Fine Motor Skills

Motor skills are used every single day, all throughout our lives. They help us move and do everything from lifting objects to writing on paper. Development of motor skills and motor control begins after birth and continues as children grow. While gross motor skills involve movements related to large muscles like arms, legs and trunk, fine motor skills involve smaller muscles like those in hands, wrists, feet and fingers.

From the moment you wake up, you start using your fine motor skills. You brush your teeth, eat breakfast, cook and pack lunch, button your clothes, comb your hair, pull on a pair of socks, put on your shoes, tie your shoelaces, open the door and move your keys. These are some of the various activities you do each day that involve your fine motor skills. As for children, having good motor control helps them explore the world around them, which consequently helps in development of cognition, speech, emotions and social interactions. Thus, mastering motor skills are vital for your child’s growth and independence.

Fine motor skills require your child’s brain to coordinate between an action and what they are watching, referred to as eye - hand coordination. Efficient development of fine motor movements like grasping, holding, pressing, gripping etc. are important as they help lay the foundation to do everyday tasks. Fine motor development involves pencil skills (drawing/writing legibly/scribbling/coloring), craft skills (cutting/pasting), construction skills (using Lego/puzzles), IT skills (holding a mouse/typing on a keyboard), dressing skills (tying shoelaces/zipping/buttoning/wearing shoes), eating skills (holding cutlery/opening boxes) and self-care skills (cleaning teeth/brushing hair).

Inability to successfully complete these tasks can negatively affect your child’s self-confidence, compromise their academic performance and hinder their ability to develop good personal hygiene. Inadequate development of these ‘life’ skills can also result in social implications.

How can you identify fine motor skills difficulties in your child?

1. Avoidance/disinterest or fiddly fingers in various tasks listed above

2. Preference to physical activity (avoidance of tasks that involve sitting down)

3. Lack of interest in pencil/scissor skills

4. Asking your or others to carry out tasks for them like drawing objects/writing

5. Waiting for you to dress them or clean their teeth rather than trying themselves

Your child needs to have good eye - hand coordination as well as muscular strength to be able to perform everyday activities. Here are a few activities that you can use to help your child increase their fine motor control:

• Playing with play dough or clay: Tactile play like holding, moulding or pressing clay can exercise hand muscles.

• Making puzzles: Picking up and moving puzzle pieces of different sizes help develop grasping abilities.

• Drawing, coloring and painting: Using different mediums like chalk, crayons, finger or paints can help gain greater hand and grip control. Tracing on paper can improve concentration. A bonus here: art helps stimulate imagination and creativity!

• Using household items: Picking up small objects like buttons, grains, coins, beads or pasta with kitchen tongs, tweezers or cloth pegs can help in grip control and concentration.

• Playing with blocks and Lego: Stacking, connecting and building blocks can enhance pulling movements and increase strength in hand muscles.

• Craft and paper cutting: Origami and cutting pre-drawn shapes with scissors can improve concentration and coordination.

• Sand play: Filling cups and pouring out sand or scooping and digging with spoons can increase sensory development.

• Bath time play: Playing with sponges or squeaky rubber toys can help develop grasping and squeezing power for different textured materials.

Young children need time and continuous daily exposure to efficiently use fine motor skills in everyday tasks. Although it can be tempting for you to jump in and help your child as it is quicker, it is important to understand that he/she needs to be given several opportunities to finish these activities by themselves. For efficient fine motor development, all your child needs is practice (and what you need is patience!).

Reach us at braintism@gmail.com to receive an age appropriate assessment and an adequate intervention plan.