Fine and Gross Motor Skills

Fine motor skills require movement of small muscles, usually in coordination with the eyes but also include movements of the tongue and lips, wriggling toes and foot-eye coordination. Fine motor development includes…

• Ocular motor control – the ability of the eyes to follow and focus on an object in the field of vision as required.
• Hand-eye coordination – the ability to execute activities with the hands, guided by the eyes requiring accuracy in placement, direction, and spatial awareness.
• Foot-eye coordination – the ability to execute actions with the feet, guided by the eyes.
• Manual dexterity –the ability to accurately manipulate the hands and fingers for neat handwriting, drawing, typing skills etc.
• Stereognosis – the ability to recognize unseen objects using the sense of touch.
• Tactile perception – the interpretation of information transmitted via the fingertips to the brain.

Activities to promote fine motor development...

· Screw/unscrew lids on various size containers

· Play with playdough and putty

· Pop bubble wrap

· Use a turkey baster to blow pom-poms or ping pong balls across the floor

· Use tweezers and tongs to pick up small objects

· Lace/string beads using tip of finger against thumb

· Hang up clothespins by pinching pins with thumb and index finger

· Drawing/coloring on a vertical surface (i.e. hang paper on wall to paint)

· Color or read when lying on stomach

· Play balloon volleyball (palms facing up)

· Use wind-up toys or spin tops

· Squirrel objects into palm (pick up objects with index finger and thumb and move into hand without using the other hand).

· Tearing paper

What are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor development refers to the development of the large muscles of the body. This includes…

· Balance - the ability to remain equilibrium

· Body Awareness - for increased body control

· Crossing of the Mid-line

· Laterality-awareness of the right and left side of the body

· Major Muscles Coordination

· Spatial Orientation– awareness of body position in space and in relation to other objects or people.

Activities to promote gross motor development...

· Play with a large ball. Encourage your child to kick the ball, using one foot and then the other. Then throw and catch it too.

· Encourage your child to ride a bike, a push bike or pedal bike with or without side-wheels, according to your child’s ability.

· Do the Kangaroo Hop (have your child jump with two feet together holding an object between their legs).

· To teach your child spatial relations. Ask them to stand in front of a chair, behind a chair, next to the chair, on top of the chair and crouch under the chair.

· Do the wheelbarrow with your child.

· To develop a sense of laterality, let your child kneel on the floor, then instruct them in turn to lift their left hand, lift their right leg etc.

· Learn action songs and perform the actions as you sing them.

· Ask your child to imitate the movement of different animals: creep like a snake, waddle like a duck, hop like a rabbit etc.

· Encourage your child to balance first on one leg, then on the other for as long as possible.