Name _____________________________ Section ____________________________
OBSERVATIONAL ACTIVITY #3
Gross-Motor-Skill Development in Infants: Follow-Up Questionnaire
Before your scheduled observation period, read through the gross- motor-skill checklist
and the questions on this handout so you will know what to look for. Observe a toddler
(age 12-24 months) for approximately half an hour of unstructured play. After the
observation period, complete the questions on the handout
1.
Describe the participant (age, sex, motor skills, etc.) and setting that you chose for
this observation.
2.
Describe any difficulties you encountered in completing this observational
activity.
3.
Complete the following skill checklist for your subject.
Skill
1. Stands Alone
2. Walks Well
3. Walks Backward
Demonstrated
Yes No
Comments
4. Alternates Feet
Walking up stairs
Waling down stairs
5. Kicks Ball Accurately
6. Runs, Controlling
Speed and Direction
7. Jumps Over Obstacle
8. Hops on One Foot
9. Climbs Well
10. Moves Rhythmically
11. Claps Rhythmically
4.
Assuming the normal variation in age norms for the attainment of the various
motor skills you assessed, would you say that your subject was "on-time," "early," or
"late" in the development of gross motor skills? Give several specific examples of
behaviors you observed to justify your assessment of the child's skill level.
5.
Using the checklist, pick the gross motor skill at which the child was the least
accomplished. Which skill is this, and what reasons can you suggest for the child's
relatively weaker ability? Suggest at least three activities you could design for the child to
promote mastery of the skill.
Gross-Motor-Skill Development in the Infant: Skill Checklist
1. Stands Alone Without Difficulty
By the twelfth month of life approximately 50 percent of all babies can stand easily
without assistance; by the fourteenth month fully 90 percent of all babies have mastered
this skill.
2. Walks Well
Walking separates toddler from infant and normally occurs around the end of the first
year of life. One-year-olds move cautiously, walk with a wide, "Waddling" stride, and
often need assistance. Two-year-olds still must concentrate somewhat on their balance
but typically will not need assistance, and unlike 1-year-olds, will not lose their balance
as easily when forced to stop suddenly.
3. Walks Backward
Walking backward requires neuromuscular coordination, balance, and perceptual skills
far in excess of those required in walking forward. At 14 months only about 50 percent of
toddlers are able to walk backward with confidence; by 21 months nearly 90 percent can
do so.
4. Walks Up (or Down) Steps Alternating Feet
Approximately half of all babies are, with help, able to walk up steps by 17 months of
age. By 22 months nearly 90 percent can do so. At this age, however, they will place both
feet on a step before advancing upward, rather than alternating left foot, right foot, left
foot, etc., as they proceed. Older 2-yearolds may be able to alternate feet going upstairs,
but doing so when going down the steps will not be mastered until much later.
5. Kicks Ball Accurately
The 1-year-old toddler may approach and strike a ball with his or her foot, but not until
children are nearly 2 are they able to consistently muster the balance, coordination, and
eye-foot control necessary for effective and accurate kicking.
6. Is Able to Run and Control Speed and Direction
Although 1-year-olds often walk very rapidly in a rudimentary form of running, their feet
never leave the ground. True running usually does not occur until sometime between the
second and third birthday.
7. Can Jump Over Small Obstacle and Land on Both Feet
Unlike hopping and leaping, which involve taking off and landing on one foot, jumping
involves landing on both feet and usually is not apparent in children under 2 years of age.
8. Hops Steadily on One Foot
Because hopping involves taking off and landing on the same foot, children must have a
fairly well-developed sense of balance in order to demonstrate this skill. Very few
children are able to hop well before the third birthday.
9. Climbs Well
Climbing requires coordinated use of the upper and lower body and is considered an
advanced form of creeping. Children begin climbing as soon as they are able to pull
themselves up onto an object worthy of being climbed. By 2 years this skill is well
developed.
10. Moves Rhythmically to Music
An infant's earliest movements are reflexive, involuntary responses to specific stimuli.
The first voluntary movements of young children typically are elicited by sounds. These
movements gradually mature into skills that include rhythmic movement to music.
Following the cephalo-caudal pattern of development, young children will be able to
move their arms and hands and later their legs and feet to a slow rhythm tapped out on a
box or drum. As rhythmic skills improve, children will learn to follow irregular beats and
beats that vary in sound intensity.
11. Claps in Rhythm
As discussed in the previous item, the head-to-toe sequence of development also applies
to the rhythmic use of the arms and hands. Two-year-olds typically love to clap, but
usually are unable to control their clapping to follow even the simplest rhythmic pattern
without great difficulty.
Beaty, J. J. (1990). Observing development of the young child (3rd ed.), pp. 161-187.
Copyright ©1994. Adapted by permission of Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey.