Let’s see together what is fine motor skills that involve hands, face, mouth and feet. Small movements whose development allows the child to perform actions, such as playing and coloring, and to take care of himself independently. FINE MOTOR SKILLS: WHAT IT IS, ACTIVITIES AND GAMES TO STIMULATE IT

What is fine motor skills?

Fine motor skills are the set of small muscular movements of the hands, feet, face and mouth, useful for an individual to perform actions and in general take care of himself independently: think of the gesture of buttoning a jacket or fastening the shoes.

Very small movements that, however, in the development phase of a child mark the transition from dependence to autonomy.

Is it possible to stimulate fine motor skills in small or even very small children?

Certain. Activities that favor the development of fine motor skills can be proposed to the little one, starting from the 12 months of life.

We have often talked about Maria Montessori and her Method, so here is what she said about the development in the use of the hands:

“The hand is the expressive instrument of human intelligence: it is the organ of the mind … The hand is the means that made it possible for human intelligence to express itself and for civilization to continue in its work. In early childhood, the hand helps the development of intelligence and in the mature man it is the instrument that controls his destiny on earth. ”

What is fine motor skills for?

As mentioned, the correct development of fine motor skills allows the child to carry out a series of activities in complete autonomy. In particular:

• write, draw, color, cut and paste;
• leafing through books, playing with constructions, manipulating objects;
• fasten shoes, button clothes, use zippers;
• eat, wash.

Activities to stimulate fine motor skills

Stimulating the development of fine motor skills is therefore very important to reach important goals of autonomy for the little ones, goals that bring with them an enormous sense of satisfaction in the child.

So let’s see some of our activity proposals with the aim of learning and refine the micro movements of the hands and hand-eye coordination:

• Fine motor crocodile . Wall panel that proposes a series of activities to stimulate hand-eye coordination and logical reasoning of children.
• Fine motor skills collection . Kit with a series of objects to thread, tie, screw, stack etc. (9 stackable plastic cups, 41 wooden shangai chopsticks, 1 board with 3 wooden joints, 9 plastic threading animals, 27 fabric laces, 1 metal spiral with wooden balls, 32 bolts with 32 nuts in plastic and 1 basket).
• Tabletop fine motor skills panel . Wooden base with colored pegs to slide along the marked paths.