So What Do We Mean By Fine Motor Skills?

…Those skills that involve the fine motor muscles of the fingers, wrist, and toes. We’ll address only those that involve the fingers and wrist.

Vision also plays an important part because your child needs to have good eye-hand coordination to accomplish many tasks.

Those tasks include not only paper-pencil skills, such as legible handwriting, but the important tasks of personal care…toileting, bathing, dressing, eating…just to name a few.

So what should you expect for the next five years? Let's find out.

New Born - 3 Months

You’ve noticed that initially his fist is always clenched…No he’s not looking for a fight, that’s just a natural reflexive action. If you place an object in his hand, his fingers automatically curl around it. That Wiggly Giggler is a perfect gift choice.

She will swipe at a toy that she sees dimly, and sometimes will make contact with it. Make it one that rattles or jingles and watch her eyes respond in wonderment.

As his eyesight improves, his vision directs his hand movements to purposefully reach for and grasp a toy. Oftentimes he’ll bring it to midline to play.

Pretty impressive…moving from reflexively grasping to purposefully reaching and grasping in just three months!

So how will the fine motor skills develop at the next level? Well, let's just find out...

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