Developing Fine Motor Skills

Why do kids today have such poor fine motor skills?

A number of lifestyle changes that have taken place over the past 20 years have contributed to declining fine motor skills. Since parents were advised to position sleeping babies on their backs to reduce risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, babies have not effectively been able to develop their back extensor muscles which we use to lift up against gravity, developing strength in arms and shoulders. Baby rockers and Snug and Safe car seats are wonderfully secure and also convenient, and babies are often left in them for longer periods of the day than is optimal, reducing opportunity for movement and muscle development. Bumbo seats and Walking rings also reduce beneficial tummy and crawling time, which are both vital for building the muscles of the arms, shoulders, back and neck. The digital age encourages a more sedentary lifestyle, limiting opportunities for movement, core muscle development, and arm and hand strengthening. Ipad games involve limited muscles of the hand, and children are certainly underexposed to the variety of dextrous actions required in play with 3D objects. Without these all important fine motor foundations, learning to write is a very challenging task.

What can you do to help?

• ·        Allow your baby loads of play time on a mat on the floor, and put them to sleep on their sides. Let them play on your chest in this position too, and play airplane flying games on your bent legs.

• ·         For children use everyday household activities such as baking and gardening; both involve wonderful opportunities for strengthening of shoulders, hands, and actions of pinching, rolling, bilateral coordination of hands.

• ·         For younger kids’ playtime use playdough which offers numerous fun and beneficial aspects. Crayola offers lovely playdough kits such as this Play-doh Ice-Cream Castle

For various scented playdough recipes look at our pinterest board

      

•           Offer blunt-nosed or bladeless scissors (available from Woolworths) for them to snip leaves in the garden, strips of paper, or playdough. Cutting is a wonderful activity because it develops the same small muscles of the hand that are used for holding and controlling a pencil.

• ·         For older kids these toys are great: (from top to bottom) Zoob, Snap-together Beads, Fruit Avalanche (try Hamley's). Lego, Mecano and crafting activities are great too.

·         To encourage drawing, colouring and writing, use novel and fun writing tools such as colour-change markers, scented markers, and choose high-quality pencil crayons and markers which mark the paper far easier and with richer colours.

·         And if you choose to offer iPad games, use those that are more beneficial such as the Dexteria range.

·     Change your work position: Lie on back underneath table and draw on the underside of desk. 
Or Colour-in with page stuck up against a wall or window.    


Make a wind-up Fishing Rod using a short broom stick, a piece of yarn wound around the centre, with a magnet at the end. Hold the broom stick across your body, with both hands. Twist it to wind the yarn up and down. Play with magnetic pieces or add a paper clip to small paper fishes.

Choose games that use manipulatives such as tweezers, or nuts and bolts, spinning tops.

For craft activities, chose paper punches, rolling of tissue paper balls and paper tearing, bead stringing, threading and lacing activities.

Draw on the patio or driveway with Pavement Chalk and use Trigger squirt bottles filled with water to erase your drawings.