Fine motor skills are those that involve a refined use of the small muscles which control the hand, fingers and thumb. With the development of these skills, a child is able to complete important tasks such as writing, feeding oneself, buttoning and zippering. These abilities gradually develop through experience and exposure to a variety of toys, materials and even foods.
Why is fine motor skill development important? Little hands need to develop dexterity and strength. We can help this process by encouraging children to play, explore and interact with a variety of items. Toys, clothing fasteners, safe scissors and play dough are all tactile examples of practices that facilitate fine motor development. These types of “play” activities and manipulation skills will actually help prepare a child to hold and use a crayon. The ability to do so is the first step in learning to colour, draw and ultimately write.
Try this age appropriate sewing task as a great way to help build fine motor skills.
What you need ...
cards
pens/pencils
hole punch
wool
large blunt darning needle
What to do ...
draw a picture on a piece of card and colour it in
use a hole punch or pencil to punch holes in the card
thread wool through the darning needle and tie a large knot at the end of the wool
when children can manage the simple sewing card with ease you could introduce simple patterns on a cloth
Idea ...
- these make ideal gifts for friends and family
More detailed activities to help develop fine motor skills can be found here.
