This article, authored by Patrick Mihalicz, was originally featured on our previous blog with Carefind – an online hub connecting families across Canada with daycares, preschools, out of school care, and approved day homes.
As children grow, they begin to engage in many new and exciting activities, such as printing, colouring, arts and crafts, make-believe play, dressing themselves, etc. Fine motor skills play a crucial role in all of these activities. From holding a crayon, to buttoning a shirt, or tying shoelaces, fine motor skills play a crucial role in all of these activities. While other elements related to fine motor skills are deployed during these activities, such as hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, hand and arm strength, and joint stability during, dine motor skills are integral to their success.
BUT WHAT EXACTLY ARE FINE MOTOR SKILLS?
Generally speaking, fine motor skills involve the use of one’s hands and fingers to perform precise movements that are used in many daily activities. As children grow and gain experience with the world around them, their fine motor skills continuously develop, and more advanced fine motor skills emerge for them to use. Here are a few examples of some fine motor skills:
Pincer Grasp: Pinching an object between the index finger and thumb. You might see your child do this when they hold coins or small beads while making an art project.
Palmar Supinate Grasp: This is one of the first grasps children use to hold a pencil, and they can typically scribble or colour with this type of grasp. It involves holding an object in a fist with the thumb towards the top.
Tripod Grasp: Using the thumb, index finger, and middle fingers to hold and manipulate an object. Holding a pencil with this type of grasp is generally considered to be the most advanced grasp technique. It is the grasp technique used for writing by adults and older children.
WHAT IF I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT MY CHILD'S FINE MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT?
Children’s fine motor skills typically continue to develop as they play, and engage in more activities. Some children experience difficulties with their fine motor skills and performing activities that demand more advanced fine motor abilities. This can happen for a variety of reasons, and typically is not a major concern – all children grow and develop differently!
However, if this is a chronic problem, and/or a significant concern, it may be worth investigating further with your family physician or paediatrician. Problems with fine motor skills can be due to a developmental disorder, such as ADHD or Cerebral Palsy.
As well, approximately 5-6% of school aged children and youth suffer from Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), a "chronic motor skill disorder ... that significantly affects activities of daily living, school performance, and leisure activities." DCD manifests when there is a delay in motor skill development, resulting in challenges or the inability to perform common daily tasks. These children are frequently described as "clumsy" or "awkward" and standout from their peers due to their inability to perform age-appropriate tasks, without any underlying medical or neurological explanations for their difficulties.
To be clear, not all children who display occasional clumsiness or slight delays in certain developmental milestones have DCD. As noted above, each child develops at a different pace and sequence. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, it is recommended to consult with a family physician or pediatrician as they can provide guidence, and if necessary, refer you to the appropriate resources and professionals. Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists can support your child’s motor development by developing a program tailored to meet their needs and goals.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY CHILD'S FINE MOTOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT?
If you would like to help your child improve their fine motor skills, there are many things that you can do! Here are just a few ideas:
Improve Grasp Dexterity:
Practice threading beads or macaroni on a string: Children will need to pick up the object and manipulate them in their hands and fingers to position them for stringing. You can move from larger beads to smaller ones as your child improves, allowing them to build up their dexterity over time.
Practice lacing up a pair of shoes: This has the added benefit of being a skill that your child will eventually use daily to help dress themselves!
Building with blocks or Lego: As with threading beads, children will have to grab the blocks/pieces, manipulate them in their hands, position the blocks where they would like them, then place them. If age appropriate (i.e., not a choking hazard!), consider allowing your child to smaller pieces and different shapes to provide them with more opportunities to practice their dexterity.
Improve Grasp Strength:
Hanging clothes or other objects on a line with clothespins: Children can pinch the clothespins to open them, then position them over the objects. This will strengthen the finger muscles used for the pincher and pincer grasps.
Cutting lines or shapes on paper with scissors: Consider using safety scissors for this activity to avoid cuts or accidents!
Working with modeling clay/putty: Making different shapes and structures involves engaging a variety of fine motor skills (e.g., pinching to make a pointy shape, rolling to make a round shape). This allows for more opportunities to build children's hand and finger muscles.
While these suggested activities are broken into two separate categories, dexterity and strength, they are not mutually exclusive. Tasks that improve dexterity often develop strength, and vice versa. Furthermore, building strength and improving dexterity improve children’s fine motor control, which aids with other activities that demand advanced fine motor skills, such as writing.
Engaging in the actual tasks that require strong fine motor skills if often one of the most effective ways to enhance performance in these areas. Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are daily tasks that we do related to our self-care, such as showering, toileting, eating, and getting dressed. As fine motor skills are an integral part of these tasks, practicing ADLS is one way to support fine motor skills development.
You can have your child help as you dress them. Depending on their age and current ability, you can start small by asking them to help put on their socks or hold a part of a zipper as you zip up their jacket before they play outside. Eventually, you can include other aspects of dressing, like pulling up pants or doing up snaps or buttons on a jacket. As they improve, let your child take on more tasks! Not only will improve their fine motor skills, but it can also help to build their confidence.
Of course, it may not always be practical to have children dress themselves, so it's helpful to practice these skills when you're not rushing out the door. Consider incorporating these techniques into children's make-believe play or dress-up time, or encouraging your child to dress-up a doll or a stuffed animal. Making skill development fun can increase their motivation to continue practicing in the future!
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