Advice and resources : Motor Skills Matter presentations

Overview

The Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy team is pleased to offer the Motor Skills Matter Presentations to offer strategies, practical advice and tips on how to support motor skills development in children and young people. The presentation is designed for parents and carers and those working with children and young people. 

What are motor skills?

These are often described as : 

• Gross motor or big movements, which include the use of large muscles, the trunk, arms and legs, and whole-body movements, these would include skills such as walking, running and jumping.  
• Fine motor or hand skills. These are small movements using the muscles of your hands for day-to-day activities and tasks. Examples of these include writing, use of hands for construction toys, for example Lego or Duplo   
• Self-care skills. These are the everyday activities undertaken by children and young people getting ready for their day, often described as activities of daily living, for example, dressing, eating and cleaning their teeth.  

Some children and young people may experience difficulties with motor skills. 

It is a complex task which requires multiple skills including: 

• Muscle strength. It is the ability to exert force against resistance. 
• Proprioception gives us an awareness of our body position. 
• Core stability also known as postural control, it is the ability to control the position and movement of the central part of the body. 
• Cognition is the understanding of the task that has been asked. 

A child may have difficulty with: 

• Running and/or jumping 
• Participating in Physical Education classes 
• Getting dressed
• Writing

Motor Skills Matter Presentations

Part 1

• What are motor skills?
• Why may some children/ young people struggle to participate in motor activities?

This presentation includes audio narration.

Part 2

• What is motor planning?
• What may you see in children/ young people with motor planning difficulties?

This presentation includes audio narration.

Part 3

• Some strategies to support and promote participation.

This presentation includes audio narration.