Movement & Physical
6 entries — general developmental information with support ideas and guidance on when to seek professional advice.
Important — Development Information Is General
Developmental information on this page is general and not a diagnostic tool. Children develop at different rates and in different ways. A qualified health or developmental professional should evaluate specific concerns about a child's development, behaviour, learning, or wellbeing.
Gross Motor Development — Big Movement Skills
Birth through middle childhood
Gross motor development involves the large muscles — the skills needed for rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, running, jumping, and more complex physical activity. Physical development follows a broad sequence, though timing varies.
Most babies roll by around 4–6 months, sit independently by around 6–9 months, and begin walking somewhere between 9 and 15 months — though the range considered typical is wide on both ends. Physical confidence develops through opportunity and repetition, not just age.
- Provide floor time from early infancy to allow natural movement.
- Allow children to attempt physical challenges they are ready for.
- Offer outdoor time and open space where possible.
- Avoid excessive time in bouncers, prams, or restrictive equipment.
- Model physical activity.
Fine Motor Development — Small Movement Skills
Infancy through early school age
Fine motor development involves the small muscles — the skills needed for grasping, manipulating, drawing, cutting, fastening buttons, and writing. These skills develop through practice and are closely linked to cognitive and visual development.
Babies develop a palmar grasp before a pincer grasp. Toddlers manage chunky crayons before pencils. Preschoolers can draw simple shapes before letters. The path is broad and consistent, even when the timing varies.
- Offer play-dough, building blocks, tongs, and threading activities.
- Allow children to self-feed from early — using fingers first, then utensils.
- Provide large drawing materials before small ones.
- Encourage dressing with simple closures before buttons.
- Avoid rushing toward formal pencil use.
Physical Independence and Self-Care
Toddlers through school age
Self-care skills — dressing, toileting, washing, feeding — develop through repeated practice and gradually increasing expectation. Building these skills takes time and significant adult patience.
Children often show an interest in doing things for themselves before they have the skill to do them reliably. This phase — "I do it!" — is a useful window for practice, even when it takes much longer.
- Allow time for self-care tasks rather than doing them for speed.
- Set up the environment to make self-care more manageable — low hooks, accessible drawers.
- Teach one step at a time and celebrate mastery before adding the next.
- Acknowledge the effort as well as the result.
Sleep Development in Babies and Young Children
Birth to approximately 5 years
Sleep patterns in babies and young children are different from adult sleep — they have more frequent cycles, spend more time in active sleep states, and are biologically primed to wake more often. This is normal rather than a problem to fix.
Many newborns sleep in short stretches around the clock. Sleep consolidates gradually and at very different rates between babies. Some sleep through the night reliably by 6 months; others continue to wake through the toddler years. Both can be within typical variation.
- Build consistent pre-sleep routines from early.
- Create a sleep environment that is dark, quiet, and consistent.
- Allow the child to fall asleep in the same environment they will wake in.
- Maintain consistent sleep times where possible.
- Attend to your own sleep as a priority — exhausted caregivers manage sleep challenges with much greater difficulty.
Toilet Training Readiness
Approximately 18 months to 4 years
Toilet training readiness involves physical, cognitive, and emotional components — the child needs to be able to recognise the sensation, communicate it, move to the toilet, and manage some of the physical process. These components don't always arrive at the same time.
Signs that a child may be ready to begin toilet training include showing awareness of being wet or soiled, showing interest in the toilet, being able to pull clothing up and down, and staying dry for longer periods.
- Begin when the child shows readiness signs rather than at a specific age.
- Use consistent, calm language for the process.
- Allow the child to observe the process before expecting independent use.
- Respond to accidents neutrally — without frustration or shame.
- Return to nappies briefly if the child is clearly not ready.
Sensory Processing in Everyday Life
All ages
All children process sensory information — sound, light, touch, taste, smell, movement — but they do so with different sensitivities. Some children are more easily overwhelmed by sensory input; others seek it actively. These differences are common and span a wide range.
Caregivers often notice strong reactions to clothing textures, food textures, loud environments, transitions, or physical contact. A child who becomes very distressed in a busy, noisy environment, or who seeks intense physical experiences, may be responding to sensory differences.
- Notice patterns — what environments or experiences consistently seem to overwhelm or settle the child?
- Prepare for challenging environments in advance.
- Allow sensory experiences the child finds regulating (a particular texture, movement).
- Avoid forcing sensory experiences the child finds aversive.
- Create quiet, lower-stimulation spaces at home where possible.
This Is General Information
Child development is complex and individual. The information on this page describes broad patterns. It is not a checklist, and it is not diagnostic. If you have concerns about any aspect of your child's development, please contact your GP, paediatrician, or a relevant developmental specialist. Early professional support, when needed, is beneficial.