What Declining Motor Skills in Kids Tell Us About Indoor Environments

In 2023, researchers at the University of Exeter published data showing that children's hand grip strength had declined significantly over a 10-year period. Similar findings appeared from studies in Canada, the UK, and Australia. Paediatric occupational therapists began reporting that children were arriving at school unable to hold a pencil comfortably, unable to sit unsupported for more than a few minutes, and struggling with basic balance tasks that previous cohorts managed easily.

This isn't a crisis unique to one country or one demographic. It's a pattern, and the most plausible explanation isn't genetic — it's environmental. The spaces young children inhabit have changed. The types of movement those spaces afford have changed. And the motor development that depends on that movement is declining as a result.

What changed in children's environments

Three overlapping shifts have reduced the physical challenge available to young children over the past decade:

More time indoors

Average outdoor play time for children under five in Canada has fallen substantially over the past twenty years — a trend accelerated dramatically by the pandemic. Indoor environments, even well-designed ones, provide fewer opportunities for large-muscle movement, balance challenge, and load-bearing activity than outdoor environments.

Less varied movement

The movement available in typical indoor settings tends to be limited in range: walking, sitting, some reaching. The varied movement that builds motor competence — crawling, climbing, hanging, pulling, pushing, balancing, rolling — is scarce. Children whose early years are spent primarily in environments that restrict movement to a narrow band develop motor skills more slowly than those who have access to greater physical variety.

Reduced carrying and handling of physical objects

Grip strength develops through repeated grasping, carrying, manipulating, and bearing weight with the hands. Environments that rely heavily on lightweight plastic toys, screens, and structured adult-directed activities provide fewer grip-building opportunities than those rich in natural materials, construction play, and physical work (carrying, pouring, building).

What early childhood environments can do

The encouraging news is that early childhood settings have substantial influence over the movement opportunities available to children — and targeted environmental changes can produce measurable improvements in motor development relatively quickly.

Prioritise movement variety, not just movement volume

More outdoor time matters, but the type of movement matters too. An outdoor space with a flat paved surface and a single climbing structure provides less motor benefit than one with varied terrain, loose parts for carrying and building, and opportunities for both vigorous movement and fine motor challenge. Sand, uneven surfaces, logs, stumps, and natural materials all contribute to motor variety.

Build physical work into daily routines

Carrying chairs, setting tables, moving materials from one place to another, pouring water, using real tools in a practical life context — these activities build the grip strength, core stability, and proprioceptive awareness that are declining in children. They also align with Montessori practical life principles and are entirely compatible with typical ECE programming.

Reduce time in containment devices

Bouncers, swings, car seats, and strollers all restrict the full-body movement that develops balance and postural control. Every minute a child is contained is a minute their vestibular and proprioceptive systems aren't receiving the input they need. Floor time, particularly in the infant and toddler years, is irreplaceable.

Invest in physically challenging indoor environments

Indoor environments that include loft elements, balance boards, movement zones, climbing structures, and varied floor surfaces provide motor challenges that children can access regardless of weather. These aren't extras — they're core provision for physical development in the Canadian climate.