We measure motor development by looking at physical milestones. There are a variety of developmental charts available and most of these charts list a series of developmental stages and give the approximate age range during which a child should be able to execute a certain task. These developmental milestones can serve as guidelines in order to know if a child's development is on par.
It is, however, super important to take note of two basic facts when looking at childhood development charts. Firstly, every child is unique. Each child will thus move through the developmental stages at a pace that is right for them. The second fact to remember is that it is rather the "sequence of development" that is important than the physical age of reaching that milestone. Just think of the fact that children first sit before they stand and stand before they walk.
The sequence of a child's motor development can roughly be divided into 3 movement stages. The first stage is when the child uses both arms (and later both legs) together. The second stage can be seen when the arm and leg on the same side of the body are used together to perform a task. The last stage is when the child uses the opposite arm and leg to move around. Some children seem to be frozen at a certain stage, making it difficult for them to do more difficult tasks that require coordination.
It is further important to know that motor development follows a certain pattern. This can be seen where the baby develops from the head to the "tail". In other words, a baby first learns to control his head movement, then his trunk, and lastly his legs. A baby also develops "from the inside out". This means that he will first develop trunk control before learning to control movements made by his hands, fingers, feet and toes. Large muscles from the shoulders, arms and legs are further used before small muscles in the fingers and wrists can work effectively.
This means that gross motor development precedes fine motor development. In other words, spend time moving those big muscles!
You might want to read about how uncontrolled movement leads to hyperactivity.
