The Power of Fine Motor Skills

All children benefit from experiences that enhance the development of fine motor skills, not only in preparation for writing, but for things that we do EVERY DAY.  And developing those skills can and should be fun!

We use fine motor skills all the time without us even realizing it: tying shoelaces/ manipulating buttons/ sorting the coins in our wallets/ isolating our fingers to play the piano and guitar/ typing on the computer / use of utensils for eating/ playing wii games…  Along with these, children use fine motor skills for schoolwork such as writing, cutting and turning the pages of books.

There is a link between the development of strong fine motor skills when children are young and good printing/writing skills as children grow older.  You might be thinking that in this day and age, printing is not as important anymore, as we all use computers. Who needs to write – right?! Well, here’s to debunking a modern myth:  printing is extremely important for literacy! This includes reading and writing.  The act of writing out words (printing) is a necessary precursor to being skilled in reading, spelling and sentence formation.

However- before we sit our kids down at a table and hand them a crayon, have a look at this: Young children up until 5 years of age use their hands mainly to explore and learn about themselves and their environment.  We don’t want to give them writing tools and start expecting them to print before they are developmentally ready for it.  After all- we do need to walk before we can run.  We want to first develop the building blocks in order to provide a strong foundation on which to build and learn new printing skills.  So what are the building blocks and how do we stimulate them?

Everything begins with a strong base of support, starting with our trunk, then our shoulders, then our wrist and hands.  Imagine how difficult it would be to complete an intricate painting if you are sitting on an unstable 3-legged stool that keeps wobbling every time you move and your feet are dangling in the air.  We need control and upper body strength to steady us, which then provides the stability and freedom to use our hands to manipulate and control objects.  In light of this-children should be outside moving and running and playing instead of sitting at a desk, as all these aspects will be strengthened and developed through their play.  It is said that children need at least 3-4 hours a day of movement play to ensure optimal sensory and motor development needed for printing skills.  See our list below for ideas to strengthen these areas.

• Wheelbarrow walking (For younger children hold them at their hips/knees instead of their ankles)
• Animal walks (bear/ crab/ dog crawl/ donkey kicks)
• Tug-of-war games (using towels/ bed sheets/ rope)
• Do activities while lying on your tummy e.g. reading books/ puzzles/ colouring (propping yourself up on your forearms strengthens the shoulder)
• Draw and paint on a vertical surface like a chalkboard, or put paper up on the wall.  By drawing on a vertical surface your shoulder muscles are needed to stabilize the arm and therefore is strengthened in the process. (Handy hint- if you are drawing with chalk or crayons-break them in half, as this promotes the correct tripod pencil grip- but only from   ages 4 up)
• Play with any activity in a vertical plane e.g. Fridge magnets, felt boards, etch-a-sketch
• Hang from the monkey bars at the playground or climb on the jungle gym
• Lie on an exercise ball/ beach ball on your tummy with your hands on the floor and complete a simple puzzle.  Weight shifting from one hand to the other as you pick up different puzzle pieces strengthens the shoulder. (If doing this, make sure the head and heart are not lower than the feet: you may need a small size ball for younger children)
• Play with a balloon and try to keep it up in the air over your head. To make this easier for younger children, tie the balloon to a piece of string. Let your child lie on their back and dangle it above their head so they have to lift their arms to hit the balloon.
• Lie on your tummy on a skateboard and try to pull yourself along with only your arms.
• Push or pull heavy things e.g. laundry basket, chair, pram/wagon/box filled with toys.

Dominance (or hand preference) is just as important for fine motor skills.  It is not fully established until about the age of 6 years old, but you will start to see it developing as early as 2-3 years of age.  Switching hands is common in young children as they try to figure out which hand is stronger and more accurate, but if your child is still unsure of which hand is dominant by the time they reach kindergarten, then it might be helpful for you to put on your detective hat to help your child figure out which one is stronger.  If your child is not showing a preference don’t try to force them to use one or the other.  Instead do activities that will elicit a “doing” hand and a “helping/holding” hand.  One hand will do the difficult fine motor part, while the other stabilizes or helps support.  Types of these include:

• Beading (the dominant hand will thread and the other will hold the bead)
• Pegboard (the dominant hand will insert the peg into the board while the other holds the board and prevents it from moving)
• Build a tower of blocks (as the tower gets higher and more wobbly-the dominant hand will start to stack the blocks)
• Pouring water from a jug into a cup (the dominant hand will do the pouring while the other supports the cup)
• Look out for which hand your child uses to brush their teeth or hold eating utensils

Also give toys and activities to your child in the middle of their body so that the dominant hand will reach out to take the object.  If an object is on the left, the child will use the left hand to pick it up, and if an object is on the right, the child will use the right hand to pick it up.

With a strong base of support and an emerging dominant side, you can easily start to use your hands for more intricate activities-developing finger and hand dexterity.  The activities below are for you to help develop your child’s own unique potential.  We all know the obvious games like beading, lacing, playing with play dough, pegboards, etc so here is a list of new and novel ideas to add to your collection.   All of these can be adapted for younger or older kids. Use your imagination, go wild and most importantly- have fun together! (Stimulating fine motor skills is just an added bonus)

Have fun movin’ your mountains together.

Tamsin, Occupational Therapist and Co-owner