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.

Pilot

The resource was piloted in 6 Local Authority areas across Greater Manchester (Stockport, Tameside, Salford, Trafford, Wigan and Manchester), in a number of Early Years settings and services, between June 2024 and January 2025. The aim of this was 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.  

Early findings found that practitioners reported that:

  • This resource provides great ideas in one place.

  • Has led to look at other resources to support physical development

  • Compared to other available resources, Mini Motor Skills is easier and better to use: “nice, concise and understandable”

  • Majority of practitioners reported a “definite” improvement in the children that engaged in the activities.

 Parents found that the resource:

  • Cost-effective

  • Provided simple ideas of activities at home

  • Easy to understand

  • Broken-down by mobility

  • Some parents reported they have seen an increase in confidence in their children since participating in these activities

We will continue to evaluate Mini Motor skills and plan to release a full report of the findings later in the year. The resource will be made available within Greater Manchester in draft form, whilst be complete the evaluation report.  

Mini Motor Skills now available!

Mini Motor skills is now available within Greater Manchester, to get a copy of the resource (draft), please contact Jane.Gardiner@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk