Your ELC takes you through what fine motor skills are and how you can help your child develop them.
Fine motor skills are small and precise movements using the muscles in the hands and wrists. Fine motor skills are important for everyday tasks relating to self-care, academics, and play.
What are fine motor skills used for?
- Holding and using a pencil
- Holding and using scissors
- Buttoning up shirts
- Doing up buckles on shoes
- Tying shoelaces
- Using cutlery
- Opening up lunch boxes
- Brushing teeth
- Brushing hair
How to develop fine motor skills?
The development of fine motor skills moves from the whole arm to the fingertips. There are many activities that you can do at home to help your child develop their fine motor skills at all stages.
- Digging – using spades or rakes or hands to dig and move around sand
- Water play – pouring water from one container to the other, holding heavy and wet plastic to strengthen the hands
- Rolling play dough with the hands, using cookie cutters and rolling pins
- Threading with beads
- Building with connector blocks or train sets
- Completing puzzles
- Cleaning up dirt or sand with a broom or spades
- Watering the garden with a spray bottle or watering can
- Picking up small objects with tongs or tweezers
- Bouncing a ball
- Throwing a ball with the intention of someone else catching
- Drawing pictures and colouring in the lines
- Writing numbers and letters neatly
- Using a keyboard
- Dressing up dolls
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