Fine Motor Skills For Toddlers | FREE Guide

At-home Activities
9 fun activities to do with your toddler
9 top activities to do with your toddler at home and outdoors, to help develop their fine and gross motor skills, problem solving and overall resilience.
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Practical Tips For Teaching Your Child To Count
There is usually a lot of excitement that comes when you first discover your little one can count! Now this might only be 1-2-3 but it is an achievement and one to celebrate. Children get great joy in showing off their new found skill, especially when it gets quite the response from you. As they grow, children need to be exposed to lots of experiences with making, counting, drawing and talking about numbers. It’s important...
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So what are fine motor skills?
Fine motor skills are movements that involve the coordination of small muscles in the hands, fingers, feet and toes. Children will use their fine motor skills to participate in smaller actions, such as picking up objects between the thumb and finger and eventually developing coordination. Whilst it might seem more exciting to watch your baby develop gross motor skills such as crawling, standing, walking and jumping… fine motor skills are actually equally as important. As your child grows, their fine motor skills play a huge part in them being able to care for themselves and explore the world. Fine motor skills are essential to learning and completing tasks such as writing, cutting, using a fork or spoon, threading beads, moving puzzle pieces, zipping, buttoning, brushing teeth, opening lunch boxes – the list goes on!Development of fine motor skills – baby to toddler
Babies are born with no control over their hand movements and any grasping that a newborn does, is actually reflexive. Between 6 and 12 months – babies develop the ability to grasp objects with their whole hand. They will explore objects by touching, poking, throwing and banging. Around this time, your baby may also develop the ability to stack. Between 12 to 18 months – your toddler will develop the ability to pinch, also called the ‘pincer grasp’. This allows them to manipulate objects, often pulling things in and out of smaller spaces. They will also likely be able to hold their sippy cup, feed themselves with a spoon, take their socks on and off and put a hat on their head. Between the ages of 1 and 3 years – fine motor skills become much more sophisticated. You will notice your toddler is able to push, pull, twist, turn pages, throw a small ball and unwrap objects. Around this time you will also likely notice whether your child favours their left or right hand.Ways to support your baby’s fine motor skill development
Have you ever come around the corner to find your toddler completely pulling apart the Tupperware cupboard? Despite the mess, this is actually a great way for them to build their fine motor skills. This type of play and manipulation will prepare your child for using a crayon to draw, and eventually write – both critical skills for preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Unlike gross motor skills, fine motor skills need attention in order to develop well. For example, there is no way you will be able to stop your baby walking when they are ready to walk, but if they are not taught how to hold a pencil, then it is likely this is something they will struggle with now and in the future. With this in mind, it is important to take the extra time to support your toddler to develop their fine motor skills. This is often about giving them the independence to explore. Try to find activities that will not only strengthen your toddler’s fine motor skills, but also encourages their confidence. The more praise they get, the more likely they are to continue engaging in the activities you suggest. Look for opportunities throughout the day for your child to practice small movements with their fingers.Suggested activities for fine motor skill development
A younger baby /- Clap hands
- Touch fingers
- Sensory bins and treasure baskets
- Tummy time
- Shape sorters
- Filling and dumping
- Pasting things onto paper
- Dress themselves
- Build a tower out of blocks or large lego
- Puzzles
- Use pencils and crayons in an attempt to colour and draw
- Get creative with Playdough
- Play with dolls or figures that have moving limbs, or changeable clothing
- Simple, age appropriate art projects
- Self-feeding (using a Spoon & Sippy Cup on their own)
- Pasta threading
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