What gross motor skills should an 11 year old have?

When do kids start using crayons? Tying shoes? Riding a bike? All kids develop coordination and motor skills at slightly different rates. But kids tend to reach certain milestones at certain ages.

See when kids typically develop coordination and motor skills.

• Begin to push up when on tummy
• Start making deliberate movements with arms and legs

• Hold head upright
• Bear weight on legs when feet are flat on the floor
• Push up from tummy to elbows

• Sit without support
• Rock on hands and knees
• Roll over
• Move objects from one hand to the other

• Creep, crawl, scoot, and may start to pull to standing position
• Point at things
• Reach for and grab a toy
• Start picking up small pieces of food

• Drink from a sippy cup
• Shake and throw objects
• Stand with support and may start to stand unassisted
• Take a few steps while holding on to a person or a piece of furniture

Toddlers and preschoolers

• Walk forward and backward
• Run
• Eat with a utensil
• Hold a thick crayon or marker
• Walk up and down stairs holding railing or person’s hand for support
• Throw a ball

• Alternate feet on the stairs
• Jump with two feet
• Put together a simple puzzle
• Use door handles
• Draw circles, squares, and very simple people
• May ride a tricycle

• Run, hop, skip, and jump
• Perform basic dance moves
• Throw and kick a ball, and catch it with two hands
• Copy shapes and letters
• Brush own teeth
• Use spoons and forks the right way
• May start to play a musical instrument

• Ride a bike without training wheels
• Show sports skills like catching a small ball
• Do chores like sweeping or making the bed
• Tie shoes and button and zip independently

• Coordinate movements like dribbling and shooting a basketball
• Use tools and draw with less frustration

Middle-schoolers and high-schoolers

• Refine movements like those used in team sports
• May try to develop strength and endurance due to increased muscle mass — especially in boys
• May be clumsy because of growth spurts

• Become more agile and less clumsy, making it easier to do things like type on a keyboard and build complicated projects
• Refine visual-spatial coordination to help judge distance and speed and react quickly when driving

If your child isn’t on track with all of these milestones, don’t panic. All children develop differently. Talk to your child’s health care provider about what you’re noticing to get a better sense of how your child is doing.

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Amanda Morin is the author of “The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education” and the former director of thought leadership at Understood. As an expert and writer, she helped build Understood from its earliest days. 

Elizabeth Harstad, MD, MPH is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Understanding the different stages of youth development supports youth programming efforts as it encourages relationship building between youth and adult volunteers

Understanding the youth development is a powerful tool in establishing relationships with youth. In a previous article, we examined the age bracket of 6- to 8-year-olds, looking at their physical, social, emotional and intellectual development.

For a point of reference, physical development refers to the growth of the body and development of motor skills. Social development is the interaction between children and their ability to function in social settings. Emotional development looks at how youth handle their feelings and express them. Finally, intellectual development is all about how individuals learn.

As we move into the 9- to 11-year-old age bracket, youth’s physical development is starting to move to the forefront. They will experience growth spurts at different rates that moves them towards adolescence. Typically girls will begin to grow and mature faster than boys during this time period.

Providing active learning experiences is helpful during this time. Hands-on events or activities where they are up and moving – not limited only to sitting and listening – is best. Youth at this age are also developing a more competitive nature between boys and girls. Try to avoid activities that create competition between gender groups. Choose activities that mix boys and girls together in group on an even playing field.

Nine- to 11-year-olds are developing in the following ways, outlined below: 

Physical

• They experience a steady increase in large muscle development, strength, balance and coordination
• They are very active, with a lot of energy
• There will be different maturation rates between the sexes; girls will tend to mature faster than boys
• They will experience an increase in small muscle coordination

Social

• They generally see adults as authority
• They follow rules out of respect for authority
• They are loyal to groups, clubs, gangs, etc.
• They enjoy code languages and passwords
• They identify with individuals of the same gender
• They prefer to work in groups in cooperative activities
• They approach solving problems with a negotiating style, compromising with peers

Emotional

• They are accepting parent/family beliefs
• They admire and imitate older youth
• They are developing decision-making skills
• They are beginning to question authority
• They need involvement with caring adult
• They find comparisons with others difficult to process

Intellectual

• Their academic abilities vary greatly
• They have an increased attention span, but many have interests which change rapidly
• They are learning to use good judgment
• They judge ideas in absolutes, right or wrong not much tolerance for middle ground
• They have interests in collections and hobbies

The implications of developing programs or interacting with 9- to 11-year-olds:

Physical

• Plan activities that allow them to move about
• Vary activities – don’t rely solely on sports, general physical activities are important as well
• Avoid competitions between genders

Social

• Clarify and enforce reasonable limits
• Plan plenty of time to be with individuals from their same gender
• Group activities are important

Emotional

• Provide correction quietly – one-on-one
• Give positive feedback and look for successes
• Avoid generalized praise
• Be present at group activities, be visible but be in the background
• Provide safety net of an adult that will maintain boundaries

Intellectual

• Youth in this age bracket still very much enjoy “hands-on” activities
• Help youth form groups/clubs with common interests or hobbies
• Vary the activities offered to engage rapidly changing interests

4-H Clubs sponsored through Michigan State University Extension are an ideal way to offer mixed gender activities in a safe, environment not focusing on competitions between genders. For further information regarding the growth and development of 9 – 11 year olds, contact a MSU Extension educator in your area. The next article in the series will explore the early teen years.

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