Large or gross motor skills refer to the ability to make large movements using parts of the body. For kindergartners and elementary school-age children alike, the physical ability to run, jump, skip, hop and dance are all abilities that children are expected to be able to perform. Though the level of competency and skill increases with age, the basics should be visible by kindergarten. This means that children in kindergarten should be able to play hopscotch, which involves jumping and hopping on one foot, though by the end of elementary school the child will have better balance and a greater physical ability to jump farther as large motor skills have strengthened over time.
Fine or small motor skills are the physical ability to use smaller, more controlled movements. The physical ability of kindergartners in fine motor skills is less than older children. For example, kids in kindergarten may be able to use scissors properly, however, they will have better control of movement as they get older. Examples of expected fine motor skill movements all elementary school children should be able to easily perform include using writing instruments, turning knobs and dials, drawing, tracing, cutting and eating.
Healthy kids, from the time they can walk right on through young adulthood, should have the physical ability to play and be active for reasonably extensive periods of time. Though stamina increases with age and overall conditioning, it is expected that kids can enjoy an active recess without becoming tired or winded. Kindergarten children should be able to run and play for a period of 20 to 30 minutes without becoming overexerted. Older elementary school children should be able to participate in physical events such as track and field, basketball games and longer walks. Expectations should be gauged by observing the class as a whole and using the average abilities of students as a guide to what is considered below expectations.
One of the expectations of children that have entered the school system is that they should be aware of their own bodies and how they function on a basic level. It is expected that all children, by kindergarten, are toilet trained and have transitioned beyond needing assistance with going to the bathroom. Though children all develop at a different pace, it is expected that by the time a child completes elementary school they have the ability to care for themselves in terms of brushing teeth properly, using the bathroom and maintaining a clean and healthy appearance and body.