Fine Motor Skills
A rainy day spent colouring or endless hours assembling LEGO—the precise movements of these activities require dexterity, muscle strength and hand-eye coordination, which improve your child’s hand strength, coordination, and fine and visual motor integration.1
Why Fine Motor Skills are Important
Ages 1 to 3
Fine motor development is crucial for a child's success. Children refine their grasping and releasing skills, begin to develop hand-eye coordination, manipulate objects, scribble and draw, and learn self-help skills like feeding themselves and dressing. These build a foundation for more complex tasks as they grow.5
Ages 4 to 7
Children master increasingly complex tasks as they grow older. At ages four to five, they develop basic skills like holding a pencil, cutting straight lines and shapes, and drawing simple pictures.6 Engaging in activities such as playdough, colouring, and using small blocks can help refine these skills.7 At ages six to seven, they build upon those skills, learning to copy simple words, work with small construction sets and crafts, and use a computer mouse.8
Ages 8 to 12
Writing neatly and legibly, typing with accuracy, crafts like knitting and sewing, playing with more complex puzzles, using tools and building sets, playing instruments and sports9 can improve hand-eye coordination, finger dexterity, and precision for this age group.10 These skills are crucial for daily tasks and preparing for more advanced tasks in adolescence and adulthood.
Ages 13 and up
Early adolescence sees a slowdown in fine motor skill development, with the focus now shifting to preparation for adulthood and future careers.11 Drawing and painting, video games, playing instruments and sports, jewelry-making, cooking or baking, crochet and knitting, and building with tools can promote continued dexterity and hand-eye coordination.12 Typing accurately and quickly is essential for increasingly complex schoolwork and many future careers.
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FAQ
What are fine motor skills?
These refer to one’s ability to perform precise and coordinated movements with small muscles, particularly in the hands and fingers. Fine motor skills are essential for everyday tasks that require dexterity and accuracy, such as writing, drawing, and manipulating small objects. These skills develop gradually through childhood and can be improved with practice and repetition
Understood. (n.d.). All About Fine Motor Skills. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/articles/all-about-fine-motor-skills
Why are fine motor skills important?
They hold a crucial role in many daily activities, such as self-care tasks (buttoning clothes, tying shoelaces), academic tasks (writing, cutting with scissors), and leisure activities (drawing, playing musical instruments). Fine motor skills also play a part in hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and cognitive skills, such as problem-solving and attention. Poor fine motor skills can negatively affect a person’s ability to perform these tasks and impact their overall quality of life.
Healthline. (2021). Fine Motor Skills: Development, Milestones, and Activities. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/fine-motor-skills#fine-motor-skills-timeline
Frontiers. (2017). Motor Skills Matter: Introduction to the Special Issue on Motor Development and Learning. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00301/full
NAPA Center. (n.d.). Fine Motor Activities. Retrieved from https://napacenter.org/fine-motor-activities/
What are motor skills in child development?
In child development these refer to the ability to move and control the body and its parts, and are essential for crawling, walking, running, and playing. They develop gradually through a series of milestones, starting from simple reflexes to more complex movements, and are influenced by factors like genetics, environment, and experience. Improving motor skills in childhood can have a positive impact on physical, social, and cognitive development.
Verywell Family. (2022). What Are Fine Motor Skills? Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-are-fine-motor-skills-2162037
Healthline. (2021). Fine Motor Skills: Development, Milestones, and Activities. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/fine-motor-skills#fine-motor-skills-timeline
Pregnancy Birth & Baby. (2022). Toddler Development: Motor Skills. Retrieved from https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/toddler-development-motor-skills
How can I improve my child’s motor skills?
Engaging in activities that promote movement and physical exercise can help develop and improve motor skills in children. Crawling, climbing, throwing, catching, and balancing can challenge children’s motor skills and help them develop new abilities. While fine motor skills improve through activities like drawing, cutting with scissors, stringing beads, and manipulating small objects, which also promote hand-eye coordination, concentration, and cognitive skills. Additionally, engaging in physical activities can have a positive impact on overall health and well-being.
Frontiers. (2017). Editorial: Motor Skills and Their Foundational Role for Perceptual, Social, and Cognitive Development. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01850/full
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Help Your Child Build Fine Motor Skills. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/help-your-child-build-fine-motor-skills
References
1. https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/ot/visual motor#:~:text=VISUAL%20MOTOR%20integration%20is%20a,into%20an%20accurate%20motor%20action.
2. https://www.theottoolbox.com/fine-motor-skills/ https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/ot/visual-motor#:~:text=VISUAL%20MOTOR%20integration%20is%20a,into%20an%20accurate%20motor%20action
3. https://www.theottoolbox.com/fine-motor-skills-needed-at-school-and/
4. https://medium.com/@GetScriba/do-good-fine-motor-skills-in-young-children-mean-they-will-do-better-at-school-96333a4405f#:~:text=From%20a%20neurological%20point%20of,having%20better%20performances%20in%20school.
5. https://childdevelopment.com.au/resources/child-development-charts/fine-motor-developmental-checklist/
6. https://childdevelopment.com.au/resources/child-development-charts/fine-motor-developmental-checklist/
7. https://napacenter.org/fine-motor-activities/
8. https://childdevelopment.com.au/resources/child-development-charts/fine-motor-developmental-checklist/
9. https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/25-fine-motor-activities-older-kids.html
10. https://www.choc.org/primary-care/ages-stages/6-to-12-years/
11. https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2022/12/14/fine-motor-skills-in-adolescence/
12. https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/25-fine-motor-activities-older-kids.html