Resources within Reason
Helping All Children Build Gross Motor Skills
Hsiu-Wen Yang & Camille Catlett
February 2020
Gross motor skills play an important role in children’s everyday activities and functions, from walking and running to throwing a ball, climbing stairs, and toileting. Children start learning how to gain control and refine their skills through practice. For children with developmental delays or disabilities, intentionally teaching and supporting children’s gross development and learning is crucial. Here are some resources that educators, specialists, and families can use to help ALL children develop their gross motor skills.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have a number of free resources for tracking and supporting motor development. Available in English and Spanish, the resources also address other areas, such as social/emotional, language/communication, and cognitive development.

Milestone Tracker App – Free and downloadable, this easy-to-use app can track a child’s milestones from two months to 5 years with illustrated checklists. The app also offers tips from CDC for encouraging a child’s development and a summary that can be shared with doctors and others.

Milestones in Action: Photo and Videos – Free photos and videos illustrate important developmental milestones from two months through five years in gross motor and other areas.

Free Materials for Developmental Monitoring – Visit this section of the website to find free tools for tracking milestones, children’s books, tips for addressing concerns, translations, and more.
Educators play a crucial role in supporting children’s gross motor development by embedding inclusive gross motor activities and creating access and participation for ALL children in the classroom. This blog introduces several strategies for teachers to consider when creating gross motor opportunities within a typical preschool day. 
This newsletter provides information and resources about children’s gross motor development. Sections include: 1) information on the progression of motor
development for infants and toddlers; 2) ideas that can encourage and support gross motor development in daily routines; 3) resources about motor development that are available in the public library; and 4) the differences between occupational and
physical therapists and how they work on children’s motor skills in early intervention. This downloadable resource can be used to provide clear information for educators, specialists, and families.
This site features free resources for supporting the motor, sensory, and communication development of children from birth to age six. Checklists, milestones, and other resources, including an extensive section of videos, are available. Search the site for “atypical” and
you’ll find a series of videos that show a side by side comparison of typical and atypical motor development in infants. Many resources are available in Spanish.  
This article, written by a physical therapist, suggests how families can use household items and playground equipment to support children’s stair climbing skills. 
Resources within Reason is a free one-way listserv provided by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC). All resources are evidence-based, readily available and free.

Resources within Reason may be freely shared or reproduced.  Past issues and other resources are available here.

To sign up for Resources within Reason,  click here . 
Download this issue by clicking the image below!
This resource is available in two formats for your convenience:
 - Email - Forward this email to share the digital resource with colleagues.
 - PDF format - Click on the PDF format preview to download, print and share in-person.