Eye Hand Coordination

The six domains of development (gross motor, fine motor, language, cognitive, self help/adaptive, and social/emotional), in infant development is predictable. Using the large muscles, the infant cognitively thinks about repeating behaviors that were pleasurable. He/she desires more, but the hands are not yet functional. Fine motor skills are those movements involving fingers, hands, wrists and eyes (the smaller muscles of the body).

You have often heard the term “eye/hand coordination”. Both eyes and hand muscles must work together for the infant for continued development. At birth, the infant’s eyes cross as he/she struggles to make out our image. We place a rattle in the infants clenched fist and watch as the rattle is moved in erratic waves with the arm movements. But the infant does not release or grasp the rattle independently, nor does he/she look at it. With repeated practice, by the third month, the infant will be able to. By six months, he/she can grasp objects and transfer it from one hand to the other. Around nine to ten months, use the highchair to give finger foods like O-shaped cereals, or other similar food for practicing the pincher grasp. At twelve months, the pincher grasp (using the thumb and finger to grasp objects) has developed. With this, fine motor skill development will rake off, bringing about advancement in the other development domains,

To help in the development of fine motor skills, face your infant, put your fingers in his/her fist, and gently sing or speak. Exaggerate your facial movements, making them as big as possible. With his/her hands clutched tightly around your fingers, gently move your infants arms forward and backward in a rocking rhythm. Offer tactile toys to stimulate touch. Choose toys with bumps, smooth surfaces, waffles, or other texture. Place the textured toy in your child’s hand and a rattle in the other hand. You are stimulating both touch and hearing and the infant is getting practice in integrating two senses. It is important to allow your child to finger feed as soon as he/she is sitting independently in a high chair. Begin by putting a spoonful of the food you are feeding him/her on the tray. Put his/her fingers into the food and swirl it around. Raise the hand to the mouth. I know this sounds messy but it is very important. It is necessary for good early childhood development.

As your child grows, new activities should be added that focuses on developing of the muscles in the hand. Anything that can be squeezed, such as, wringing out a wash cloth or sponge is great. Bath time is a good time for this activity. Start the activity as soon as your child can sit independently in the bath tub. Make it fun, squeeze water into a bottle or sink a boat. Make a picture by having your child tear paper strips. Glue the strips on a piece of paper. Let your child squeeze the glue. Finger painting or playing in shaving cream on a table, are also good ways to develop the muscles in the hands. Use tweezers, eye lash curlers or clothes pins to pick up cotton balls. Play dough is another important tool useful in hand muscle development (kneading, rolling, cutting). Other activities include, stamping, drawing, and coloring. Pick up small food objects (raisins or cheerios), one at a time and put them in a bowl.

Fine motor skills should be developed sufficiently to use a pencil, scissors and be independant in dressing and eating before entering kindergarten.