Especially in the preschool years, it is great to motivate children to develop fine motor skills. This is mainly because once they start school, they will do a lot of writing, drawing, and activities that require greater dexterity. So how can you practice fine motor skills with children?
What fine motor skills are
As the name suggests, fine motor skills are about engaging smaller, more delicate movements. The opposite is gross motor skills, which involve larger muscle groups and the whole body. Fine motor skills involve the hands and fingers, thanks to which we can handle smaller objects.
Toys that develop fine motor skills
Fine motor skills in young children
- shape sorters
- stacking towers
- board books
- fabric books
- activity board
Fine motor skills in toddlers
- lacing toys
- hammering toys
- lego
- simple puzzles
- play kitchens
- stamp printing
- building blocks
- ball maze
Fine motor skills in preschoolers
- coloring books
- sticker books
- cutting paper
- paper folding
- modeling with plasticine
- brushing teeth with a regular and an interdental toothbrush
Everyday activities and fine motor skills
You do not need to buy children many toys to support their fine motor skills. Just involve them in everyday household activities such as cooking - pouring, mixing, rolling dough, cutting shapes from dough, cracking eggs, or opening jars. Children can also help us with hanging up or folding laundry. Eating with cutlery also develops fine motor skills.
You will surely come up with many other toys/tools, or if you look around your home, you will find various activities that will keep children entertained and help them practice their fine motor skills. And since children want to be with their mother as much as possible, there is nothing easier than involving them in the running of the household. Yes, we know—it often means flour in the drawer and a bucket of water spilled across the living room—but try to look at it from the children's point of view sometimes. After all, it is fascinating to watch flour trickle from your hand or, when water spills onto the floor, to see a puddle form that you can splash in with your hands. That does not mean you let children do everything; boundaries are necessary, but you let them discover the world in their own way, and when it becomes too much for you, you set a limit. Try joining them sometime and you will see that even though there will be more cleaning afterward, it will be a big shared fun activity that you will enjoy together.
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