Motor Development

Definition

Motor development refers to the progression of muscular coordination required for physical activities.

Analogy

Imagine learning how to ride a bike. At first, you might wobble around and fall off because your muscles aren't used yet to balancing on two wheels. But with practice (motor development), your muscles learn exactly what they need to do so that eventually riding a bike becomes second nature.

Related terms

Gross Motor Skills: These are larger movements your baby makes with his arms, legs, feet, or his entire body like crawling, running, and jumping.

Fine Motor Skills: These are smaller actions such as picking up objects between thumb and finger or using toes to wriggle into sand or scribbling with crayons.

Motor Learning: A set of processes associated with practice or experience leading to relatively permanent changes in the capability for movement.