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DEVELOPING FINE MOTOR SKILLS
By Kate A. Gates
Fine motor skills can be defined as small muscle movements. Fine-motor coordination involves the ability to control the small muscles of the body and is usually defined as the ability to coordinate the action of the eyes and hands together in performing precise manipulative movements (eye-hand coordination). The early forerunners of fine-motor control appear to be the reflex grasp and avoidance reactions that become integrated and refined with increasing age and experience.
The child's motor development
One important aspect of a child's development is the development of his/her motor skills. The child takes control of the world with his/her body; thanks to his/her motricity, he/she can interact with his/her environment, manipulate objects that are part of it, adapt to it and sometimes try to change it.
A child's motor development has an important influence on his/her whole person. It contributes to the child's independence (he/she can eventually get dressed or eat by him/herself), to his/her socialization (by participating in games with his/her friends), to his/her self-confidence (because he/she is getting better and better at it), and to his/her overall health (thanks to vigorous physical activities).
There are two kinds of stimulation that promote a harmonious development of a child's motricity: exploration and repetition.
Exploration: The child should have many opportunities to freely discover his/her environment, including objects that are part of it. The child needs to be encouraged and stimulated towards exploration activities, within an appropriate context, which must be reassuring, secure and possibly restricting because not everything can be allowed safely.
Repetition: Like with any other skill, adeptness and competency of a motor function come with repetition. All the activities offered to the children should be available for spontaneous repetition, and if necessary, under supervision of a reassuring adult.
Motricity depends on age
Between 2 and 4 years old: After mostly focusing on developing his large motor skills since birth, the child is now more available for activities requiring fine motor skills, especially manipulating objects that become smaller and smaller. At this age, many opportunities should be offered to the child to experiment with objects or toys without necessarily teaching the child a specific technique. The child should find in those experiments satisfaction and fun!
4 years old and older: The child is now interested and ready for both forms of motricity: fine and global. He/she is also more inclined to repetition with a specific goal such as drawing inside the lines or practicing a movement in a specific way (such as holding an object a certain way). The child usually demonstrates rapid gains in fine motor skills manipulation, finger dexterity and tool use. However, remember that fine motor skills do not develop overnight, but require patience and practice.
Motricity and play
Learning is easier when it is fun! That is why our program is helping the children develop their fine motor skills through activities that are both fun and creative.
Here are some activities that are, if not essential, very beneficial for your child's motor development.
- Self help skills: such as getting dressed independently. It is important to provide daily opportunities to master clothing and putting on shoes.
- Art: It allows for creative expression and imagination in conjunction with the development of fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination and independence. Chalkboards and easels also facilitate the development of large motor skills.
- Puzzles: Games and activities will encourage self-direction to develop fine motor skills but also will develop eye-hand coordination and strengthen visual perception.
- Construction games: By building structures with blocks of all kinds, the child develops motor control, visual discrimination, imagination and creativity.
In conclusion, it is crucial that you help your child develop his/her fine motor skills through fun activities starting at a very young age. Do not expect immediate results from your child but be patient. Time and practice are the key to success. It is not necessary and not recommended to push a child to write if his/her fine motor skills are not developed enough. It will only affect your child's self-confidence and slow down the process. Whether you like it or not, your child will be the one telling you and deciding when is the time to start writing.
Kate A. Gates is head teacher of the French preschool class at the International School of Charlottesville. She holds a Bachelor degree in Psychology and a Primary Teaching Certificate from AMI (Association Montessori International). She has been with the school since 1999.
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