The importances of fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are a necessary part of a child’s growth and development. Although they lag behind the corresponding gross motor skills, fine motor skills begin to develop early in life — the moment children start to explore the world around them.

What are fine motor skills?
Fine motor skills are the ability to coordinate the small muscles of hands, thumb, and fingers to make delicate and precise movements. Those skills are necessary for performing light tasks, such as grasping objects, feeding, drawing, writing, and buttoning clothes.

Children develop these skills from experience and repeated exposure to various toys and other objects.

Why fine motor skills are important
Here are the benefits of developing those tiny muscles:

• Fine motor skills are necessary for learning how to reach, grasp, and manipulate an object, which is an integral part of a child’s development
• It helps Your Child to learn how to use tools like pencils, crayons, chalk, and other writing materials
• By developing fine motor skills, Your Child can improve eye-hand coordination
• Fine motor skills are the precursor for developing writing and drawing skills
• The ability to perform basic tasks like brushing teeth, eating, and dressing up, helps your little one to build self-confidence

As Your Child’s fine motor skills improve, the little one will learn how to be more independent.

How to help Your Child develop fine motor skills
These are some of the activities that can help your little one develop fine motor skills:

• Drawing with pencils
• Playing in sand
• Coloring with crayons
• Using safe scissors
• Tracing objects
• Using fork and spoon
• Exploring grass and leaves
• Writing
• Drawing with sidewalk chalk
• Building with legos and blocks
• Puzzles
• Dressing dolls
• Beading necklaces
• Tying shoes
• Buttoning and zipping shirts and jackets
• Cutting and eating food
• Brushing hair and teeth
• Walking barefoot