Gross Motor & Coordination

OTs help children develop core strength, balance, coordination, and motor planning. Support may include structured exercises, games, and play activities designed to build confidence and functional movement skills.

How OT Supports Children in this area

• Balance, posture, and strength: Activities like stepping stones, balance beams, and climbing build a strong core and help children move safely.

• Ball skills and object control: Throwing, catching, kicking, and hitting balls improve coordination and timing.

• Bike, scooter, and swimming skills: OTs use games and practice sessions to build confidence and control in these activities.

• Whole-body coordination and motor planning: Movement games and obstacle courses help children sequence and coordinate multiple actions.

• Confidence and participation: Practising these skills in playgrounds, gyms, and community settings encourages children to join group activities safely.

Supporting Gross Motor Skills Through the PEO Approach

Gross motor skills depend on the childs skills as well as the activity and the environment. OTs use frameworks such as the PEO model (Person–Environment–Occupation), assessing all three areas to help children succeed.

• Person: The child’s strength, balance, coordination, and confidence are considered.

• Environment: Spaces are assessed and adapted to support safe and successful movement. This might include playgrounds, classrooms, gyms, or community areas.

• Occupation (Activity): The activity itself is analysed to match the child’s abilities, whether it’s climbing, riding a bike, swimming, or playing ball games.

By examining the child, environment, and activity together, OT support focuses on creating opportunities for children to move safely, participate fully, and enjoy everyday physical activities.

How this skill can change as your child grows

• Early years: Crawling, walking, early climbing, and basic ball play.

• School age: Running, jumping, catching/throwing, playground games, and swimming.

• Teenage years: Participating in organised sports, bike riding, fitness activities, and complex playground or recreational challenges.

How this skill can look at home, school, or in the community

• Home: Running in the backyard, climbing playground equipment, or helping with chores that require lifting or carrying.

• School: Participating in PE classes, playground games, and sports teams.

• Community: Riding scooters or bikes, swimming, joining sports teams, or attending group activities safely.

Example

A child struggling with coordination had difficulty playing soccer, which affected their confidence, participation, and enjoyment. The OT worked on personal skills like balance, core strength, and foot-eye coordination, while also adapting the activity (using a lighter, larger ball and breaking down skills into manageable steps) and the environment (smaller practice area). By targeting all three areas, the child was able to engage in the game more successfully, have fun, and feel confident playing with peers.