What is the process of acquiring increased control over bodily movement as we age called?

The process of acquiring increased control over bodily movement as we age is referred to as motor development. This encompasses the progression of physical skills across a lifespan, developing from reflexive movements in infancy to more coordinated and complex actions in childhood and beyond.

Motor development is an overarching term that includes both gross motor skills, which pertain to larger movements involving the limbs and body (such as running or jumping), and fine motor skills, which involve more precise movements using smaller muscle groups (such as writing or buttoning a shirt).

While gross motor development and fine motor development specify the categories of skills being improved, motor development encompasses the entire process and includes both types of skills as one ages. Sensorimotor skills describe the integration of sensory input and motor action but do not fully capture the broader process of developing control over movement as life progresses. Thus, the choice of motor development effectively summarizes the comprehensive nature of improving movement ability over time.