Motor Skills in the First Year
In the following list of skills find skills that build on each other and mark them.
Age
Skills
Gross or
Fine?
1-2
Months

Lifts chin when placed on stomach (1 month)

________

Lifts chest off surface when on stomach (2 months)

________
3-4
Months

Holds head up steadily

________

Reaches for objects unsteadily

________

Rolls from side to back and from back to side

________

Sits alone briefly

________

Uses hands to reach, grasp, crumble, bang, and splash

________

Turns completely over when laid on back or stomach

________

Sits up steadily

________

Reaches for spoon

________

Eats with fingers

________

Picks up large objects

________

Pulls self up while holding on to furniture

________

Propels self by arms, knees, or squirming motion
(scooting)

________

Is more skillful with spoon (feeds self)

________

Reaches for and manipulates (moves) medium and large
sized objects with control

________

Stands holding on to furniture or other supports

________

Crawls on hands and knees

________

Walks when led

________

Shows preference for one hand over another

________

Holds and drinks from a cup

________

Fits blocks, boxes or nesting toys inside each other

________

Picks up small objects using thumb and forefinger

________

Stands alone

________

May walk alone (shaky)

________
5-6
Months
7-8
Months
9-10
Months
11-12
Months
Name:
Motor Skills Situations
In each of the following situations highlight or underline the motor skill(s) that is/are
described and write the age that the child probably is.
1. Andrea loves to walk with her dad. She pulls up on the coffee table to stand up and he
holds her hand and together they walk all around the house.
Age:____________________
2. Andrew sat on the floor eating cheerios from a cup. He would grab them in his fist
and put half his fist into his mouth along with the cheerios. Then he grabbed his
brother’s toy car and tried to put that in his mouth too. Age:____________________
3. Annette is sitting in the high chair at her daycare. She is eating canned pears with a
spoon. She gets most of the pears in her mouth although most of the juice ends up on
her bib. When she is done she picks up her bowl and throws it on the floor.
Age:____________________
4. Ginny’s mom puts her on her tummy on the floor. She lifts her head up and looks at
the dog across the room. Age:____________________
5. Kathy was so excited. She had to call Kit’s dad right away. Kit had just stood up all
by himself and walked over to her. She just could not believe what a great baby she
had.
6. Kayla scooted across the living room on her belly and sat up by the chair. Her mom
looked over at her and said “how did you get over there?”
Age:____________________
7. Martha put Isaiah down on the floor for tummy time. She turned away to put some
toys away. When she turned back around Isaiah was on his back and grabbing at the
TV remote control. Age:____________________
8. The teacher takes Javier out of his crib after his nap and puts him on the floor with
some toys to play. Javier crawls over to one of the saucers and pulls himself up to
stand next to it.
9. Toby’s dad is giving him a bath. Toby loves to play in the bath water. First he takes
the different colored cups and pulls them apart, and then he stacks them again. When
his dad drops the cap to the shampoo bottle into the water he picks it up with his
thumb and finger and puts it into the smallest cup. His dad notices that he usually
picks stuff up with his left hand. Age:____________________
10. You lay Thomas on his back on the floor underneath an activity gym (a bar that has
toys hanging from it supported by legs on the side). He stretches his arm toward one
of the toys and bats at it but misses several times. Age:____________________