Gross Motor Milestones

By Birth-2 months of age:

• Raises head slightly off floor or bed when on stomach
• Holds head up momentarily when supported
• Alternates kicking legs when on back
• Arm thrusts in play

By 3-5 months of age:

• Lefts head and chest when on stomach (props on forearm)
• Head control improving
• Some head bobbing in supported sitting
• Rolls from side to side
• Rolls from stomach to back
• Sits briefly with arm support
• Random batting at objects
• Hands to midline
• Makes crawling movements

By 6-8 months of age:

• Reaches to objects on stomach
• Pivots around when on stomach
• Pulls self forward on stomach
• Rolls from back to stomach
• Sits alone briefly
• Assumes quadraped and rocks
• Moves from sitting to lying on stomach
• Stands with support

By 9-11 months of age:

• Sits alone with trunk rotation
• Pivots and scoots in sitting
• Creeps or crawls
• Pulls to stand
• Cruises along furniture
• Stands alone momentarily

By 12-15 months of age:

• Assumes tall kneeling
• Walks on knees
• Walks independently without support
• Able to stand without support
• Creeps up stairs
• Able to start, stop and turn without falling while walking
• Crawls up on chairs or other furniture
• Runs

By 16-18 months of age:

• Walks up one step at a time with hand held or railing
• Creeps down stairs
• Walks with heel-toe pattern, seldom falls
• Walks sideways and backwards
• Run stiffly
• Stands on one foot with help
• Kicks large ball forward after demonstration
• Manages riding toys
• Good balance and coordination

By 19-24 months of age:

• Walks down one step at a time with rail or hand holding
• Squats in play and stands back up
• Jumps in place
• Kicks a stationary ball
• jumps off 12 inch box with 1 foot leading
• walks on balance beam with 1 foot on/ 1 foot off
• walks up and down stairs alone

By 24-29 months of age:

• walks on balance beam with one hand held
• stands on balance beam alone
• walks up stairs one step at a time with no railing
• runs well
• briefly stands on one foot
• jumps from one step with feet together
• throws ball overhead
• climbs on play equipment-ladders, slides, etc.

By 2-3 years of age:

• walks down stairs step by step without railing
• balances on one foot 2-3 seconds
• jumps forward at least one foot
• walks on balance beam alone
• walks on tip toe when asked

By 3-4 years of age:

• walks on balance beam sideways
• catches a bounced ball
• rides a tricycle
• hope on one foot 2-5 times
• balances on one foot 2-5 seconds
• consecutive jumping
• walks up stairs step over step alone

By 4-5 years of age:

• balances on one foot 4-8 seconds
• walks on balance beam in all directions
• walks down stairs step over step alone
• kicks a rolling ball
• catches large and small ball with outstretched arm
• throw a small ball overhand

By 5-6 years of age:

• balances on one foot 10 seconds
• skips
• rides a bike with or without training wheels
• begins to jump rope
• hops on one foot ten times
• catches bounced or thrown ball with hands
• walks on heals when asked
• swings on swing, pumping by self

By 7 years of age:

• rides a two-wheel bicycle without training wheels
• able to perform sports with good physical control, proficiency developing
• can travel backwards at a slow speed
• developing an awareness of space (e.g. travels in close proximity to others without bumping into them)
• rolls forward and sideways (e.g. forward roll, log roll) using a jerky rather than smooth flow
• jumps and lands using combinations of one- and two-foot take offs and landings, without falling most of the time
• jumps a slowly turned long rope turned by skilled turners
• uses overhand and underhand patterns to throw a ball for distance and accuracy
• dribbles a ball with hands or feet continually while in a stationary position
• strikes stationary oversize objects with bats, hockey sticks and golf clubs

By 8 years of age:

• excels at running, skipping, hopping, galloping, sliding, etc. and can travel in a variety of rhythmical patterns (e.g. even, uneven, fast, slow)
• moves in all directions (e.g. forwards, backwards, sideways) without bumping into others
• uses complex combinations of movement skills (e.g. jumping to catch a ball, dribbling and running, rapid transfers of weight from feet to hands to feet)
• uses combinations of jumps and landings smoothly and without losing balance (e.g. leaps into a two-foot landing, three hops into a two-foot landing)
• begins to jump a self-turned rope
• stays in control when traveling and dribbling a ball using hands or feet
• strikes slowly-moving object with bat or hockey stick
• beginning to perform weight-bearing activities that require the transfer of weight from feet to hands to feet (e.g. cartwheels, hand stands, walk-overs)