Motor skills are the responses that occur when the brain, nervous system, and the muscles function together to carry out a task. During development, the motor skills differentiate into two namely gross and fine. The former involves activities of the larger body or, the more significant movements such as rolling, sitting, running, and walking. It includes the legs, torso, arms, and torso muscles to keep the body in the shape and form to control the movements. Fine motor skills involve the use of small muscles that are considered peripheral including lips, wrists, fingers, toes, and tongue.
In middle childhood, between the age of seven and eleven years, the children become more proficient at their gross motor skills as they improve their accuracy (Van der Fels et al., 2015). During this stage, the children are already used to jumping, throwing, catching, climbing, running, and balancing. Their physical growth highly manifests, and they love to take part in activities such as football, bike riding, roller skates, baseball, and gymnastics. At the age of attending school, children become stronger, faster, and show signs of better coordination of muscles.
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In middle childhood, children show a development in their fine motor skills as they enjoy using their hands in precise ways. The pre-school children learn how to cut, mold, paste, write, draw, and paint. Although the development is not as advanced as the later stages, the child shows their interests in physical development as what they are exposed to the most, becomes what they would love to do (Van der Fels et al., 2015). They learn skills such as tying the shoelaces, flossing their teeth, and untying knots. Those who are fortunate learn skills in music like the violin, piano, flute, and other instruments.
In conclusion, along the learning of motor skills, children develop in physical growth and also advance in the sense of competence and confidence to apply the fine motor skills. The development of these skills take place over time as a person grows and it allows the child to have independence. In the long run, they develop into adults having opportunities that are associated with their motor interests.
References
Van der Fels, I. M., te Wierike, S. C., Hartman, E., Elferink-Gemser, M. T., Smith, J., & Visscher, C. (2015). The relationship between motor skills and cognitive skills in 4–16 year old typically developing children: A systematic review: Journal of science and medicine in sport, 18(6), 697-703.
