What Are Gross and Fine Motor Skills?

Baby’s learn and develop by exploring the world around them. Here’s how to encourage their movement and progress.

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By Elizabeth Narins

Updated December 28, 2023

Medically Reviewed by Lauren Crosby, MD

mother playing with baby during tummy time

Image: Lauren Lee

Sure, those in utero kicks and elbow jabs feel intense during pregnancy—but it’s not until your little one leaves the womb that they really begin making strides in their strength, movement and motor skills. Infants learn by exploring the world around them; the more they move, the more their cognitive and social skills progress. But how do newborns go from helpless blobs to moving, grooving tiny people—and how can you encourage their progress and development? It mostly comes down to time and practice. Here’s what you need to know about gross and fine motor skill development, and how you can support baby every step of the way.

In this article:

What are motor skills?

What are gross motor skills?

Gross motor skills development by age

What are fine motor skills?

Fine motor skills development by age

What to do if you suspect a motor skills delay

What Are Motor Skills?

Whether your infant is rolling over or reaching for a toy, everything they do involves motor skills, or specific movements performed to accomplish a particular task. The skills baby begins to develop in infancy eventually enable them to bend, twist, jump, hop, skip, kick, catch, throw, play and self-feed—all in due time, of course.

Fine vs. gross motor skills

Motor skills are broken down into two main categories: gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills involve the body’s largest muscles, while fine motor skills involve smaller muscles and, oftentimes, more refined, coordinated movements.

“Gross motor skills involve whole body movement, like rolling over, walking, climbing and jumping,” explains Joanna Tsopelas, MD, fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and assistant director of general pediatrics at Maimonides Children’s Hospital in New York. Fine motor skills, on the other hand, call on smaller muscles of the hands for activities, such as stacking blocks and picking up Cheerios. Gross motor stability is a precursor to developing fine motor skills, says Caroline Martinez, MD, a developmental pediatrician at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York. But both are required for baby to operate independently down the road.

What Are Gross Motor Skills?

Mastering gross motor skills requires the ability to control large muscles of the body, such as legs, body and arms, says Martinez. Examples of gross motor skills include crawling, cruising and, eventually, walking. Suffice it to say that babies in motion have gross motor skills to credit.

Gross Motor Skills Development by Age

During wellness visits, your pediatrician will ask about baby’s developmental milestones, with the expectation that skills surface in a predictable pattern. That said, different babies achieve developmental milestones at different times, not at definitive ages, notes Tsopelas. “Some do things faster, and some lag, but it’s not always because they’re delayed,” she adds.

All of this is to say that baby will likely achieve the gross motor skills below around the ages listed below. And if they don’t? “All developmental milestones need to be considered in the context of a child’s medical and neurological history,” says Carl E. Stafstrom, MD, director of the division of pediatric neurology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “There’s a range of normal.”

Here are the gross motor skills to look out for, according to our experts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Gross motor skills for 2-month-olds

Holding head up 45 degrees when on tummy Moving both arms and both legs Opening hands briefly

Activities to support gross motor skill development:.

Lay baby on their tummy when they’re awake, and put toys at eye level in front of them

Gross motor skills for 4-month-olds

Holding head steady without support when being held
Holding head up 90 degrees while on tummy
Pushing up onto elbows or forearms when on tummy
Rolling from belly to back

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Provide safe opportunities for play (i.e. on a play mat with toys just out of reach); let baby reach, kick and explore their environment
Place baby on their back and hold a colorful toy at eye level, moving it back and forth

Gross motor skills for 6-month-olds

Rolling from back to tummy (and tummy to back)
Pushing up with straight arms from tummy
Sitting alone briefly

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Encourage rolling by putting baby on their tummy or back and placing toys just out of reach
Offer toys for baby to look at while supporting them in a sitting position
Hold baby upright with both of your hands, so they can get a feel for a standing position

Gross motor skills for 9-month-olds

Standing with support
Sitting without support
Possibly crawling or rocking on their hands and knees

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Provide safe opportunities for tummy time
Prop baby up with pillows in a seated position, or place toys just out of reach or on a low table to encourage them to scoot or stand up to reach them
Avoid walkers, which can be unsafe and encourage an incorrect and potentially dangerous gait

Gross motor skills for one-year-old

Pulling to stand
Walking while holding furniture or walking a few steps independently
Possibly crawling

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Place toys just beyond baby’s reach on the floor to encourage them to scoot, crawl or roll

Gross motor skills for 15-month-olds

Walking or taking steps independently
Trying to dance
Stooping and recovering

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Ensure your home is safe to explore by moving sharp and breakable objects out of reach

Gross motor skills for 18-month-olds

Walking without holding anyone or anything
Climbing on and off a couch or chair without help

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Provide toys that your child can push safely, like a doll stroller

Gross motor skills for 2-year-olds

Kicking a ball
Walking up a few stairs with or without assistance

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Let your kid play with a ball, encouraging them to kick and roll

Gross motor skills for 2-year-olds

Running
Walking up stairs
Jumping

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Bring them to different environments, like the playground, where there are objects to climb up, jump on and crawl through

Gross motor skills for 3-year-olds

Running
Kicking a ball
Climbing stairs or walking up them one foot at a time
Balancing on one foot

Activities to support gross motor skill development:

Play with your child outside in the backyard or park
Provide pedaled riding toys

What Are Fine Motor Skills?

Fine motor skills involve the coordination of the small muscles of the hands, mouth and feet, says Martinez. Most developmental milestones in this department involve activities that can be done with the hands and fingers; some fine motor skills examples include eating with a spoon or stacking blocks.

Fine Motor Skills Development by Age

Remember, these are ballpark ages; healthy babies may reach different milestones early or late without cause for concern. Generally speaking, these are the milestones you can expect baby to achieve—give or take a month or two.