Fine motor skills are when we use the small muscles in our hands and fingers to complete everyday tasks like doing up the buttons on our shirts or writing a letter. The efficiency of our fine motor skills will influence how well these tasks are performed, so it’s important for parents to find ways to help their children develop these skills from a young age. Here’s some advice from a girls’ school in Amersham. 

Encourage Your Child to Help in the Garden:

You may have thought that spending time outdoors in any capacity is great for gross motor skills, but perhaps not necessarily for fine motor skills. This is an inaccurate assumption. Planting tiny seeds or using a trowel to dig are both examples of activities that require good fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. 

Encourage Your Child to Help in the Kitchen:

Much like gardening, there are lots of tasks in the kitchen that require strong fine motor skills, such as pouring without spilling. So, next time you’re cooking, as your little one to give you a helping hand.

Play with Clay or Play-Dough:

Moving and manipulating clay or dough is a great tactile experience and helps children explore new hand and wrist motions, like rolling and pinching.

Promote Independent Dressing:

It might take a little longer for your family to get out of the door on time if your child is dressing themselves, but it’s important for their development. With that said, why not set your alarm a little earlier and encourage your child to do up their own buttons and laces and brush their own teeth and hair.

Nurture Your Child’s Creative Sides:

Arts and crafts activities are fantastic for strengthening fine motor skills because they involve the careful manipulation of a variety of tools from pens and crayons, to paintbrushes and even scissors. With this in mind, try and set up a creative station for your child once in a while so that they have the chance to build on various skills, including fine motor. 

Play with Bottles & Jars:

Believe it or not, some of the things that you consider to be junk might actually benefit your child. So, fill up a box or basket with lots of empty jars and bottles of different sizes with their corresponding lids. Turn it into a game by encouraging your child to see how quickly they can find the correct lid for each jar/bottle. The twisting motion is great for strengthening the muscles in the hands and wrists.

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