Now that school is nearly started for the year, let’s chat about why good muscle control is important for your child to achieve their potential for the school year and life in general!
Your chiropractor can help you assess your child’s gross motor function. At Clayfield Chiropractic, we are happy to chat with you about these issues. We can recommend some exercises that can help to improve muscle and body function, if appropriate. Cheyne ThompsonClick here to book a consultation
In the Classroom
When a child can comfortably sit still for extended periods of time, they are able to focus on what they are being taught and engage in classroom activities without becoming tired, uncomfortable or distracted.
What About the Playground?
Engaging in such playground activities is vital to our kids social development and joining in playground games builds friendships and improves their well-being. We all love to see happy children!
What are Motor Skills?
The skills we learn as babies and children set us up to learn even more complex tasks as adults. As the saying goes, “you need to learn to crawl before you can walk”. Even these tasks are built on by tasks that are learned from babyhood.
Everything that we learn from the day we are born is important to master before we can learn a more difficult task. Babies start with random movements of their arms and legs. When the muscles get stronger from that and the nervous system develops from the information created from these movements, they can then learn to move their body parts by choice. From this they can learn to roll then sit up then crawl. These are all stages of Gross Motor Skills developing.
From crawling babies become toddlers by learning to stand, walk, run and climb etc. Each skill builds on the last one. These are often learnt during play so that makes playing an important part of a child’s development. They often repeat skills over and over to allow them to perfect each one before they start to learn a new skill.
Once a child learns these skills they build the strength and control of the muscles whilst improving their Fine Motor Skills as well. It is also a skill that requires strong, healthy muscle control to be able to sit still and then learn at school.

Author: Cheyne
Cheyne graduated from Sydney College of Chiropractic and Osteopathy in 1984. She also has postgraduate qualifications in paediatric chiropractic care. Before joining Clayfield Chiropractic Clinic in 1993, Cheyne enjoyed seven years in a Sydney based practice. Cheyne has 5 children and 3 grandchildren.