Fine motor skills are vital for children’s further education. As their fine motor skills develop, children learn to refine their writing skills. Not only that, but their craft, art and typing skills are also enhanced, as well as personal care skills.
Without good fine motor skills, small children sometimes find it difficult to adjust to preschool or nursery. It’s at preschool that children are expected to begin some of their own self-care management and jobs such as buttoning or zipping jackets, doing up shoes and washing hands are left up to them to manage alone.
If you have any concerns about your child’s fine motor skills, try some of these activities. Practice them with your child on a regular basis so that they develop the coordination needed to do it alone and with confidence.
- Stringing beads – buy large ones with big eyelet holes so they are easier to manage
- Tweezing objects – you can use toy plastic tweezers or even kitchen tongs – make a game of picking up as many different objects in under a minute
- Blowing bubbles – the act of dipping the bubble wand is great for fine motor skills
- Building blocks – plastic building blocks which snap together are excellent for fine motor skills, choose the ones which are larger as they’re safer for small hands
- Modelling clay – pressing, squeezing and kneading clay is fun and it builds strength in the muscles of the hands and fingers
- Playing with sand – building castles, digging, sieving – all are excellent for the fine motor skills
The key is not to worry too much. Most children get to the stage where they become stronger at this soon after starting school. Pupils at this independent school in Edgbaston have plenty of opportunity to engage in varied, fun activities which will enhance their fine motor skills.