A motor skill is an ability that is acquired by a baby to help in skillful predetermined movement successfully as a result of repeated practice or gained experience. The more a specific motor skill is trained the better its execution becomes. Gross motor skills are the ability of the baby to make large movements such as crawling, running, jumping etc. Fine motor skills are the ability of the baby to carry out smaller actions such as pick up items between a finger and a thumb, wriggle toes, using lips and tongues to taste objects etc.
Motor skills development begins at the head as the baby learn to control movements in the face, tongue, lips, mouth(Baxter, 2014). This is followed by control of the neck muscles then develops shoulder muscles followed by back muscles in that order. Gross motor skills develop fine motor skills. In the explanation by Haddad (2018), each individual baby develop differently although they have the same specific developmental milestone.There are various factors that influence the rate of motor skill development in children.Prenatal factors, Nutrition deficiency of mother leading to lack of folic acid, iodine cause brain damage and poor learning ability (Caton,2017). Drugs such as alcohol, maternal can lead to poor prenatal development hence challenges in motor skill acquisition.
Toxins from medical drugs, environmental toxins such as lead, mercury, arsenic, etc. harm the baby before birth and may cause the child to have the low cognitive ability. According to Wardle( 2103), some hereditary conditions may cause the child to be born with defects.Congenital diseases such as HIV, syphilis, rubella etc may cause serious health issues in the baby impairing the ability to acquire motor skills at the normal rate (Haddad, 2018). Birth process factors such as trauma during birth due to complications may lead to brain damage affecting motor skills acquisition, low Gender plays an important role in cognitive maturation and hence boys and girls tend to develop and learn differently. As Canton (2017) explains gender stereotyping may also influence motor skill acquisition where the girls get different toys that will stimulate them differently eg choice of toys for a baby boy more stimulating than for a baby girl.
The development of motor skills takes place at different rates due to prenatal conditions that may affect the babies cognitive ability. Postnatal factors may also affect the babies negatively leading to delay in development of motor skills. A babies gender will also influence motor skills development to some extent. The environmental stimuli will facilitate motor skill development.
References
Baxter, C.,(2014) Prenatal risk factors for developmental delay in Newcomer children, Caring For Kids New to Canada, Canadian Pediatric Society, retrieved from, https://www.kidsnewtocanada.ca/mental-health/prenatal-risk
Caton, G.(2017). What’s the difference between a fine motor and gross motor skills? Baby center, retrieved from, https://www.babycentre.co.uk/x6562/whats-the-difference-between-fine-motor-and-gross-motor-skills
Haddad, D.,(2018). Biological factors influence Child development, Very well family, retrieved from, https://www.verywellfamily.com/biological-factors-affecting-child-development-2162219
Wardle, F. (2013). Collaboration with families and communities. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
