both feet together	Lack of confidence in movement based activities Difficulties using playground equipment Difficulties or lack of confidence interacting with other children in active environments (e.g. play cafes, playgrounds)
5 years	Able to walk up stairs while holding an object Walks backward toe-heel Jumps forward 10 times without falling Skips forwards after demonstration Hangs from a bar for at least 5 seconds Steps forward with leg on same side as throwing arm when throwing a ball Catches a small ball using hands only	May result in poor self-esteem when comparing self to peers Lack of confidence in movement based activities Difficulties participating in sporting activities Difficulties playing with moving toys such as bikes and scooters
6 years	Runs lightly on toes Able to walk on a balance beam Able to skip using a skipping rope Can cover 2 metres when hopping Demonstrates mature throwing and catching patterns Mature (refined) jumping skills	Difficulty participating in sporting activities May result in poor self-esteem when comparing self to peers Lack of confidence in movement based activities

This chart was designed to serve as a functional screening of developmental skills per age group. It does not constitute an assessment nor reflect strictly standardised research.

The information in this chart was compiled over many years from a variety of sources. This information was then further shaped by years of clinical practice as well as therapeutic consultation with child care, pre-school and school teachers in South Australia about the developmental skills necessary for children to meet the demands of these educational environments. In more recent years, it has been further modified by the need for children and their teachers to meet the functional Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) requirements that are not always congruent with standardised research.