What Are Fine Motor Skills?
Fine motor skills involve the coordination and strength of small muscles in the hands and fingers, it influences their ability to perform everyday tasks such as holding a pencil or eating utensils, buttoning clothes, tying shoe laces and playing with lego or play dough.
Why Are Fine Motor Skills Important:
1.Daily Activities: Fine motor skills are essential for writing, drawing, cutting with scissors etc.
2.Practical Life: Everyday tasks such as tying shoelaces, buttoning shirts, and using eating utensils require fine motor skills.
3.Independence and Confidence: Fine motor skills allow children to gain confidence and fosters independence in performing everyday activities.
Activities/Toys to Improve Fine Motor Skills
Incorporating specific activities into a child's routine can significantly enhance their fine motor skills. Here are some effective exercises:
1. Playdough and Clay Modeling
Molding and shaping playdough helps strengthen the small hand muscles and improve dexterity. Encourage children to create different shapes and figures, which can enhance their creativity and fine motor control.
2. Stringing Beads or Pasta
Stringing beads or pasta onto a thread or pipe cleaner can improve hand-eye coordination and precision. This activity also teaches children about patterns and sequencing.
3. Cutting with Scissors
Using child-safe scissors to cut paper into different shapes helps children develop hand strength and coordination. Start with simple lines and progress to more complex shapes as their skills improve.
4. Drawing and Colouring
Encouraging children to draw and colour within the lines helps refine their control and precision. Offer a variety of colouring books and drawing materials to keep them engaged.
5. Building with Blocks/Magnetic Tiles
Building towers or structures with blocks or magnetic tiles enhances hand-eye coordination and finger strengths. Toys like Magnetic Tiles building are particularly beneficial for developing fine motor skills as kids connect and disconnect the magnets using the small muscles in their fingers.
What are the major fine motor skills in everyday life?
1. Pencil Skills - writing, drawing, colouring
2. cutting with scissors
3. construction skills such as playing with building blocks or magnetic tiles
4. everyday self-care activities such as tying shoe laces, eating with cutlery, doing up buttons etc.
5. doll dressing and manipulation
Toys for Improving Fine Motor Skills:
1. HeyDoodle Colouring Mats
Product: Hey Doodle Reusable Silicone Drawing and Colouring Mat
Colouring activities encourage children to hold and control pencils and colour within the lines, which strengthens hand muscles and enhance hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
2. Djeco | Crinkle Cutting Collage Set
Using scissors to cut improves fine motor skills by developing hand strength, precision and coordination.
Product: Djeco - Crinkle Cutting Collage Set
3. Drawing and Colouring Sets for improving pencil skills through play
Product: Tiger Tribe - How to Draw Animals
Product: Tiger Tribe Colouring Set - Mermaids
4. Connetix Tiles | Magnetic Tiles
Magnetic tiles enhance fine motor skills by encouraging children to manipulate, turn, connect and disconnect the pieces, which strengthens hand muscles and improves hand-eye coordination.
Photo: Connetix Tiles
5. Finger Puppets
Manipulating these small puppets requires precise movements of the fingers and hands, which helps strengthen the muscles and enhances dexterity. Using finger puppets also encourages creativity and storytelling that can help with language development
Product: Tara Treasures Gingerbread Man Finger Puppet Set
6. Beading
Beading activities enhance fine motor skills by requiring precise hand movements and coordination to thread beads onto a string, strengthening hand muscles and improving dexterity.
Product: Djeco - Leaves and Flowers Wooden Beads
7. Bean and Sprouts | Wooden Stacker Game
Lacing or beading activities that require children to thread beads through holes enhances their hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity.
Product: Wooden Stacker Game
8. Puzzle Toys
Puzzles are beneficial for both motor skills and cognitive development as kids manipulate, connect and disconnect the puzzle pieces for it to go into the right place.
Product: Tiger Tribe - Button Puzzle Animals
9. Play dough or clay
Playing with play dough or clay enhances fine motor skills by requiring children to pinch, roll, and mold the material, which strengthens the small muscles in their hands and fingers.
