Development of gross motor skills in 19- to 24-month-olds. Follow your child’s milestones step by step.
Gross motor skill development allows children to improve their balance and coordination and use their large muscles. These abilities helped your little one master certain movements, such as sitting, creeping, crawling, and walking, and will help them learn to run, climb, jump, and more. Developing gross motor skills is also an important step towards developing fine motor skills.
Gross motor skill development: 1½ to 2 years old
At this age:
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Your toddler can sit on a ride-on toy and move around with their feet, pushing one after the other.
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They can carry a large toy while walking.
Remember that not all children develop the same skills at the same speed. The material on this website is for general information purposes only. In addition, the milestone ages given may vary from source to source. If you’re concerned about your child’s development, speak with a doctor.
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Your toddler can throw a large ball over a short distance.
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They run and stop, but sometimes they fall over.
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Your child plays in a squatting position.
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They walk backwards or sideways, pulling a toy attached to a rope.
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Your child can walk on uneven surfaces (e.g., sand, snow) and small slopes without losing their balance.
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They can sit back into a chair that’s just right for their size.
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Your child climbs up and down the stairs in an upright position while holding the handrail or an adult’s hand and putting both feet on each step.
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They can hop and will eventually do small jumps in place, feet together, with the help of an adult holding their hands.
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Your toddler can throw a ball up in the air.
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They can kick a ball with one foot or the other without losing their balance, at around 24 months.
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Your child tries to catch a ball thrown gently towards them, but can’t quite do it yet.
Over the next few months, your toddler will begin to do the following:
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Throw a ball farther
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Jump higher and farther with both feet
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Jump down from a low step
Learn how you can support your child’s gross motor skill development through books (in French).
How can you help your child progress?
Every child is different and develops at their own pace. That said, you can help foster your child’s development by adopting the Comfort, Play, and Teach parenting approach, which can easily be integrated into your daily routine. The table below outlines small, age-specific actions you can take that will benefit your child’s gross motor skill development.
Comfort
When you provide your child with a table and chair that’s just right for their size, | | they feel more comfortable, are more stable, and have a better posture while playing seated at the table. |
When you give your toddler child-sized objects to play with, such as a small soccer ball or a toy broom, | | they learn to coordinate their feet and feel like they can do big-kid things with their body. |
Teach
When you give your child toys they can sit on and push forward with their feet, | | they learn to coordinate their feet and to separate upper- and lower-body movements. |
When you set up an obstacle course in a room so your little one can crawl through a box, under a chair, or over a large cushion, | | they get to use and refine their motor skills. They also learn to adapt how they move their body in space. |
Play
When you describe your child’s movements and gestures as they climb stairs, jump over objects, or crawl under chairs, | | they learn to name their movements and gradually understand the vocabulary associated with positioning (e.g., up, down, over, under, through), which helps them memorize movement sequences. |
When you play different types of music (e.g., pop, rock, jazz) for your child to dance to, | | they flex their creativity by inventing their own movements and following the rhythm with their body. |
| Scientific review: Josiane Caron Santha, occupational therapist
Research and copywriting:The Naître et grandir team
Updated: November 2025
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Photo: GettyImages/mihailomilovanovic
Resources and references
Note: The links to other websites are not updated regularly, and some URLs may have changed since publication. If a link is no longer valid, please use search engines to find the relevant information.
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Caron Santha, Josiane, and Solène Bourque. Bouger pour grandir : comprendre et favoriser le développement moteur des enfants (0–8 ans). Quebec City, Éditions Midi trente, 2023, 160 pp.
- Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development. Physical Activity in Early Childhood: Setting the Stage for Lifelong Healthy Habits. 2011. child-encyclopedia.com
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Ferland, Francine. Le développement de l’enfant au quotidien : de 0 à 6 ans. 2nd ed., Montreal, Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine, 2018, 264 pp.
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Ferland, Francine. Viens jouer dehors! Pour le plaisir et la santé. Montreal, Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine, 2012, 122 pp.
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Pathways. “Motor.” pathways.org
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Canadian Paediatric Society. “Your child’s development: What to expect.” Caring for Kids. 2019. caringforkids.cps.ca
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