Information for parents
The physiotherapy service understands how important parents and professionals who work with children in Hillingdon are in helping children and young people to develop their motor skills and ability to access the environment.
We are often asked for advice on how to help children develop their gross motor skills and also on some specific areas of difficulty or pieces of equipment.
You can find useful information below by accessing the below links.
- Awake time ideas: practical advice to help you support your premature infant's early motor development
- Baby walkers: are they necessary?
- Flat feet in young children
- Head turning preferences and plagiocephaly
- Intoeing gait
- Mr Tumble activities, signs and songs
- Promoting physical development: lying to sitting
- Tummy time ideas
- Brunel wheelchair basketball
- Cerebral Palsy sport
- Disability snow sports at Hemel Hempstead Snowdome. Lessons available for children with learning difficulties and disabilities
- Disabled swimming lessons in Ruislip
- Swimming lessons for children with disabilities
- Riding for the disabled
- Change 4 life - accessible activities
- Can Child: a research centre dedicated to generating knowledge and transforming lives of children and youth with developmental conditions and their families
- Contact: For families with disabled children
- Hemihelp
- Standing frames
- Standing frames: safety and management
- Try B4 U Fly: general advice and equipment for hire for children with disabilities to try before going on holiday via aeroplane
- Wheel Freedom: provides wheelchair for affordable short-term hire
- Whizz Kidz: a charity that provides equipment such as specialist tricycles and sport wheelchairs
What are motor skills?
Motor skills is a term which therapists use to describe how a child is moving his or her body. Motor skills are generally described in either one of two ways; gross motor skills and fine motor skills.
Fine motor skills refer to dextrous movements of the fingers and thumbs. Some examples of fine motor activities include; writing or drawing, fastening buttons or zips or opening and closing boxes or jars.
Gross motor skills refers to movements which involve the whole body. Examples include; running, jumping, swimming, cycling and throwing and catching a ball.
Who might need to work on their gross motor skills?
All children need to develop their gross motor skills in order to be able to participate in; exercise, sport, P.E. at school and to ensure that they lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Most children will acquire gross motor skill through play, social interaction with others and through education. They will not need specialist input to help them with this. However there are also a number who find it more difficult to develop gross motor skills. If a child appears not to be performing gross motor skills at the same level as other children their age, they may benefit from practising games and exercises which will help them to improve.
How can I help my child to develop his or her gross motor skills?
There are three links below to activity sheets full of ideas of activities which might be helpful for your child to try. The activities are grouped into the following categories:
The activities are targeted for children aged 6 – 10. Many of the tasks are likely to be too difficult for children younger than this but the activities are fun and younger children might like to try!
Are there any medical conditions which make gross motor skills more difficult to acquire?
There are some medical conditions which make it harder for children to acquire gross motor skills. Some of these include;
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) (also known as dyspraxia)
- Developmental Delay
- Global Delay
- Down’s Syndrome
- Learning difficulties
The advice sheets may be useful for children with any of the conditions above.
In addition, many neurological or orthopaedic conditions will result in difficulty acquiring gross motor skills. Please discuss your concerns with your usual therapist, or ring the advice line if you do not currently have a therapist to speak to.
What if I am still worried about my child’s gross motor skills?
Please feel free to call the physiotherapy or occupational therapy advice lines to speak with a therapist who will be happy to help.