- Painting
with a paintbrush
- Cutting
with scissors
- Drawing
and writing using a pencil, crayon or texta correctly
- Holding
and manipulating small objects
- Holding
and using a knife and fork
- Craft activities
Being able to isolate the movement of your fingers can be tricky, especially when combined with all the other things that are needed for school skills, such as balance, muscle tone, hand stability and muscle strength to name a few. It's hard to imagine but it can take a lot of effort to combine all of these things and then remember to use the fingers muscles accurately.
Between the ages of three and five children usually demonstrate rapid gains in fine motor manipulation, finger dexterity and tool use. Fine motor skills don't develop overnight but take time, patience and practice.
The Get Ready For School team know that learning is easier when it is fun, so our programs look at developing fine motor skills through activities that are both fun and creative. On each daily sheet, fine motor skills are included in a quick 10 minute session; for you to do in your own time, at your own pace. These skills are then re-enforced and developed with cutting, coloring, drawing, and in the advanced version, number and letter development.
Upright working surfaces can also help to encourage fine motor skills in your child. These can include chalkboards, painting easels, magnet boards, the front of the fridge, windows, mirrors and white boards.
These surfaces work by encouraging a stable wrist position to develop good thumb movements, strengthen fine motor muscles and encourage your child to use both the arm and shoulder muscles.
As a parent, you can encourage your child to develop these skills through every day tasks including buttons, using pegs, opening and closing jars, threading beads and playing with dough. Here are some more suggestions for developing fine motor skills that are all included as part of your child's program to Get Ready For School:
1. Cutting
2. Matching and Pasting
3. Self-Care Skills
4. Tracing and Coloring
5. Pre-Writing Patterns
6. Dot-to-dots
7. Finger Tracing and Painting
