Fine motor skills are skills that involve the performance of skeletal, muscular and neurological functions. Unlike gross motor skills, which involve running and jumping, it deals with more precise, concentration-demanding movements. As a rule, such skills develop more slowly.
Develop motor skills
Children who have fine motor skills have weakly developed hand and wrist muscles. There are many types of play activities that open up opportunities for the development of fine motor skills. Building towers with blocks, sculpting with dough or plasticine, stringing beads, solving all kinds of age-appropriate puzzles - all these and many other activities require a certain amount of precision and help to acquire the necessary skills.
Gross and fine motor skills
What is fine motor skills? This is the use of the muscles of the hands, fingers and wrists. Children use these skills when writing, holding small objects,fastening clothes, turning pages, while eating, cutting with scissors, working on the keyboard. Mastering all this requires precision and coordination. According to experts, manual dexterity is directly related to cognitive development. It is through the hands that the child demonstrates the connection between thought and action.
Therefore, motor skills are very important. And for its development there are a huge number of tools and devices. It can be colorful paper clips, clothespins, rubber bands, stickers, balls, beads, cubes, kinetic sand and much more. Gross motor skills develop a little faster, examples include controlled actions such as throwing a ball, as well as walking and jumping. Motor skills and the use of large muscle groups require less precision.
Playing with dough
Dough games have been one of the most loved pastimes for decades. This is not only interesting, but also useful. With the help of modeling, some important skills are developed. Squeezing and stretching the dough strengthens the muscles of the fingers, and the sensations of touch are a valuable sensory experience. Of course, baking with real dough is another great way to play and learn at the same time!
Drawing with fingers
Drawing with hands and fingers is not only fun and unusual, but it also improves the hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity of the child. All you need is an easel or a thick piece of paper, finger paints and space.
Water games
As a rule, children just love water. Using their interest in everything new and unusual, you can make the development of motor skills both enjoyable and rewarding. You can take two separate bowls, one filled with water and the other empty. Give the child a sponge and help dip it into the water. Then together squeeze the moisture out of the sponge into another bowl. This simple game helps strengthen the hands and forearms. Add more fun to the process by adding bubbles or food coloring to the bowl.
Pasta necklace
Stringing different kinds of beads is a great way to develop a child's creativity, it improves hand-eye coordination and develops the ability to manipulate objects. For starters, you can use thick threads and large beads, or, for example, large pieces of dry pasta. As time goes by, designs can get a little more complex with smaller details.
Paper Crafts
Crafts are an effective tool for developing motor skills. Let your child experiment with crayons and markers to create their own unique designs and paper projects. When drawing, you can use both special brushes and fingers. As the child grows older, you can use scissors to cut paper. These activities will help him learn how to use his wrists, hands, and fingers. Cut out masterpieces can be turned into something voluminous with glue, which will also deliver to the babya lot of positive emotions.
Self-service
Older children can develop fine motor skills simply by grooming themselves. For example, when a child dresses on his own, he can fasten buttons and buttons, tie shoelaces. Let the child try to brush his teeth, zip up and comb his hair. Such simple tasks are also a kind of motor skills, this is also a good educational moment for developing a sense of responsibility.
Using the same muscles can help kids develop muscle memory. It is very important not to overdo it when learning, do not give the child impossible tasks for him. Any activity should stimulate him to further research, bring pleasure and cause only positive emotions.
