Fine Motor Skills Development
With gross motor skills developing, the child will begin to concentrate on developing fine motor skills. Fine motor development involves the smaller muscles of the body (hands, eyes, etc.). “Eye/hand coordination” is important in further development. At birth, the infant’s eyes cross as he/she struggles to make out our image. By placing a rattle in the infant’s clenched fist, you will aid in further development. Without knowing it, the infant flails the arm and makes sounds, stimulating hearing and touch. Cognitively, the infant must connect the two separate actions and begin to understand “cause and effect” (if I do this, it causes this), an important cognitive skill.
For a time, the infant uses the hand to clutch and examine objects. Later, the child will develop hand muscle strength that will allow the use of thumb and finger to grasp objects. Since this is a major accomplishments, we should offer the infant opportunities to handle objects that will fit into fists/hands that have texture and makes sounds (do not forget safety from swallowing a small object). Fine motor skills continue to develop throughout the early years of childhood. We witness this in children’s handwriting and art work. With each school year, the child’s writing improves as the muscles mature. As a parent, I did not worry over handwriting grades, as it is more about maturity of muscles that effort.
Fine motor skill development can be encouraged through interaction with your child. A very simple and early lap activity, is to 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 the 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. When choosing toys, remember safety first. Nothing that will come off in the child’s mouth, as this is the first place the toy will go. Place the textured toy in the infant’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. My son ended up looking like he had been in a food fight, but it will wash off. Don’t be afraid to let your child get messy. It is necessary for good early childhood development.
As the child grows new activities should be added that focuses on develop 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. Have 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.
