Fine motor skills are the intricate movements that require coordination between small muscles in the hands, fingers, and wrists. These skills are essential for everyday tasks like writing, buttoning clothes, and using utensils. As an occupational therapist, I understand the critical role that fine motor skills play in a child's development and how crucial it is to nurture them from an early age. We like to use fine motor skills toys to help encourage our little people to engage in these play activities to help build these essential skills.
Why Are Fine Motor Skills Important?
Fine motor skills are the building blocks for various activities that children engage in daily. From holding a pencil to tying shoelaces, these skills enable children to accomplish tasks with precision and control. Additionally, fine motor skills contribute to cognitive development, as they involve hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, and spatial awareness. They are the building blocks for all the skills that require precision and control for as we get older.
How Might I Notice a Fine Motor Skill Issue?
Signs of fine motor skill issues may include difficulty holding utensils, struggles with handwriting, or challenges with intricate tasks like buttoning clothes. Children may also exhibit frustration or avoidance behaviours during activities that require fine motor skills. Early childhood educators in your child’s life, like a day care educator or teacher will also be able to let you know if they have noticed any concerns that should be investigated further by an occupational therapist.
What Can I Do to Support Fine Motor Skills Development at Home?
There are numerous ways to promote fine motor skills development through play at home. Utilising fine motor skills toys and games that encourage manipulation and coordination, such as sensory play kits with rice and themed manipulatives, can be highly effective.
Our team at Beelieve Paediatrics have created themed sensory rice fine motor skills toys for our families to utilise to build on fine motor skills at home. You can find the full range in our sensory products shop.
Additionally, incorporating activities like drawing, colouring, and crafts helps children refine their fine motor skills in an enjoyable and engaging manner. The key to your child developing these skills is to target the activities to their strengths! For example if they avoid table top activities then make it into a fun obstacle course or relay race that they need to complete an activity at one end or hold an object with their pincer grip throughout.
Bilateral Integration:
Crossing Mid-line:
Engage in activities that involve reaching across the body's midline, such as drawing a huge rainbow with chalk on the ground from one side of their body to the other. This fosters coordination between the left and right sides of the body.
Hand and Finger Strength:These activities help build hand and finger strength. We love to ask our kids to make their hands look like crab claws and prompt for “crab fingers” throughout to practice their pincer grasp.
Hand-Eye Coordination:
Encourage games that involve
Provide fine motor skill toys and activities that require squeezing, pinching, and grasping, such as playing with playdough or using tweezers to pick up small objects in your sensory fine motor skills toys . These activities help build hand and finger strength. We love to ask our kids to make their hands look like crab claws and prompt for “crab fingers” throughout to practice their pincer grasp.
Hand-Eye Coordination:
Encourage games that involve aiming and catching, such as throwing a ball into a basket or playing with a ring toss game. These activities improve hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.
Hand Dominance:
Encourage the consistent use of one hand for activities like writing and drawing to establish hand dominance. Provide opportunities for practice and reinforcement to strengthen the dominant hand. Once they have picked a dominant hand (you will know as it is the first to reach for items or their automatic hand to grab things) encourage them to use this each time. Often kids will start to switch after they have selected their dominant hand and it isn’t because they are ambidextrous but actually fatigue due to low hand strength.
Hand Division:
Engage in activities that require individual finger movements, such as playing the piano or stringing beads. You can even raid the cupboards and thread pasta onto straws! Nursery rhymes with actions can also be really great for this e.g. incy wincy spider, this activity is really portable and can be down when waiting in a line during your day. These activities help develop dexterity and coordination in each finger.
Object Manipulation:
Provide fine motor skills toys and activities that require manipulation of objects in different ways, such as building with blocks or assembling puzzles. These activities enhance fine motor control and problem-solving skills.
Body Awareness (Proprioception):
Incorporate activities that promote body awareness, such as yoga or animal walks, which involve moving the body in various positions and spaces. These activities improve proprioception and spatial orientation.
How to Get Your Kids Doing Therapy Without Them Even Knowing
Integrate therapy exercises into everyday play activities to make them fun and engaging. Use fine motor skills toys and games that target specific fine motor skills while disguising them as play. We have a range of ideas in our sensory kits range, all designed by a qualified occupational therapist to help get your child playing and building on their fine motor skills!
Benefits of Improving Fine Motor Skills
Improving fine motor skills isn't just about mastering tasks; it's about empowering kids to conquer everyday challenges with confidence and independence. Picture your child confidently buttoning their shirt, tying their shoes, or colouring within the lines. These seemingly small victories add up to big wins in their daily lives, boosting their self-assurance and sense of accomplishment.
As kids develop better control over their hands and fingers, they also excel academically. From writing essays to solving math problems, strong fine motor skills make these tasks smoother and more efficient. Plus, imagine the joy on their face as they proudly display their neatly written name or beautifully drawn picture.
But it's not just about the here and now—improving fine motor skills lays the foundation for future success. Whether they're playing an instrument, mastering a sport, or expressing themselves through art, precise hand control is key. By nurturing these skills early on, you're giving your child the tools they need to thrive in whatever passions they pursue.<