6.1: Introduction

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Todd LaMarr

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Introduction to Motor Development

Motor development may not initially seem like the most interesting topic, especially compared to language and cognitive development. In fact, motor development has been considered the “Cinderella of developmental science”, central to children's experiences, but rarely in the spotlight (Adolph et al., 2010; Rosenbaum, 2005). Historically, a maturational approach to motor skills was predominant in the early twentieth century, which mainly argued that motor development unfolds via predetermined biological changes, with little to no influence from environmental or cognitive domains (Gesell & Amatruda, 1945). Isolation of motor skills resulted in very little research focusing on the role of motor skills on other domains of development. However, recent research is embracing the possibility of cross domain interactions resulting in cascading developmental changes (Gibson, 1988; Masten & Cicchetti, 2010; Spencer et al., 2011; Thelen & Smith, 2006). Furthermore, motor development is about more than just milestones—because motor development can be easily observed by caregivers, it reveals the inner workings of an infant’s mind and introduces the child to new experiences that enrich cognitive and language growth. ^{^[1]}

This section will introduce you to the early motor development of infants and toddlers with special attention to the role the physical environment and caregivers have in supporting and encouraging optimal motor development.

^{^[1]} Gonzalez et al., (2019). Do gross and fine motor skills differentially contribute to language outcomes? A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2670