The skills that enable a child to move are known as motor skills. The two main types of motor skills are fine motor and gross motor. Fine-motor skills are what allow us to make movements using the smaller muscles in our hands, fingers, wrists, eyes, tongue and toes. We rely on these abilities to do essential tasks at school, at work, and in our daily lives. These small movements come so naturally to most people that we usually don’t think about them. Still, fine motor skills are challenging to master. They require a coordinated effort between the brain and muscles. It includes hand-eye coordination, finger-eye coordination, finger strength and control, as well as the development of muscles such as the toes, tongue and eyes.
Based on gross-motor skills, using our arms and legs enables us to do more extensive actions such as running, hopping or climbing. Motor skills develop from the head downwards, and from the body outwards (to the limbs). Thereafter, the small muscles strengthen. Gross motor skills, therefore, develop before fine motor skills. Both of these must be well developed in children to be ready for school and to function independently.
Here are a few examples wherein fine-motor skills are put to use:
● Buttoning up your clothes
● Brushing your teeth
● Drawing pictures and writing neatly
● Holding a pencil, crayon or any writing tools
● Cutting with a pair of scissors or even a knife
● Threading beads onto a string
● Tying your shoelaces
● Opening and closing a lunchbox or containers
Children often begin developing these abilities as early as 1 or 2 months old and continue to learn additional ones throughout preschool and early primary school. Fine-motor skills develop organically as each child grows to regulate and coordinate the movements of their body. Babies and toddlers acquire fine and gross-motor skills at their own pace. Some children learn certain abilities earlier than others, which is completely expected. No two children are ever the same. Don’t be alarmed if your child isn’t developing with the same speed as other children of the same age. Remember that your child’s body is still developing. Incorporating fun activities into your child’s everyday routine will help in the development of their fine-motor skills. The capacity to cultivate and hone fine motor skills at an early age will benefit them academically, socially, and
mentally.
Here are some activities you and your child can do together:
● Allow your child to assist with meal preparation, like stirring, mixing, or pouring
ingredients.
● Put together a puzzle as a family.
● Play board games that involve rolling dice.
● Finger paint together.
● Let your child set the dinner table.
● Place objects in a container and have your child remove them with tweezers.
● Allow your child to assist with laundry, like pouring, scooping or placing pegs onto
a clothesline.
● Let them get crafty and create a collage where your child tears up colourful paper
and pastes it down.
If your child is experiencing difficulty with tasks that are age-appropriate and that they
should be able to do, they may require the intervention of an occupational therapist. If the
problem does not seem serious, you may prefer to do an intensive few weeks of fine
motor activities at home with your child. Once some time has passed, judge if there has
been an improvement. It may be better to send your child to an occupational therapist
for an assessment and to determine how you can best assist them. Either way, make
sure your child receives adequate support as early as possible. Ignoring these kinds of
signs only compounds the problem and children end up struggling to write and complete
their work in the early grades.
Written by Miss Zoe Theunissen, Pre-Primary Teaching Assistant
Read more about Cannons Creek Pre-Primary, here.