Great of you to tune into our next blog that talks about Fine Motor activities children start developing at an early age.
What are fine motor skills and why is it beneficial for children’s development?
Think about it.
-How do you write quickly, neatly, and with control?
-How do you move your facial muscles, lips and tongue in coordination while talking?
– How do you turn the door knob to enter and exit?
You do it with the help of your fine motor skills that develop after or simultaneously with your gross motor skills.
Fine motor skills involve using fingers, wrist, feet, tongue, and lips for small movements in children such as reaching out for toys, sucking thumb, making sounds by moving lips and tongue, etc.
HERE ARE 6 BENEFITS OF FINE MOTOR SKILLS
- Improves hand-eye coordination. Children usually explore their surroundings with fine motor skills using their eyes to increase the link between what they see and what they reach out to hold and touch.
- Speech & Language – Assists in the development of communication skills as oral motor skills helps in the movement of cheek, mouth, lips and tongue muscles. Writing and drawing involves moving fingers in novel patterns.
- Fosters independence. This is a core skill where children feel they have power and control over their surroundings. Fine motor skills help develop independence. For instance, trying to get dressed or eating food. *Pro Tip here would be to encourage children to do simple tasks by themselves.*
- Improves physical and mental awareness. When a child uses both small parts of physical muscles, it encourages the brain to develop and learn new skills and activates their cognitive skills such as problem solving, memorising, attention and meaning behind every event.
- Foster Creativity. Many art and craft activities involve using Fine motor skills such as Weaving, Sewing or threading, Painting with different types of brushes or other tools, Making playdough models using a range of different resources, etc. Pro Tip here would be to use your child’s favourite art activities or material they enjoy to motivate them.
- Social Boost. Suppose there are group activities that involve children threading beads, playing with blocks, fun art exercises, etc. and your child gets picked up last because his fine motor skills aren’t great. It can impact his self confidence and relationship with other children. So having good fine motor skills helps feel connected and able to make good relationships.
Worried your child shows poor hand-eye coordination? They have trouble building blocks or holding objects in hand? Doubts and worries are natural for all parents. Give your anxiety a rest and consult a child expert to know more.
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