Fine motor skills are what we all rely on throughout our life to help us complete what we consider basic tasks. From the many shoes we tie up to the keyboards we all type on and cards we write by hand – there are a host of things we can do to help our children learn to do all these things just as well.
Here are some top tips that this prep school in London shares with us to help you teach your child about how to use those fine motor skills.
Encourage play time
Play time is hugely important, of course! It will help your child learn a lot of their first skills, all of which are essential to your child’s first years of life. From a very young age your child should be exploring different toys that have many textures, shapes and sizes. Allow them to get a feeling for these toys to get them feeling comfortable.
Painting
Picking up a paint brush, pushing the brush down and watching the colour appear on your desired canvas all help your child get used to handling their fine motor skills. Repeated practice will help your child understand the feeling they get from holding lots of different tools, like pens, colouring pencils and door handles.
Board games
This is something that can be picked up at lots of different stages in a child’s life. Most board games involve holding dice, picking up counters or holding cards – all of which help your child pick up fine motor skills in ways they may have not realised. These are usually quite small objects to pick up and get used to for your child.
Baking
Making cakes is always fun and engaging, especially if they’re sweet treats. Get your child involved in mixing up cake mixtures. Holding whisks, stirring spoons and holding the mixing bowl will all help your child get better trained to use their arms as well as their hands and fingers.
