Gross and Fine Motor Skills

As most know, children between the ages of 2-6 have, it would seem, a limitless amount of energy, and have every intention of using it to the fullest extent. This includes practicing all the new skills they have acquired including riding a tricycle, running, jumping, kicking and catching a ball, skipping, climbing up and down playground equipment, and chasing one another around in circles. These are all examples of gross motor skills, and children have a marvelous time practicing them all. Fine motor skills include cutting with scissors, building a tower with blocks, pasting, tracing objects, letters, or numbers, and coloring or painting. The Denver Developmental Screening Test can find out if a child is effectively able accomplish gross and fine motor skill tasks. To expand my gross motor skills, I was enrolled in ballet at the age of 4, and although it took a few years to remember the sequence of steps, I loved practicing.