The Connection Between Brain Development and Gross Motor Skills

People, especially children, are meant to move! This is evident by the significant connection between brain development and gross motor skills. There are regions of the brain solely responsible for one’s ability to perform large muscle movements from crawling and walking to running to jumping.

As a child’s brain grows and develops, the ability to control their gross motor skills also improves. This means there should be a steady progression of improved motor skills as a child grows from infant to toddler to child and adolescent to adult. Conversely, working on a child’s gross motor skills can significantly contribute to brain development as well.

Movement and the Brain

The primary motor cortex, which is located in the frontal lobe of the brain, is the main area responsible for initiating and controlling movement, making it crucial for gross motor skill development, according to Reflection Sciences. Neural impulses start in the primary motor cortex, and it is the neural impulses that produce movement in a child’s large muscles.

As a child learns to crawl, walk, grasp a toy, run, jump, and climb, the motor cortex maps the necessary movements and refines the neural pathways for improved movement. That means each time the child performs gross motor skills, the muscle actions become more coordinated for smoother, faster movement. Such gross motor skills become “muscle memory” over time.

The Cerebellum’s Role

The cerebellum,located at the back of the brain, below the temporal and occipital lobes, and above the brainstem, also plays a role in gross motor skills. While the primary motor cortex is working at coordinating movement and fine-tuning it, so does the cerebellum. The work done in this part of the brain is essential for smooth and precise gross motor skills.

“One fundamental projection of the motor cortex is to the cerebellum, the part of the brain that hold more than half the neurons of the entire body,” according to the piece Study Identifies Changes in the Brain Responsible for Motor Skill Learning published by Cedars Sinai. “However, the activity between the motor cortex and the cerebellum that emerges as a fine motor skill is not widely understood.”

Gross Motor Skills Grow Brain Connections

When a child practices gross motor skills, it grows neural pathways, making the brain stronger, too. The neural pathways between the brain’s motor areas and the muscles being used develop and grow, improving a child’s coordination and efficiency of movement, according to Penn State.

“Neural pathways in the brain connect motor and cognitive functions,” writes researchers Peng Shi and Xiaosu Feng in their scientific study, Motor skills and cognitive benefits in children and adolescents: Relationship, mechanism and perspectives published in Frontiers in Psychology on Nov. 20, 2022. “When children participate in activities that challenge their motor skills, such as balancing or coordination exercises, they activate brain regions that are responsible for cognitive processes like planning, decision- making, and problem-solving.”

In other words, the brain helps children learn to move and the more they move, the better the brain functions both physically and cognitively. Children need physical activity for their brain to grow connections that allows them to move more fluidly, but also to grow the thinking part of their brain. Movement makes children grow smarter, too, not just physically. That is why recess, physical education, playing outside, and extracurricular activities are so important to a child’s growth and development.

As a child learns to rollerblade, for example, they move their arms and legs to maintain balance, push forward, and adapt to the conditions of the sidewalk they are on. This allows them to stay upright and move ahead, trying not to fall. Meanwhile, the child’s brain is forming new neural connections between the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex, where cognitive functions such as problem-solving and decision-making occur.

By developing gross motor skills, a child is improving their executive functions such as their working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility which are all key to learning and problem-solving, according to Poppyseed Play.

Physical Activity and Focus

What science has learned is that there is a significant connection between physical activity and focus as well. According to Focus Bear, regular exercise increases blood flow to the brain. This improves the neuroplasticity (flexibility) of the brain and releases endorphins that can improve mood, concentration, and mental clarity while reducing stress and anxiety. In other words, the more active a child (or even adult) is, the better their ability to focus will be.

In addition to increased blood flow, exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells, especially in the areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Physical activity enhances cognitive abilities from planning and decision-making to working memory, which are all crucial for sustained focus. It is vital to a child’s physical and mental development that they get regular physical activity, and exercise can even help older adults retain their cognitive and physical abilities later in life.

Creative Ideas for Physical Activity

Now that the importance of physical activity and exercise is better understood, parents need to get their children active several times a day. That can be a challenge during the winter months, but there are ways to sneak in exercise even when it’s cold outside.

Below are some ideas for keeping children active during the winter months:

• Participate in Outdoor Activities Such as Ice Skating, Sledding, and Building a Snowman
• Go Bowling or Visit an Indoor Climbing Wall
• Take a Hike
• Visit a Children’s Gymnasium
• Take a Trip to an Indoor Trampoline Park

Parents should encourage children to play outdoors daily for at least an hour. This can mean a trip to the park, a family snowball fight in the yard, or a local hike. Parents can model physical activity, teaching their children a lifetime of healthy habits that will keep them functioning physically and mentally well into their adult years. Not only will you be building their brains and bodies, but you’ll make memories that last a lifetime! To learn more about the connection between gross motor skills and the brain, visit Jiguar online or contact us at info@jiguar.com.