Assisting your child in developing fine motor skills can not only be fun for them but can help prepare them for daily tasks like turning pages of a book and using crayons. Furthermore, developing these fine motor skills strengthens shoulder, arm and hand muscles as they grow.
Most of these activities require little or no setup and can be accomplished using everyday objects you may already have at home.
Go to the Park
An afternoon spent exploring and playing at the park can help your child develop fine motor skills. Encourage exploration in the sandbox, on swings or treehouse. Provide them with toys like rattles or small baskets to encourage reaching.
Fine motor skills develop at different rates for every child. Some may begin stacking blocks or using a pincer grip before other children their age do, and trial-and-error is an integral part of learning new skills – don’t panic if your little one takes longer to master something!
Magill-Evans recommends simple activities to foster early fine motor development such as stacking simple blocks and ring toys, playing word games like knock knock, snakes and ladders and simple card games, as well as stacking simple blocks or building simple structures from LEGO bricks or building your own creations from cardboard tubes. She also suggests playing word games such as knock knock, snakes and ladders or simple card games which help develop pre-reading/writing abilities while providing opportunities to practice sharing/taking turns skills in a fun manner!
Go to the Pet Store
When choosing the location for your pet store, pay careful consideration to foot and car traffic in the area. This will impact sales as well as how much marketing spending must be undertaken to bring customers.
Between 4 and 6 months, babies typically develop the pincer grasp – the ability to use both thumb and forefinger to pick up objects like pebbles or cereal grains with one hand – enabling them to learn self-feeding techniques before moving from using a spoon to fork as part of self-feeding habits.
Baby and toddler toys that help develop fine motor skills include stacking blocks and shape sorters, cutting with toddler and preschool safety scissors, handwriting/drawing practice (including letter writing/drawing earlier or later than other children their age), handwriting practice with crayons or marker pens and practice writing letters/drawing more detailed people – this is perfectly normal as each child develops at their own pace – strength training is a vital component to fine motor task accomplishment.
Go to the Zoo
Your baby may now be standing or even walking independently, while their fine motor skills are still developing. They may be able to pick up small objects using pincer grasp and use both thumb and index fingers together to open or close toys with holes.
Children can build early hand-eye coordination by stacking small blocks or playing with pegboards, as well as playing with clay or poke holes into cardboard pieces. Other fun and simple activities to help children are playing with clay and poking holes into cardboard pieces.
Baby and toddlers develop fine motor skills through everyday activities and playtime, but if your child is not meeting his or her developmental milestones, consult your pediatrician as early diagnosis and intervention can help them thrive. For example, if they have trouble tying their shoes they may benefit from occupational therapy to strengthen muscles; an experienced therapist can work one-on-one with your child to ensure they develop essential skills.
Go for a Walk
Fine motor skills help your child build strength in their hands, fingers, and wrists – enabling them to grasp objects such as clay for playing or turning pages of books in books as well as using scissors and crayons for projects such as coloring.
Your baby will develop their fine motor skills at their own pace. While one 3-month-old may start shaking a rattle after one month, that is completely normal development.
No matter their age, it’s essential that parents foster all aspects of their children’s motor skill development. This includes both “gross” motor skills like playing in prone, rolling over and sitting up; and fine motor skills like using their fingers or snapping their thumbs to pick up small objects. Aim to include both gross and fine motor activities into daily activities with frequent walks taken to take in new sights.https://www.youtube.com/embed/xSTAjp-aIzY