Avoid frustration, know how your child develops: Motor skills
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EmailReduce your parenting stress by becoming familiar with major developmental milestones.
A source of frustration for many parents is expecting children to do things before they are ready. Understanding the growth and development your child goes through between the ages of birth and three years of age will ease your expectations and help you anticipate when growth and development is likely to occur.
One of the most identifiable milestones in motor development is the expectation of when a child will fully walk on their own. According to developmental evaluations, such as the Online Ages and Stages Questionnaire (which can be taken through the Help Me Grow Michigan website), children are reasonably expected to roll over at 4 - 6 months, walk with assistance (holding hands) at 8 - 13 months, and walk on their own by 18 months. Early walking is considered to happen as early as nine months. However, developmental concern develops when a child isn’t walking after 18 months and it may be time to call Early On for a developmental evaluation.
Potty training tends to be another major milestone which frustrates parents and caregivers alike. Although many children are developmentally ready to be potty trained between the ages of 2 and 3, this target year does not apply to all. Realistically, potty training won’t happen overnight. Carrie Shrier of Michigan State University Extension has written about milestones which contribute to when a child is actually ready to use the potty. These milestones, including staying dry for at least two hours, using 2 - 3 word sentences consistently, being able to tell you when they need to go potty, and changing clothes with minimal assistance will give you the best hints that your child is ready to start the potty training process.
Being able to safely use playground structures will take a lot of patience from caregivers as children practice their skills to run, jump and climb. Many of the gross motor skills needed for the playground begin developing before the age of three. However, mastery of skills will typically happen between the ages of 4 - 5 as children enter the preschool age.
As skills are developing, it’s important to remember that even babies need to develop torso and head control as they play on a blanket or in the grass. This is the time to let children explore and take appropriate (safe) risks as they climb, slide, scoot, crawl and generally learn how their bodies work while playing near other children.
Ultimately, it is important to be patient with children as they develop and master new milestones. Often, parents want their children to develop faster than is appropriate or necessary. All children follow a specific path for development, however, they will not all develop at the same time. Remember, expectations are important for parents but the child is going to do things when they are ready and not because they are being pressured. MSU Extension has created Parenting the Preschooler fact sheets and articles to help with understanding expectations for entering the preschool years. You may also be interested in "Avoid frustration, know how your child develops: Speech and language."
You can learn more about child development, parent and caregiver webinars and family activities by visiting the MSU Extension Child and Family Development webpage and the MI Stronger Family Facebook page.
