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?

Gross motor or big movements

This includes 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, the 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.  

Motor skill difficulties

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

It is a complex task which requires multiple skills, including: 

• muscle strength, and the ability to exert force against resistance
• proprioception, and the awareness of our body position 
• core stability, also known as postural control, to control the position and movement of the central part of the body
• cognition, by understanding the task 

A child may have difficulty with: 

• running 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.