What are Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills involve the smaller muscles of our hands. To have good fine motor skills we need several “components” or building blocks. These include adequate strength and coordination of our hands, fingers and thumb, using both hands together, and being able to manipulate objects in our hands.

Why are they important?

Fine motor skills are important for performing everyday activities such as using cutlery, dressing, playing with toys, and using tools such as pencils/scissors/computers.

Without adequate fine motor skills children can have trouble completing these activities which can impact on their overall development.

How can parents build their child’s fine motor skills?

You can help build your child’s fine motor skills by doing the following activities:

Encouraging children to open lunchboxes, containers and ziplock bags
Arts and crafts activities such as threading, drawing, colouring, cutting, gluing, and origami
Playdough
Construction games – mobilo, duplo, lego
Manipulation games such as jenga, connect 4 and marble maze runs.