Dr. Piyush Jain
Dr. Piyush Jain provides pediatric clinical guidance for developmental and neurodevelopmental concerns where appropriate.
Genesis Neurogen Blog
My Child Can't Catch a Ball and Struggles with Jumping or Stairs - Is This Normal?
संक्षेप में: अगर आपका बच्चा गेंद पकड़ने, कूदने या सीढ़ियां चढ़ने-उतरने में बाकी बच्चों से ज़्यादा मुश्किल महसूस करता है, तो यह ग्रॉस मोटर (बड़ी मांसपेशियों की) कोऑर्डिनेशन से जुड़ा हो सकता है। ज़्यादातर मामलों में यह उम्र के साथ सुधरता है, लेकिन लगातार पीछे रहने पर आकलन करवाना सही कदम है।
Short answer: Catching a ball, jumping with both feet together, and managing stairs independently are gross motor coordination skills that develop at different rates in different children. Occasional difficulty is common, but a child who is noticeably and consistently behind peers across several of these skills may benefit from a gross motor coordination assessment.
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What gross motor coordination actually involves
Gross motor skills use the large muscles of the body - legs, arms, trunk - and depend on balance, timing, strength and body awareness working together. Catching a ball requires predicting its path and timing a movement to meet it; jumping needs coordinated push-off and landing; stairs require balance, leg strength and depth perception, especially without holding a rail.
When is this just a typical range, and when is it worth checking?
Children reach gross motor milestones across a fairly wide age range, and some unevenness - being great at running but poor at catching, for example - is common and not necessarily a concern. It is more worth assessing when a child is noticeably behind across multiple gross motor skills, avoids physical play or sports because of it, or does not show gradual improvement with regular practice and exposure. Families in Seemapuri and Shakarpur have raised this pattern with us - children who love the idea of playing sports with friends but visibly struggle and get left behind during actual games.
What a gross motor assessment looks at
An assessment typically evaluates balance, coordination, strength, and body awareness during functional movements like catching, jumping, running and using stairs. Understanding exactly which underlying skills are weaker helps guide targeted, play-based therapy rather than generic sports practice. This is part of our fine and gross motor skills services.
What helps in daily life
Regular, varied physical play - climbing, balancing on a line, throwing and catching soft balls at close range before progressing further - can support gross motor development for many children. If your child continues to fall noticeably behind despite consistent opportunities to practise, a professional assessment can identify what is specifically getting in the way.
Book a gross motor coordination assessment for your child with our fine and gross motor skills team. Call 7481909090 or message us on WhatsApp to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal for kids to be good at some physical skills and bad at others?
Yes, some unevenness across gross motor skills is common. It becomes more worth assessing when the gap is wide and consistent across several skills rather than just one.
Will my child grow out of this with more sports practice?
Some children do improve simply with more exposure and practice. Others need targeted therapy addressing an underlying coordination gap - an assessment helps tell the difference.
Is this related to fine motor skills like handwriting too?
Sometimes. Coordination difficulties can show up across both gross motor (whole body) and fine motor (hands) skills in the same child, though not always.
At what age should gross motor coordination be assessed?
There is no fixed age - it is reasonable to seek an assessment whenever a consistent, noticeable gap compared to peers is affecting a child's participation or confidence.
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Meet the doctors
Useful context about the Genesis Neurogen doctors, so you can understand the wider clinical practice while reading this article.
Dr. Radha Jain
Dr. Radha Jain is the Senior Consultant Gynecologist & Obstetrician within the wider Genesis Neurogen clinical practice. Her women’s-health services are detailed on the main Genesis Neurogen Delhi website.
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