Fine Motor Development

Jacinta Watts talks about the development of Fine Motor Skills in young children

Fine motor skills can be defined as involving the small muscles of the fingers, hands and wrists to hold and manipulate small objects and assist in participation in our everyday occupations (Strooband et al., 2020). These skills assist children in completing their daily tasks including, dressing, doing up buttons, tying laces, playing with toys which may include Lego, building puzzles, eating, academic skills including cutting, colouring and writing. Fine motor skills are built up from several building block skills that children require to engage in these skills. These include postural control (being able to keep your body upright at a table), muscle strength, integration of the visual and motor systems, in-hand manipulation, attention and bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body to complete a task) to name a few (Memisevic and Hadzic, 2013).

Research has shown children’s exposure to different objects and the opportunity for exploration has an impact on the child’s ability to develop fine motor skills (Ratcliffe, Franzsen and Bischof, 2013). To maintain a functional pencil grip, with age-appropriate endurance and accuracy, they need to be able to use the appropriate strength and force when using or exploring different objects, for example when squeezing out toothpaste, using too much pressure results in a large amount of toothpaste shooting out of the tube. As children develop their strength, finger dexterity, in-hand manipulation and exploration of different textures and objects, they become more competent in tool use.

As children explore and engage with many objects, each experience assists in the child’s brain refining and ensuring accurate motor actions are completed(Giorgio Rizzi, Mustafa Coban and Kelly R. Tan, 2019). This can be seen as children practice tasks, they are able to master the fine motor skill with improved control and accuracy. There has been research identifying the association between fine motor skills and children’s gross motor skills, school achievement and executive functions, suggesting importance of the development of these skills have a positive influence on their future scholastic career (Strooband et al., 2020). Research shows that it is important to have a balance between fine motor skills and screen time use for the development of motor control and visual integration (Strooband et al., 2020).

For children to develop their pencil grip, there are building blocks that should be achieved before the dynamic tripod grip is mastered. Children initially make large arm movements while completing fine motor tasks, these can include colouring on a large surface, playing with water or throwing balls, this full arm movement is an important precursor to the child’s muscle development of their hands (Huffman and Fortenberry, 2011). Here are a few fun activities to strengthen hand muscles, squeezing water out of a sponge, playing with playdough or rolling pizza or cookie dough. Strengthening of hand muscles leads to development of coordination of smaller movements of the child’s fingers (Huffman and Fortenberry, 2011). Incorporating activities such as pinching clothes pegs, tearing paper, and threading beads assists in the development of the pincer movements of the child’s fingers (Huffman and Fortenberry, 2011). A final stage of development includes the mastery of the pincer control, this allows the child to utilize their index, thumb and middle fingers to maintain a pencil within their hands and coordinate their fingers to execute drawing and colouring (Huffman and Fortenberry, 2011).

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Let’s have a look at some of the milestones for fine motor skills and the activities to assist with the development:

Birth – 6-month Milestones:

· Develops an accurate reach to an object

· Uses palmar grasping patterns

· Able to hold an object in hand and bring it to mouth

· Transfers object hand to hand

· Plays with hands at the midline

Try:

· Place objects in child’s reach

· Explore objects during bath time

· Encourage exploration of objects while in tummy time

· Encourage grasping of large objects such as balls and rattles

6 – 12 month Milestones:

· Mouths toys

· Makes use of accurate and direct reach for toys

· Plays with toys at midline and transfers toys hand to hand

· Bangs objects together to make a sound

· Releases toys into a container

· Points with the index finger

· Grasps small objects in fingertips

Try:

· Pour water from one container to another during bath time

· Turning pages of age-appropriate books.

· Blowing bubbles to develop eye movements

· Allow exploration of food with hands during feeding time

· Clapping hands

12 – 18 Month milestones:

· Holds crayon and makes scribbles

· Stacks blocks

· Opens and closes toy boxes or containers

· Makes use of both hands in play. One for stabilization, the other manipulates object

Try:

· Building blocks and towers, then knocking them down

· Throwing objects

· Playing with sand and water, filling containers and moulds, then emptying them

· Feeding self with spoon

18 – 24 months Milestones

· Able to pick up small objects with a pincer grasp of thumb and index finger

· Holds crayon in fingertips

· Strings beads

· Starts to use simple tools

Try:

· Taking off and putting on lids

· Threading beads

· Drawing on surfaces with different mediums including chalk

· Playing with playdough

24 – 36 Month Milestones

· Wrist movement developing

· Holds crayon with dexterity

· Grasps pencil with fingers

· Snips with scissors

Try:

· Stringing beads

· Playing with pegboards

· Helping hang up washing by placing clothes pegs on the line

· Painting pictures with fingers.

· Playing with a Toy kitchen or toolset

3 – 4 year Milestones

· Digital pronate grasp develops into a static tripod grasp

· Colours within the lines

· Copies simple shapes, and begins to copy letters

· Manipulates objects in their hands

Try:

· Craft activities: colouring, cutting, and pasting.

· Playing with sticker books.

· Buttoning and unbuttoning shirts – wonderful to complete this during pretend play

· Earbud painting

4 – 5-year-old Milestones

· Makes use of a dynamic tripod grip

· Copies simple shapes

· Uses scissors to cut out simple shapes

· Uses both hands together in tasks

· Strings small beads

· Copies own name

· Claps hands rhythmically

Try:

· Untying shoelaces

· Using a punch to make circles for craft activities

· Picking up objects with tweezers

· Making puzzles

· Placing coins into a piggy bank

· Tearing paper to paste into a picture

(Case-Jane, Smith; O’Brien, 2010)

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