Middle Childhood Intervention 6-12:

Motor Skills

The motor skills of children between the ages of 6 to 10 years are very well developed. In fact, children this age can do anything that adults can. At this stage, they will be mastering their balance and refining their coordination. Some of them may work on building strength and resistance for some activities, including sports games.

GROSS MOTOR

A child with gross motor delays may:

  • be quite awkward when running (that is, they seem to lack coordination when running and may even run into things or frequently trip and fall);
  • constantly lose his or her balance, when walking;
  • avoid sports and rough-and-tumble play;
  • be unable to kick, catch or throw a ball;
  • be unable to ride a bike without training wheels;
  • have difficulty or taking a long time going up and down the stairs.

FINE MOTOR

A child with fine motor delays may:

  • struggle when holding a pencil or paint brush;
  • have unclear printing or writing;
  • be unable to type a word or sentence on the computer keyboard;
  • be unable to tie a knot;
  • be unable to tie a secure bow;
  • be unable to cut complex shapes with scissors (Fig. 1);
  • have poor eye/hand coordination (that is, they may struggle with writing or eating);
  • avoid arts and crafts activities because of motor difficulties;
  • struggle with basic eating utensils, such as forks or chopsticks (Fig. 2);
  • struggle with buttons, snaps and zippers.

cutting with scissors

Figure 1. Cutting with scissors

eating with chopsticks

Figure 2. Eating with chopsticks
see References

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