Some insights into fine motor skills
Toddlers’ proficiency in fine motor skills holds the key to success in their future life. Fine motor skills refer to the appropriate use of hands. A kid’s hand should be firm and well-coordinated so that he/she can hold a pen/pencil properly for long and write or draw something. This is where the importance of developing fine motor skills comes into play. Apart from learning, these skills enable kids to perform various day-to-day tasks, including zipping, opening something, brushing teeth, just to name a few.
When integrated with hands-eye coordination, fine motor abilities unleash new opportunities for learning as well as creative expression. Several studies have revealed that these abilities, as well as hands-eye coordination, play a significant role in forming the cornerstone of academic learning in future years.
Undoubtedly, you cannot expect your toddler to develop all kinds of fine motor skills during preschool years. At this period, your kids should be able to:
- Use a zipper
- Button as well as unbutton
- Clap properly
- Paste various things on paper
- Use fingers for touching things
- Build towers
- Use crayons as well as pencils properly
- Use safety scissors to cut out shapes
You can use various objects to develop your kid’s fine motor skills. Some good options include modeling clay, construction paper, crayons and coloring books, safety scissors, paints, glue and building blocks. You can involve your kid in multiple hands-on activities using all such objects. Gradually, your kid’s hand muscle will strengthen, thereby improving his/her fine motor abilities.
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