What are the big 6 6 skills?

The Big 6 + 6 Skills in Early Learning

When children begin exploring their world, they rely heavily on touch and movement to make sense of their surroundings. In precision teaching, educators often focus on what’s known as the Big 6 + 6 skills—a set of 12 foundational motor behaviors that support early development and learning. These skills aren’t just about physical coordination; they form the building blocks for more complex cognitive and academic tasks.

The original Big 6 include: reach, touch, point, place, grasp, and release. These actions help kids interact with objects, build hand-eye coordination, and understand spatial relationships. As children grow, they build on these by mastering the next six: push, pull, shake, squeeze, tap, and twist. These added actions introduce force, direction, and manipulation, which are essential for tasks like opening containers, using tools, or even drawing and writing.

Developed through observation and research by educators like Binder, Haught/ton, and Bateman (2002), as well as Desjardins (1995), the Big 6 + 6 framework helps teachers track and guide motor development in a structured, measurable way. For example, a child learning to twist open a jar is not only strengthening their hand muscles but also learning about cause and effect, problem-solving, and persistence.

These skills are especially valuable in special education and early intervention settings, where small, observable changes in behavior can signal larger cognitive leaps. By breaking down complex actions into teachable units, educators can support each child at their own pace. In classrooms, this might look like simple, repetitive activities—stacking blocks, using tongs, or turning knobs—that quietly build a foundation for lifelong learning.

In short, the Big 6 + 6 aren’t just about movement—they’re about mastery, one small action at a time.