Fine Motor Skill Development in Young Children: A Guide

Fine Motor Skills and Their Importance

Fine motor skills are skills that involve the use of small muscles in the hands, such as the fingers. The biggest challenge in fine motor skill development is the coordination of the hand with the eyes and brain, and this process is more complicated than many people imagine. These skills develop at a young age, typically before age five or six, and they play an important role in how our hands function during adolescence and adulthood.

The development of fine motor skills is vital in young children because it is these skills that help them perform many precise tasks such as writing and eating. When these skills are not developed properly, it can lead to problems such as inability to feed oneself, write, dress, groom, use a computer, or turn the pages of a book. For these reasons, considerable emphasis is placed on the proper development of fine motor skills.

These skills develop in an orderly sequence, starting from larger movements that do not require high levels of coordination—such as movements of the wrist and hand—and progressing to more refined movements such as writing, which use smaller muscles and bones like the fingers. Fine motor skills can be divided into three major categories: grasp, reach, and release. Each of these three categories is important for overall development (Curtis & Newman, 2005).

Fine motor skills have a direct impact on student attention at the kindergarten level. In a study that explored the relationship between fine motor skill development and student attention among 68 kindergartners in five classes, students who showed a higher level of fine motor skill development had a longer attention span. This finding is another reason why parents and teachers should focus on this aspect of child development (Stewart, Rule & Giordano, 2007).

Development of Fine Motor Skills

Normal and advanced development of fine motor skills gives a child a clear advantage in school and other extracurricular activities. There are many reasons for improper development of fine motor skills, including injury, illness, developmental problems, and diseases or conditions associated with the brain and spinal cord (Medline Plus, 2011). This is why pediatricians regularly check a child's growth and development to identify any weakness with fine motor skill. When a weakness is identified, certain toys and games are suggested. In more extreme cases, some form of physical and motor skill therapy is also recommended to help children overcome their difficulties.

One of the ways a doctor identifies fine motor skill development is by using developmental milestones. For example, an 18- to 24-month-old child should be able to clasp hands, fold paper, imitate a crayon stroke, pound or squeeze bits of clay, scoop sand with a shovel, and throw a ball (Smith, 2003). By age five, a child should be able to draw recognizable human figures with a clear face, legs, and hands attached to the body. At age six, children should be able to write words and numbers easily and should also have the hand-eye coordination to help with many household tasks such as caring for pets and making crafts. At age seven, they should be able to write words uniformly in the same size and shape, and by age eight they should be ready for cursive writing (Charlesworth, 2010).

When a child is unable to perform these actions, the parent or caregiver should work on fine motor skill development using different toys and activities. Some of the key ways a parent, teacher, or caregiver can improve a child's fine motor skills are discussed below.

There is a wide range of options available for teachers and parents to develop fine motor skills from a young age. The following sections briefly describe some of the most effective activities.

Developmental Activities

The first step in developing fine motor skills is tactile awareness. The skin is the largest sensory organ in the body and the one that sends touch signals to the brain. Tactile awareness is the ability to identify different textures and feel comfortable using them. To help children feel comfortable, teachers can provide a variety of materials at a sensory table—such as sandpaper, sand, clay, and cotton—for students to explore. Teachers can also organize a texture hunt, in which an assortment of objects with varying textures is placed around the room for students to touch and collect. This improves tactile ability and lays the foundation for fine motor skill development.

Art activities build strength and dexterity in the wrist and shoulders, which is why toddlers and preschoolers should be encouraged to engage in many different art activities. Painting, writing, and drawing are among the most important activities for young children, and parents should encourage these at home from an early age. Children can be given various surfaces to work on to maintain their interest. Paper, sand, and chalkboards are possible bases, while materials can include paints, crayons, pencils, chalk, and even sticks that work well on sandy surfaces. At school, teachers can ask children to try different postures—such as sitting, standing, and kneeling—while they paint or draw, which further strengthens the shoulders and arms.

Preschool age is a magical time for pretend and imaginative play, during which children create and enact different environments. Teachers and parents can give children different props to use in their play. For example, paper streamers can be given to each hand, and children can be asked to dance with them to a tune. Alternatively, teachers can ask children to imagine that snow is falling or a butterfly is flying and then imitate these movements with the streamers. This produces a range of motions that benefit the shoulders and, in turn, positively affect fine motor skill development.

One of the most effective ways to develop fine motor skills in children is through a variety of games, which keep children engaged while simultaneously building their abilities. These games can be adapted for groups or for individuals, and many practical everyday objects can be incorporated to increase children's awareness of real-world items and their uses. In a study conducted with 101 public school kindergartners over a six-month period, practical objects such as spoons were used as the basis for games. At the end of the period, writing and drawing skills had improved in the majority of the children (Rule & Stewart, 2002).

Teachers can incorporate many such materials into playtime—asking children to walk while balancing a spoon and a lemon, participate in dress-up games, mime playing a guitar, climb a ladder, or shoot an arrow. Any activity that involves the use of small muscles in the hands encourages fine motor skill development (Smith, 2003).

Conclusion

In short, fine motor skills come after the development of gross motor skills and are important for helping children write, dress, eat, and function independently as they grow. The development of fine motor skills can be supported through a range of activities, especially to help children who lag behind their peers. Parents, teachers, and caregivers who work with young children should understand what to look for in terms of fine motor skill developmental milestones and know what steps to take to strengthen this important skill set in the children in their care.