Learn About Preschool Fine Motor Activity
Do your child’s family drawings look like a gathering of amoebas with eyes? Is their cutting project decapitating heads or limbs, or has the intended triangle become a boulder? How does their handwriting for kids compare with their classmates, and are they proud to have their work hanging in the school hallway?
Joking aside… and yes, the above was intended for laughs… the road toward printing, cutting, and drawing mastery can take a number of left turns, some of them comical in hindsight.
While children’s efforts are sincere, their initial enthusiasm may start to wane as they increasingly struggle to achieve grade-level competence in any preschool fine motor activity, including printing, scissor use, and drawing. These are examples of potential or real motor skills difficulties and speak to the importance of motor skills in early childhood development. Learn more about the importance of fine motor skills and how you can help your child develop them here.
Why Is Fine Motor Skills Development So Important?
Children, in their earliest developmental years, are eagerly learning how their eyes, hands, and bodies work. For most children, skill acquisition follows a predictable course and a timely schedule. Most preschool or early childhood programs include major blocks of time on the playground, on climbing apparatus, in gyms, or engaging in another preschool fine motor activity. The time spent in these locations and on these activities is intended to build social, motor, and perceptual skills — foundations for health, development, and a positive self-image.
But for some children, the learning curve for fine motor skills in preschool is longer, harder, and riddled with challenges. If unsatisfactory participation, limitations on access, and a lack of success are emblematic of your child’s experience, it may be time for an intervention.
How to Help Your Child With Fine Motor Skills Development
Pediatric Occupational Therapy is a science-driven health profession trained to help build the foundation for later skill development, especially for children struggling to acquire these skills. Pediatric Occupational Therapists (OTs), valuing the importance of fine and gross motor skills in early childhood development, identify tools and strategies parents or teachers can use to help children develop fine and gross motor skills early in life.
Working proactively, cooperatively, and through direct intervention, a developmental team of OTs, Physical Therapists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Teachers, Counselors, and other specialists can ensure a child’s successful participation in all facets of his or her life - home, school, and the community.
Let’s start by focusing on the importance of fine motor skills.
What Are Fine Motor Skills?
Fine motor skills generally refer to small muscle activities made by the hands, wrists, fingers, feet, toes, and tongue. Preschool fine motor activities may range from playing on the jungle gym to cutting out paper for a school art project. As children practice and learn from their mistakes, their fine motor skills development improves.
Fine Motor Skills Vs. Gross Motor Skills
Preschool fine motor skills activities involve things like writing, drawing, using scissors or mealtime utensils, manipulating tools, or typing on a keyboard. Think also of tabletop activities, construction toys, science projects, artistic creations, musical instruments, and self-care fastenings like buttons, zippers, snaps, and more.
The core goals here are manipulation, bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, precision pinch and release, and skilled dexterity. Each hand needs to develop these skills separately, as well as both hands together. Each finger must acquire the ability to move in isolation as needed for playing the piano, versus as a whole, as if the fingers were bound to each other in a mitten. Eventually, one hand becomes the primary or dominant hand while the other becomes a functional and ready assistant for preschool fine motor activity and beyond.
All those fine motor skills will emerge in a predictable sequence if no neurological, cognitive, or sensory issues exist … and if opportunities abound! Yes, sometimes the lack of exposure or experience can negatively impact a child’s skills and development.
On the other hand, gross motor skills include walking, running, jumping, sitting, standing, hopping, climbing, and bike riding. Gross motor skills are about strength, balance, flexibility, coordination, and endurance. The general rule of thumb is ‘stability before mobility.’ That means it’s essential to emphasize core strength at the trunk, hips, and shoulders, so other skills have a reliable foundation on which to grow.
Your child’s gross motor skills will allow them to acquire postural stabilization. And then, as the saying goes, the next step is mobilization - limb (arms) and digit (finger). Those smaller, more refined movements required while playing with toys, writing or drawing, cutting with scissors, dressing, eating, and otherwise manipulating objects highlight the importance of fine motor skills.
Once a child is positioned securely in a chair, at a table, or on the floor, the What Now question is relevant. So, what does your child want to do? What motivates them?
Play? Aha! The work of preschool fine motor activity.
Write? The occupation of a school kid.
Be independent in self-care? The goal of all dependents.
Competence at play, writing, and self-care activities? The mission of a pediatric Occupational Therapist.
Examples of Fine Motor Skills In Childhood
The list of fine motor skills in preschool and adolescence is endless:
- Writing and drawing
- Cutting: Scissors and small (safe!) tool use
- Assembling puzzles, constructing train tracks, stringing beads
- Dressing dolls and playing house
- Engaging smartphone/tablet buttons
- Tying shoelaces
- Dressing, including managing fastenings
- Independence in hygiene
- Opening lunch boxes and eating with spoons, forks, or knives
- Brushing teeth or braiding hair
- Engaging in crafts, musical instruments, or technology
The Importance of Fine Motor Skills In Early Childhood
Fine motor skills development in early childhood is critical. Competence promotes self-esteem. It helps instill a sense of confidence in children early on in life, which can improve their relationships and overall quality of life. Mastery accelerates the rate at which they can realize their own independence. Interests and skills develop exponentially when met with success.
Who knows which of our children will become concert pianists, acclaimed florists, research scientists, licensed electricians, or future dentists and surgeons — all with the help of preschool fine motor activity? Alas, we are admittedly jumping ahead A LOT, but the point is a good one. Many life choices down the road start with developing fine motor skills in preschool.
Besides, a side benefit of encouraging preschool fine motor activities is that a child’s independence makes parents’ lives easier! That’s actually a more immediate possibility!
Fine Motor Skills, Emotional Growth, and Social Development
Consider all the ways preschool fine motor activities influence your child’s emotional development. Improved hand-eye coordination can lead to an increased ability to express themselves artistically, encouraging an elevated sense of independence and self-confidence. All of these can significantly impact your child’s well-being and outlook on the world. For the shy or reserved child, skills on paper or canvas, or with musical instruments, allow them to shine in ways unique to them. And if words or extroverted social engagement are not comfortable, their fine motor talents are just as effective in expressing inner feelings, insights, and abilities.
Not to mention the social and academic impact that the development of fine motor skills in preschool can have! The child who can reconstruct an elaborate LEGO design will be admired by their classmates. The kid who can create precise lettering and illustrations will be sought after for a project by the group members. The one who can keyboard accurately and quickly will be solicited by the school newspaper club. The one who can braid intricate bracelets may have a waiting list of friends hoping for one, too.
All these skills suggest heightened attention to detail — a foundation skill in problem-solving, memory, and learning. This creates a compelling case for why parents want to explore lots of fine motor opportunities for their children. Of course, the biggest attraction for the children themselves will be if they perceive these preschool fine motor activities as ones in which they think they would be successful, and most of all FUN!
Fine Motor Skills’ Impact On Toddlers’ Writing
Fine motor skills development in early childhood can help your children excel in their earliest academic experiences. Success breeds success. Success also breeds leaders. With fine motor competence and skills, your children will have the self-confidence to engage in play with peers. If they have additional skills, they may also become peer mentors. Kids ‘teaching’ kids! That is powerful. It’s a win-win for both sides.
Research shows that kids learn best when working collaboratively with classmates, especially if put in the role of ‘teacher.’ Being the ‘teacher’ reinforces their own knowledge and skills. Acquiring competence in any area has the additional benefit of being noticed by the real teacher. When teachers discover a child with unique skills, they are often given more opportunities to grow, learn, and teach. Yep, it’s come full circle. Success breeds leaders! But again, we jumped ahead. Let’s start with Age and Fine Motor Skills Milestones.
What Are Reasonable Age-Level Expectations?
When should you start introducing preschool fine motor activity? Does the importance of fine motor skills change with age? What do you do if your child falls behind?
Don’t panic! Take a look at these milestones by age to determine if your child needs to practice additional fine motor skills in preschool, middle school, and beyond, or if they’re right where they need to be.
1-3 Years Old
- Ability to draw a line
- Ability to eat with minimal mess
- Able to use a spoon with minimal spilling
- Can scribble with pencils/crayons
3-6 Years Old
- Can draw a circle/square
- Can catch a bounced ball
- Can use scissors
- Can get dressed without assistance
- Can write legibly
- Able to write uppercase and lowercase letters and words
- Can draw stick figures
If your child can’t do all of these preschool fine motor activities, don’t panic! You can help them practice with simple activities, like handwriting practice, to improve.
Common Fine Motor Skill Problems Children Face
Parents.
Yes, parents can be the problem. Sometimes, they want too much, and they want it too quickly.
Let’s add some perspective.
What’s on your child’s mind? Perhaps it is which colored jelly bean is their favorite, what to name their stuffed animals, hatching a plan to finally get those cookies on top of that impossibly tall table, or something else that could provide immediate gratification. These are the pressing questions in the world of a toddler or young child.
But to parents, the questions are about the big picture. The long-term picture. The life of their child. Their main concerns are ensuring a child’s smooth and healthy development. Ideally, the way to achieve those goals would be to provide varied opportunities for exploration and fun. Let your child’s choices guide yours. Observe which preschool fine motor activities they gravitate toward. Then provide more. Be judicious in scheduling more structured learning experiences.
Many kids may love the opportunity to attend preschool. If they enjoy sports, look into signing them up for soccer or gymnastics. Are they musical? Schedule piano lessons. Inquisitive? Seek out construction toys or interactive games. Need social outlets? Coordinate play dates.
But whatever you do, do NOT inundate them with your preferences, hopes, and dreams — or with endless workbooks to practice preschool fine motor activities. Faced with so much new information and stimuli, learning and retaining this new information becomes a chore and a burden. Instead of embarking on a mission of lifelong learning, you may be turning kids off to learning altogether.
Why?
Because kids want to have fun.
How to Ensure Fun Fine Motor Skills Development
The challenge in fine motor skills development is helping children learn in a way that engages them on their level, the fun and developmentally appropriate level, while achieving the greater goal of teaching them things like writing and other critical fine motor skills.
The challenge is allowing children to engage in a preschool fine motor activity of their own choosing and giving them permission to establish preferences. Investment in learning must be self-initiated.
The challenge is sitting on your hands, so kids problem-solve at their own pace.
The challenge is understanding that sometimes you help more when you help less. In other words, expose your kids to options. But then sit back and let them be kids. Let them discover, experiment, succeed, and even fail.
And if failure is more prevalent and successes are few, THEN step in. Or seek outside resources for developing fine motor skills in preschool.
Real OT Solutions® Can Help
Take a look at a few ways you can help your little one with fine motor skills in preschool.
1. Your Child Can Develop Fine Motor Skills At Home
It’s important to let your child explore fine motor skills development in a safe, learning-conducive environment. This means supplying them with paper, crayons, safety scissors, and everything else they need for preschool fine motor activities at home.
2. Fun Is A Crucial Element of Learning
Never forget the “fun” element. Your child wants to have fun while they learn. They NEED to have fun while learning. They also need playtime and NEED to have fun while playing. Playing IS learning.
3. Utilize Expert Guidance & Support
When they’re ready, and especially if they express or demonstrate interest, Real OT Solutions® has a proven program to build children’s motor skills at home. Created by Dr. Beverly H. Moskowitz, the Size Matters® Handwriting Program is backed by science and will help your children become competent, legible printers.
Browse Our Helpful Tools for Kids
Now that you understand the importance of fine motor skills, you’re better prepared to support your child as they grow. If you need a little more guidance, Real OT Solutions® has developed a variety of materials and tools to help with preschool fine motor activities. With good information, good handwriting resources, and good intentions, your children can hit development milestones on time, increase their independence, and develop a solid base for growth! Explore our unique kits for homeschooling to discover new ways to practice.