Fine motor skills help strengthen a child’s hands, which helps them with their pencil grasp. It also helps them learn how to use one hand consistently for all their activities while their non-dominant hand learns how to assist and stabilize.
What Are a Preschooler’s Fine Motor Skills?
A preschooler uses the small muscles in their hands and fingers to hold objects. They can also clap their hands, clean their teeth, pick an object up and set it back down, put on their shoes, roll and play with playdough and shake musical instruments.
Many of your child’s fine motor skills are developed in the best preschools in Los Angeles, where they take on many activities such as drawing and painting, turning the pages of a book, cutting, pasting, eating, and playing with blocks. They can also practice their fine motor skills through self-care tasks at home, including getting dressed, buttoning their shirt, tying their shoelaces, and writing.
Fine Motor Skills in Early Child Development
Fine motor skills work a child’s small muscles, while gross motor skills refer to the development of the larger muscles that allow a child to climb, walk, or maintain balance. Fine motor skills include eye-hand coordination, eye-finger coordination, finger strength, and control. Gross motor skills further strengthen small muscles and fine motor skills.
Why Are Fine Motor Skills Important?
To perform everyday tasks at home and school, your preschooler needs to develop strong motor coordination. A child’s physical development is just one of the four growth areas in addition to social, emotional, and intellectual development.
Fine Motor Skill Activities for Preschoolers
In the best preschools in Los Angeles, your young child can strengthen their fine motor skills by participating in several fun activities. For example, building a tower or bridge with blocks or building steps with blocks, using the correct pencil grip, drawing a person with arms and legs, copying letters and numbers, drawing circles, and cutting a straight line with their scissors.
The best part about these activities is that they can continue at home and don’t require special equipment. You can help your preschooler with fine motor skills using an assortment of everyday items you probably already have at home. It can also help to reduce your child’s screen time, especially if they show difficulty writing.
The best preschools in Los Angeles are a great place for your child to refine their skills and practice fun activities to strengthen their fine motor skills.