Man playing with child

Mini Motor Skills


Mini Motor Skills is a programme of activities developed and written by Stockport Children’s Therapists Sally Holmes (Occupational Therapist) and Jodie Wynne (Physiotherapist), for children in the Early Years (Birth-5yrs) to develop Physical Skills and School Readiness at a Universal and Targeted Level. 

It was commissioned by the GMCA School Readiness Programme, as part of the Greater Manchester Early Years Delivery Model.

It is intended to be used as a self-guided document, used by the Early Years workforce, with a range of activity cards, which aim to:

  • Improve children’s outcomes in Physical Development within the early years.

  • Support with prevention and early intervention in relation to physical development, ensuring a whole system, population-based approach and reducing demand on specialist pathways.

  • Develop a shared language around physical development for both professionals and parents.

  • Help the Early Years workforce in understanding and feeling confident in supporting a child’s physical development, in a fun and easily accessible way.

  • Allow practitioners to share the activities with parents/carers as part of a targeted offer to support the child’s development in the home learning environment.

It is currently in its pilot stage and is being trailed by 6 Local Authorities across Greater Manchester (Stockport, Tameside, Salford, Trafford, Wigan and Manchester), in a number of Early Years settings and services. This is to expand and develop the evidence base for how the resource can influence practice across a range of settings and services, to improve child development outcomes across Greater Manchester. 

The pilot is taking place between June 2024 and January 2025 and seeks to develop the evidence base for the effectiveness of the intervention, ahead of wider rollout.