Small motor skills in the development of a young child

Although the term “small motor skills” sounds rather inconspicuous, they are of great importance in the proper development of a child, actually from the first days of life. This is because it defines all actions and activities undertaken with the hand.

It is so important because in addition to issues related to the dexterity of little hands seen in, for example, drawing and painting, playing with plasticine, eating with fingers and cutlery, grasping objects or tying shoes, it has a huge impact on other developmental areas such as speech and learning to read. This is due to the nerve connections responsible for hand movements and speech, which are adjacent to each other and thus indirectly interact.

Importantly, small motor skills are not innate, so it is worthwhile and even necessary to properly stimulate and develop them.

How to develop small motor skills in a child?

In addition to the aforementioned activities such as drawing and painting, there are other ways to help develop small motor skills. All kinds of sensory masses, in which the child can dip his hands and mold different shapes, will work great.

It’s also worth using the contents of kitchen cabinets for play, and offer your child to sift or separate, for example, various legumes. A great workout is even such an “inconspicuous” egg peeling! Thanks to such activities, the toddler exercises concentration, as well as improves the skill of tweezer grasp.

However, as parents, we don’t always have the time and resources for activities with lots of cleaning up to do afterwards. When we dream of a developmental activity for our child that at the same time does not end up in a mess, manipulative toys will be a good idea. Therefore, the child’s room should be equipped, for example, with a manipulative board with many everyday objects – such as a bicycle bell, shoelaces, a padlock, a zipper, a door latch, Velcro or furniture wheels. Thanks to this, the toddler has the opportunity to learn practical elements in a safe environment, and to practice concentration, precision and small motor skills.