From the moment we’re born we start to develop our fine and gross motor skills to help us carry out perfectly normal movements, like lifting our heads, sitting up, and holding things. The skills continue to develop as we age until we eventually take them for granted, as we don’t even realise we’re using them. Parents can help their child develop their fine motor skills using the following tips from an independent school in Hammersmith.
Play with Lego
Playing with Lego is a great way to help your child strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers because it requires push and pull movements and the manipulation of tiny objects. The same applies to board games and jigsaws, but bear in mind that they can be choking hazards so make sure they are age appropriate.
Do Some Gardening
Encouraging your child to help you with some gardening work is another way to get them to use their hands and develop their fine motor skills. Give them a small trowel or spade and ask them to dig up the flower beds for you, or use a watering can to give the plants some life. Again, these are activities that will help strengthen their smaller muscles.
Encourage Independent Dressing
Getting dressed in the morning requires fine motor skills, like when you do up your buttons and zips, brush your teeth, or tie your shoelaces. With this in mind, try to encourage your child to get themselves dressed in the morning so that they have the opportunity to develop their fine motor skills. It can be tempting to take over and same time, but this won’t benefit your child.
Get Crafty
Arts and crafts are another great way to strengthen the small muscles in the hands, fingers, and wrists. Give your child a paint brush or some colouring pencils and let them get to work. As their skills progress their arts and crafts projects will start to look neater.