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As they grow and mature children develop both gross and fine motor skills which allow them to complete a number of different tasks. Fine motor skills use the small muscles in hands, wrists and fingers to perform small movements (as opposed to gross motor skills which involve using larger muscle groups in arms and legs). Fine motor skills help children with tasks like eating, getting dressed and writing. If you’re keen to help your child with this, read on for some advice from a private nursery in London.
Get creative
Creating art is a great way for children to practise fine motor skills. Using a variety of utensils like scissors, paintbrushes, crayons and pencils to paint, draw, colour in or make a collage helps them master fine movements. They learn to grasp items with their fingers and use small wrist and hand muscles to move them around and make markings. Over time they learn to control these movements and produce cleaner work, like colouring inside the lines or cutting out shapes neatly. You could also let your child play with clay or playdough to create fun shapes, helping them master hand and wrist motor skills in the process.
Play games
Simple games like stacking building blocks or completing puzzles are a great way for children to develop fine motor skills. They learn to pick up small pieces using a pincer grasp and move them where they want them to go in a controlled way, which enhances their dexterity. Lego is also a good option as it allows children to build on their skills over time, starting with something smaller and then gradually making it into something bigger.
Gardening
Everyday activities like gardening provide a great opportunity for kids to boost their fine motor skills. Get your child involved in helping you dig up soil and plant seeds using their hands, wrists and fingers. They could also use a small watering can to water plants and flowers, and help you trim bushes (using kid-friendly tools of course). They’ll probably find this a really fun activity to do with you, and getting outside in the fresh air is always beneficial.
Playing with water
Another fun activity to build fine motor skills is playing with water. When they’re in the bath, give your child some small cups or bottles and encourage them to transfer water from one to another using their hand and wrist muscles. You could even do this outside on a warm day to make it extra fun.