“Why Your Child ‘Knows’ but Still Can’t ‘Do’: Understanding Motor Planning and Praxis”
- Sanika Kelkar
- Apr 24
- 1 min read
There is a moment many parents experience—quiet, confusing, and often deeply frustrating.
Your child understands what needs to be done.
They can tell you the steps. They may have even done it before.
And yet, when the moment comes… they cannot do it.
They struggle to put on a t-shirt they’ve worn many times. They freeze when asked to start a familiar task. They seem unsure of how to begin—even when they know what to do.
As a parent, this can feel contradictory.
“If they understand it, why can’t they do it?”
This gap between knowing and doing is not defiance. It is not laziness. It is not a lack of intelligence.
Very often, it is something called motor planning—or praxis.
And understanding this can fundamentally change how we support children.
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