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Motor
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with motor.
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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
What to do if a child isn't yet showing coordination
Coordination develops gradually and at each child's own pace. If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected coordination, keep offering play and movement and arrange a gentle developmental check rather than waiting. Seek a prompt look if the child is well behind same-age peers, has lost a skill, or shows unusually stiff or floppy muscles. This is not a diagnosis — it is an early, sensible step so support can begin while it works best.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: child not yet showing fine motor skills
Fine motor skills develop across a wide range, so a child arriving at hand-and-finger steps on their own timeline is common. As a caregiver, offer rich hands-on play, watch how the child uses their hands daily, and arrange a calm developmental check if concerns linger. This is reason to observe early, not a diagnosis — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing foot control
Foot control — pushing, balancing, standing and stepping — develops gradually with wide, healthy variation. If a child isn't yet showing expected foot use, keep offering movement play, note what you observe, and arrange a gentle developmental check rather than waiting. Seek a clinician's eye for stiffness or floppiness, strong one-sided preference, persistent toe-walking, not bearing weight by an expected age, or delays travelling alongside. This is early support, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerGross motor concerns: what a caregiver should do
Gross motor skills are big movements like sitting, crawling and walking. If a child isn't showing the movements expected for their age, arrange a calm developmental check rather than waiting. Watch for not steadying the head by ~4 months, not sitting independently by 9 months, not crawling by ~12 months, or not walking by 18 months, plus very stiff or floppy muscles or loss of a skill. This is not a diagnosis — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing gymnastic skill
Gymnastic skills like rolling, balancing and tumbling develop gradually and across a wide normal range. If a child isn't showing them yet, it usually means more practice, confidence and safe movement opportunities are needed rather than a problem. Offer plenty of active play, watch the broader picture of walking, running and coordination, and arrange a developmental check if wider motor or developmental delays appear. This is observation, not alarm — early support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: a child not yet showing head control
Most babies steady their head by around 4 months and hold it firmly by 6 months. If a baby in your care is past 4 months with a consistently floppy or lagging head, arrange a calm developmental check — especially if you also notice feeding difficulty, very low or high muscle tone, or not tracking faces. This is reason to assess early, not a diagnosis, because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't hopping yet, what should a caregiver do?
Hopping on one foot usually emerges between about 3 and 4 years, with steadier hopping by 5, and timing varies widely between healthy children. If a child isn't hopping yet, it is most often a matter of more practice and time. Seek a gentle developmental check if hopping is missing alongside other balance or gross-motor delays, frequent falls, one-sided weakness, or if you have a persistent worry — early support helps best.
Read the answer AnswerAs a caregiver, what should I do if a child isn't yet hopping?
Hopping on one foot is a later gross-motor skill, usually emerging around 3–4 years and steadying by 5. If a child isn't hopping yet but is otherwise running, jumping and climbing happily, it's usually fine — offer playful balance practice and watch overall movement. Seek a developmental check if other motor skills also seem behind, the child falls often or stiffly, loses a skill, or shows no progress despite practice. This is reassurance and monitoring, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't showing jump rope coordination yet
Jump rope coordination is a complex gross-motor skill most children master between 6 and 8 years, and often later. If a child isn't skipping yet, build the underlying pieces — two-footed jumping, rhythm, turning the rope — through playful practice. Seek a developmental check only if broader motor skills like running, hopping, catching and balancing also seem behind. Isolated difficulty with skipping, with everything else age-appropriate, is usually just a skill still in progress.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't jumping yet
Jumping with both feet usually appears around 24–30 months, after walking, running and climbing. If a child isn't jumping yet, offer safe, playful practice and watch the wider movement picture. Seek a developmental check if jumping is well overdue and other gross-motor skills — running, stair-climbing, kicking — are also slow, or if a skill is lost. This is about early support, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerAs a caregiver, what should I do if a child in my care is not yet showing jumping skills?
Two-foot jumping usually emerges around 24–30 months, building on running, climbing and stepping down. If a child isn't jumping yet, it most often means more time and practice are needed — offer plenty of safe, playful movement. Arrange a gentle developmental check if jumping hasn't appeared by around 30–36 months or travels with other motor delays. This is reassurance, not diagnosis — early support works well.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing lateral movement
Lateral movement — sideways weight-shifting, reaching across the body and side-stepping — is a key building block for crawling and walking. If a child isn't showing it yet, keep offering rich floor and standing play that invites leaning and reaching to each side. Seek a developmental check if there is a strong one-sided preference, very stiff or floppy limbs, little progress over several weeks, or other motor delays. This is reason to look early, not to worry — early support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't tracing lines yet
Line tracing usually emerges around 2 to 3 years, growing from scribbling, grasp and hand-eye coordination. A child not yet tracing is rarely a worry alone — offer plenty of playful mark-making chances. Seek a gentle developmental check if tracing is late alongside other delays in fine-motor skills, talking or social connection. This is early support, not diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing manual dexterity
Manual dexterity — grasping, pinching, stacking and scribbling — develops gradually across the early years. If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected fine-hand skills, observe gently and offer more hands-on play rather than worrying. Seek a developmental check when the gap is clear for their age, isn't closing with practice, strongly favours one side, or comes with other delays. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis — early playful support works best.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: when a child is not yet showing mobility
If a child in your care isn't yet rolling, sitting, crawling or walking as expected, arrange a calm developmental check rather than waiting. Motor milestones span a wide window, so some variation is normal — but a clinician can tell you whether to keep watching or begin early support. Gentle flags include floppiness or stiffness, a strong early side preference, not bearing weight on the legs, loss of a skill, or motor delay alongside social or communication differences. This is not a diagnosis; early observation simply turns small questions into early opportunities.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do when a child isn't yet showing motor skills
If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected motor skills, watch warmly, keep offering safe chances to move and play, and arrange a developmental check rather than waiting. Many children catch up, but an early gentle look means helpful support can start sooner. Flags worth a clinician's eye include missing major landmarks, one-sided movement, very stiff or floppy tone, loss of a skill, or delay alongside speech or social differences. Noticing is not diagnosing — it is the first kind step.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing pencil grip yet
Pencil grip develops gradually between about 2 and 6 years, moving from a whole-hand grasp to finger control, so a young child not yet showing a mature grip is usually typical. Keep offering playful hand-strengthening activities like finger-painting, dough and threading beads. Seek a developmental check if grip hasn't emerged by around 5–6 years, if a child avoids all drawing or tires quickly, or if there are wider delays in self-feeding, dressing or play. This is reason to observe and support early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing fine motor skills
Fine motor skills — grasping, pinching, stacking and scribbling — develop at different paces. If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected hand skills, arrange a calm developmental check rather than waiting. Watch for not reaching by 5–6 months, no pincer grasp past the first year, very early hand preference, or stiff or fisted hands. This is not a diagnosis — it means early, playful support is wise now.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing gross motor skills
If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected gross motor skills — head control, sitting, crawling, standing or walking — arrange a calm developmental check rather than waiting. Watch for floppy or stiff tone, missed big milestones, strong early side preference, or loss of a skill. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis, because young children respond beautifully to timely, playful support.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: when a child isn't yet showing rotational control
Rotational control — rolling and turning through the body — usually emerges between 4 and 7 months with wide natural variation. If a child isn't yet showing it, offer plenty of floor and tummy time and playful both-sided practice. Seek a developmental check if rolling is markedly delayed, very one-sided, or paired with stiffness, floppiness or loss of a skill. This is reassurance and planning, not a diagnosis — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child in your care isn't running yet
Most children start running between 18 and 24 months, after a few months of steady walking. A child walking well but not yet running near age 2 is usually within the normal range and worth gentle monitoring. Seek a developmental check if a child isn't walking by 18 months, has lost a skill, or shows stiffness, weakness, frequent falling or persistent toe-walking. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet running: a caregiver's guide
Running usually emerges a little after confident walking, often around 18–24 months, and matures through the second and third years. A child who walks well but isn't yet running often simply needs more time and playful practice. Seek a developmental check if walking itself is delayed by around 18 months, if movement looks stiff, floppy or uneven, if a skill is lost, or if other delays appear alongside. This is reason to observe and support — not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing scissor use
Scissor use develops gradually — most children begin snipping with help around 2.5–3 years and cut shapes by 4–5. If a child isn't cutting yet, it is usually about practice, hand strength and opportunity, not a problem. Offer safe, playful chances to build small-hand muscles, and seek a developmental check if cutting difficulty travels with broader delays in hand use, self-help or play.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet showing self-care dexterity
If a child isn't yet showing self-care dexterity, keep practising daily tasks in small playful steps while watching how their hand skills grow. Being a little behind a peer is common and rarely a worry alone. Seek a calm developmental check if the gap widens or travels with fine-motor, language or understanding delays — this is early opportunity, not alarm.
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