Early child development always includes development fine motor skills, that is, teaching him to hold and operate with small objects. There are different ways of developing fine motor skills of hands: each parent is free to choose what suits both him and the child. Below are considered the main nuances associated with the development of fine motor skills, the answer to the question of why you need to develop it is given, and games that will surely captivate your baby are presented.

Why and when do you need to develop fine motor skills?

Scientists have long proven that the development of fine motor skills gives an impetus to the development of speech in a child. Those children with whom mothers regularly play games, who are given a large number of different textured subjects for study, begin to speak earlier than their peers who are denied the mentioned entertainments. In addition, such children assimilate information faster (tactile sensations are associated with brain activity), learn more easily, and begin to write faster. Quite often, the development of tactile sensations is used as preparation for school.

From all of the above, we can conclude that the development of fine motor skills in a child should be as early as possible. There are finger games that can be played almost from birth.


How to develop fine motor skills in children of different years?

Each age has its own games. You cannot argue with this statement, so it is important not to rush things and consistently offer the child those toys that correspond to his age.

From birth to six months

At this time, the baby is actively developing tactile skills on its own. Starting from 3-4 months, the child consciously pulls hands to toys, feels the rattles, mother's hands, examines his fingers. You can offer your kid different games.

  • Handle massage - gently knead children's fingers, stroke them, twist gently. You can accompany the process with rhymes and jokes.
  • Give the baby your thumbs up and try to lift the baby up. The more often you do this exercise, the tighter the crumb will grab onto your hands.
  • Offer your baby paper books or plain sheets of paper. Show that they can be ripped, crumpled, twisted.
  • Rattles, balls and ribbed toys are great helpers in early development baby.

From 7 months to a year

At this time, you can use the same materials and games as up to six months. Several others can be added.

  • Pyramids - they will introduce the child to the concept of size and develop the ability to quickly string rings on a rod.
  • Cereals, beans, pasta - whatever you find in the kitchen. It is important to supervise your child at all times to ensure that no foreign objects are swallowed.
  • Cloth and bags sewn from it with various fillings.
  • Constructor.
  • Cubes.

From one to two years

The number of toys for the development of fine motor skills should be gradually increased. Cereals and bags of grain remain interesting and useful for the game, but the baby is getting older and smarter, so with the existing toys you can come up with new games that require a logical and deliberate approach.

You can also add unusual attributes to the game piggy bank.

  • Water. Ask your child to pour water from one bowl to another, while spilling as little liquid as possible.
  • Laces and lacing.
  • Beads, buttons, clothespins and other household items.
  • Chopsticks.
  • Puzzles and mosaics.
  • Painting.

2 to 3 years old

A three-year-old child is already an integral personality. This is not a baby who pulls everything into his mouth, thus knowing the world. At 2-3 years old with a child, you can play quite serious games that require attentiveness, responsibility, a clear sequence of actions.

  • Working with the test.
  • Finger gymnastics.
  • Origami.
  • Working with scissors and colored paper.


The construction set for children is not only a fashionable toy, but also a wonderful material for learning simple everyday truths, as well as a way to develop intelligence and thinking while playing.

When choosing a constructor, be guided by the rule: what less child, the more details. For the smallest, it is better to purchase a constructor consisting of large elements that will definitely not crawl down the throat of the baby if he wants to taste them.

Constructor games can be different. You can “build” buildings and objects of only certain colors with your child (learning colors), you can invite your child to count the details (learning how to count). One way or another, the designer will develop your child's fine motor skills and improve his intelligence.


Modeling for the development of tactile sensations

Plasticine is known to everyone. it universal remedy, which is used in kindergartens and at home and allows you to keep your baby busy for a while. Almost all children love to sculpt from plasticine, but further we will not talk about him.

There is a safer, unconventional, but very interesting way to develop fine motor skills in your baby by sculpting. This is a salty dough. It is prepared very simply and quickly from products that are in any home, and at the same time, salty dough is completely safe (although it is edible, the child is unlikely to eat it). In addition, dough crafts can be saved as a keepsake, as they freeze naturally (or they are baked in the oven), unlike plasticine masterpieces.

Salty dough recipe

You will need:

  • flour - 250 grams;
  • salt - 250 grams;
  • water - 125 ml.

Mix all ingredients and knead the dough. To make it more elastic and not stick to your hands, you can add a spoon to it vegetable oil... There are also recipes with the addition of glue, starch and even cream. However, unnecessary delights are useless. The simplest flour and salt dough is great for children's crafts.

Show your child several sculpting techniques: rolling, flattening, kneading, etc. Let the baby work with the whole handle, sculpt small details. This will perfectly develop the flexibility of his fingers and fine motor skills of his hands.


Drawing teaches the kid to hold the brush correctly, which later will help him to quickly and easily master spelling.

For drawing, you can use paints and brushes, pencils and felt-tip pens, crayons and pastels. Or you can invite your kid to draw with his hands! This exercise will also be very useful for developing fine motor skills. But keep in mind that it is better to paint with your fingers using edible paints or, in extreme cases, paints that do not contain harmful substances.

You can create edible paints yourself. Take as a basis baby puree or semolina porridge, and as coloring pigment use either food coloring or vegetable and fruit juices.


You can start playing finger games from birth. At first, the mother will make the movements with the baby's arms. But soon the baby himself will understand what's what, and will wiggle his fingers in time to the song or rhyme.

Finger games are an excellent exercise that can speed up the development of fine motor skills in the hands, stimulate the brain, and lay the foundation for teaching your child to write.

  1. Finger massage can be done for babies up to 6-7 months old. Mom rubs each finger, saying his name. For example, you can use a nursery rhyme: Get up, Bolshak! Get up, Pointer!

    Get up, Seredka!

    Get up, Orphan,

    And little Eroshka!

    Hello palm!

  2. By the age of one, the child can already understand what is required of him. At this age, my mother acts only as an instructor. She shows the child the basic movements that the child must repeat. As a rule, the baby's fingers represent animals or people. You can also read a rhyme to the baby and make basic movements under it. Clap your hands, pinch your fingers, squeeze your palm into a fist.
  3. A shadow show can be arranged with a child 3 years of age or older. It is better to select spectators from relatives, so that the child would be interested in “rehearsing” the performance. Also, for finger exercises, you can use various objects: nuts, beads, buttons, fabric.


Fine motor toys

For clarity, below is a general list of toys that help develop tactile sense of touch and "teach" the baby's fingers to move in accordance with the nerve impulses of the brain.

  1. The pyramid.
  2. Cubes.
  3. Ribbed rattles.
  4. Balls of different sizes.
  5. Sorter.
  6. Books with convex pictures.
  7. Constructor.
  8. Abacus.
  9. Puzzles.
  10. Labyrinths.
  11. Lace-up frame.
  12. Beads.
  13. Push-button toys.


The development of fine motor skills according to the Montessori method

In the technique of Maria Montessori great attention it is paid precisely to the development of fine motor skills of the hands. There are many games in her recordings that contribute to this. The most interesting of them are presented below.

"Like an adult"

Give your child a sponge and some dirty cups. Let the baby, imitating her mother, wash the dishes. Does this seem easy to you? It is quite difficult for inflexible children's fingers to hold the cup in the water and not drop it, and such an exercise will also be an excellent training for the flexibility of the fingers and the development of fine motor skills of the hands.

Buttons

Give the child a sweater, jacket or other thing that has buttons, hooks and other fasteners. You can make a special simulator for your baby: combine several fasteners on one thing. This exercise is useful for fine motor skills and also trains self-care skills.

Sorting

Take two bowls. Pour peas and buckwheat on the table (pasta and beans - choose any cereals). Have your child sort one from the other and place them in two bowls.

Too much like the task that your stepmother came up with for Cinderella? Perhaps. But such a task is an excellent workout for little children's fingers.

Just don't overdo it. You do not need to force the child to sort out cereals if he is tired of it or he is tired.

Drawing on flour

Pour flour (semolina, sand, sugar) on the table. Offer the baby to paint on a sprinkled surface. The advantage of this drawing is that the drawing can be easily erased and started over.

Shreds

Take several pieces of fabric with different textures. Wool, chunky knitting, velvet, silk. Invite your child to touch each and describe how they feel.

Lacing

Ordinary laces are very good at developing fine motor skills in babies. You can purchase a special frame with lacing, or you can teach the baby on the example of his own shoes.

Sponge

Ask your baby to transfer water from one bowl to another using a regular dishwashing sponge. In this case, the baby should try to get as few drops as possible on the table. This is not only a good finger exercise, but also neatness training.

Collector

Scatter on the floor small items and ask your child to collect them in a bowl or bag. You can also ask your toddler for the color or "name" of each item.

Magician

Place multiple items in a hat or opaque bag. The child should feel by touch what is in the bag. Ask the baby to pull out this or that thing. Before doing this, the child will study things with his fingers for a long time.

Conclusion

These and many other exercises and games are designed to develop the child's ability to control their own hands, as well as enrich the list of his skills and abilities, and teach him to think logically.

It is very important to regularly engage with your baby, but not bother him. All lessons should be presented in a playful way.

The normal development of the child, starting from infancy, and requires classes for the development of fine motor skills. Many parents have probably heard this term, but not everyone knows what it means and why classes are so necessary. Let's talk about development of fine motor skills: what is it, why are classes needed, what should they be?

Children's physiology and features of the development of fine motor skills

General motor skills are body movements that are commanded by psychoanalytic reactions in the brain center. There are three main types of motor skills:

  1. Large. Large muscle work (jogging, push-ups)
  2. Small. The movement of the hands and fingers. This includes combining actions (eyes + hands while drawing).
  3. Articulating. Ability and ability to coordinate the functions of speech skills (coherent conversation).

Western scientists, after conducting research in the field of psychology, concluded that exactly one third of the cerebral cortex is responsible for fine motor skills. This part is "adjacent" to the cerebral speech center. This fact makes it possible to say that the development of fine motor skills in infants affects the formation process:

  • · Speech skills;
  • · Memory;
  • · Thinking;
  • · Logic;
  • · Imagination.

It was noticed that children who have good control of their pens are more assiduous and get tired much less than children who have not been trained in fine motor skills.

Calendar of norms for the formation of fine motor skills in babies or what and when to be able to?

Each age has its own norms for the development of fine motor skills, that is, the child is able to do a certain range of actions. As the nervous system matures and develops, the baby acquires more and more new opportunities for development. The formation of these skills must be monitored, since each subsequent achievement can occur only after the successful mastering of certain skills of their age.

A phased calendar of fine motor development norms

  1. 4 months after birth. The first weeks of a newborn's hands are clenched into fists, and if we talk about the development of fine motor skills, then it is the opening of closed fists that can be called the first action in its development. All movements of the baby are still reflex, although the baby is trying to somehow coordinate them. Initially, he learns to control the movements of the eyes and head, then he reaches for objects with his hands, equally left and right, without highlighting the dominant one. Catching an object in the palm of the hand at a reflex level, squeezes the hand.
  2. From 4 months to 1 year. The movement of hands and fingers is being improved. Initially, the baby learns to use only one hand while holding the object. Further, this object is transferred from one hand to another. By six months, he confidently holds small objects in his palm, and by 7-8 he uses his thumb and forefinger to pick up small toys from the floor. Actively and consciously uses his hands to help himself sit up, stand up, hold. Closer to 12 months, he can safely touch the beads. You can read more about the development of a baby of this age in the article:.
  3. 1 to 2 years old. Actions are improving. At this age, the baby knows how to hold a spoon, handle it. Drawing skills are shown. He can depict scribbles, dots and not quite even circles. Closer to two years, it is noticeable which of the hands is dominant. The child actively uses forefinger showing it and touching unfamiliar objects.
  4. From 2 years old to 3 years old. The movements involve not only the hands, but also the forearms and elbows. By the age of three, a pencil takes correct position the first masterpieces in the form of straight lines, circles, ovals, squares emerge in and out of the hand. At this time, the little one must be introduced to the scissors. Normally, when he is three years old, he knows how to cut a sheet of paper in half.
  5. From 3 years old to 4 years old. The second hand is used in the work. So, if a child draws with his right hand, then with his left hand he is already holding the sheet on which he is drawing. He is able to color the shapes slightly outside the outline. It may well cut a drawn large figure out of paper. Closer to the age of four, he has beautiful small details in his drawings.
  6. From 4 years old to 5 years old. Fingertip motor skills are nearly perfect. The kid, playing and applying drawing skills, does not use the whole hand, but only the brush. The coloring of the drawings becomes clearer and the lines no longer go beyond the contour. With the help of scissors, he is able to cut out rather complex figures.
  7. 5 to 6 years old. Hand movements are coordinated. The pen or pencil is already confidently "lying" in the dominant hand. The kid knows how to write straight sticks in certain field... She uses scissors well. In addition to developing motor skills, you should think about social sociability and education of independence. A pet is suitable for this purpose. If your choice falls on a dog, then we advise you to read the article:.

What is the risk of lack of such development?

An insufficient level of fine motor skills inhibits the formation of speech functions. If you do not conduct classes with toddler, starting from infancy, then as a consequence, memory problems will arise in the future, logical thinking... Today, there are quite a few devices, toys, activities that can help the baby. Parents, for their part, need to monitor the stages of development so that the child does not have problems with academic performance at school, since the lack of development of fine motor skills leads to a lack of concentration of attention, increased fatigue, and these indicators will inevitably lead to lagging behind their peers.

How to develop fine motor skills in children ?

Starting from birth, parents should devote time to developing activities with the baby. First aid will be in putting rattles in the palms. Next, you need to let him touch different fabrics and textures. From 8 months, the following development methods can be applied.

Development of fine motor skills with massage

Carrying out a competent massage on the palms of a baby is an excellent option for developing motor skills. For massage sessions, you can involve an experienced specialist or knead your palms yourself. Manipulations begin at 3 months. For one session, 5 minutes is enough. Massage should be performed in the following sequence:

  • · Gently stroke the child's palm for a minute;
  • · Rub your palm until warm;
  • · With light tapping movements of your fingers, go over the hands and palms;
  • Bend and unbend your fingers several times;
  • · Massage each finger separately.

Development of fine motor skills using finger games

Game number 1. Okay.

Everyone remembers the words "Okay, okay, where were my grandmother ...". With the help of this game, the kid will learn to straighten his reflexively twisted fingers and clap his hands.

Game number 2. Beads

Entrust your child to sort out buttons typed on a string or beads made of small beads. Children love to touch such small objects with their little fingers. At an older age, you can invite your child to string the beads on a thread or fishing line on their own.

Game number 3. Cereals

This game, in addition to motor skills, helps to understand tactile sensations. Pour any cereals into a bowl; buckwheat and rice are perfect. Give a bowl to the little one, let him touch it with his hands, pour the cereal. You can hide a few small items in a bowl of cereals, let the kid try to find them.

Game number 4. Cinderella

After 3 years old let your child help in the kitchen. Mix 3 types of cereals (peas, buckwheat, beans) and let him sort the cereals into three different bowls.

Game number 5. Guess

Tie the little one up and give him different objects in his hands, let him guess what he has in his hands.

From 7-9 months you can offer your child colored paper. Let him crush it, feel it, tear it. At an older age, teach him to tear strips of paper or create appliqués out of it. The smaller the pieces of torn paper are, the more perfect the fine motor skills of the hands will become.

At the age of 1–1.5 years, show how to turn the pages of a book. The process will be much more exciting if the book is with bright pictures.

Exercise number 3. Making a rattle

Give your child an empty plastic bottle and offer to put small objects in it. This can be beans, buttons, or beads. Put them on the table, let him take them himself and throw them into the bottle. At the end of the work, twist the bottle, let it play with the resulting rattle.

Development of fine motor skills through classes

  1. Painting. Initially, it is learning how to hold a pencil in your hands. Further, drawing the first sticks, points, tracing the contours of various objects. After drawings, letters, etc.
  2. Coloring. Teach your child to color both large and small objects. For this purpose, coloring books, which can already be bought for a baby at the age of 3, are great help.
  3. Modeling. This activity is suitable for any age. For the lesson, you can use plasticine, clay or dough. Initially, it is enough to roll a ball or strip of plasticine. Any dough preparation can be turned into an exciting game. The kid will willingly help roll out and sculpt the dough. Learn how to spend time with your baby and make memorable casts from the article:.
  4. Cutting out. Children's scissors without sharp ends can be handed to a child closer to 3 years old. After he learns to handle them, present him with glue stick and colored paper. Applique creation will help develop your imagination.
  5. Embroidery. By the age of 5-6, it will be relevant to embroider with the child. More details about this lesson in the article:.

Development of fine motor skills with the help of educational toys

  1. Finger dexterity toys. Make from empty plastic bottles different sizes and the colors of the toy. The main idea is to unscrew and twist the caps on these bottles.
  2. Buttons. Teach your child to fasten and unfasten buttons, open and close zippers. He can do this on his clothes or on yours.
  3. Lacing. For these purposes, you can use an old unnecessary shoe or make a lace-up mockup. Have your toddler lace up and unlace the laces or ribbons.
  4. Mosaic. The main condition is that the details must be age appropriate. So, small toddlers can be offered large details. Adults can buy mosaics with small pieces.
  5. Board with objects. Such a toy is made from a piece of plywood and all kinds of devices: a switch, a latch, door hinges and other details used in everyday life. The kid feels them with interest, opens them, turns them on.
  6. Puzzles. An excellent option for the development of fine motor skills. These can be large puzzles that can be folded into a children's rug for the little ones. For older people, you can use magnetic fridge puzzles. Well, for school age, standard paper puzzles with many details are suitable.
  7. The pyramid. Such a toy develops not only motor skills, but also logic. After all, the rings of the pyramid must be folded from largest to smallest.
  8. Constructor. For older children, a designer with small details is suitable. Such a toy trains the development of motor skills, logic, perseverance and many other skills.

When you look at it, any household chores can turn into fine motor development for your child. You can train small fingers and grasping movements in all sorts of ways, the main thing is to show a little imagination. Engage in drawing, modeling, coloring with your child and in the future you will not have problems with the academic performance and development of your child.

Author of the publication: Leonid Guryev

Hello reader! Today we have a somewhat unusual article, the topic of which is fine motor skills. There will be a lot of exclamation and question marks - I will swear. Mostly for psychologists, but you will probably get it too. I will scold psychologists for their attitude to the issue under consideration, namely to the development of fine motor skills. Parents will get it for using the principle of sufficiency in the upbringing of their children.

Fine motor skills

Fine motor skills is a set of coordinated actions of the nervous, muscular and skeletal systems, often in combination with the visual system in performing small and precise movements of the hands and fingers and toes.

Exactly fine motor development in children, psychologists attach particular importance and at the same time associate the development of fine motor skills with the development of speech. The fact is that in the brain the zones responsible for the projection of the hands are located next to the zone responsible for speech skills. Here, as a rule, they mean the "Broca" zone, which is responsible for speech, or rather, for articulation. This is the official opinion of psychologists. Great psychologists teach this in institutes of psychologists to little ones, and they write about it in all books for parents, but I have a number of questions ...

Firstly, in addition to Broca's zone, Wernicke's zone is also located nearby, which is responsible for understanding speech. But this is not so important. What interests me most is where the rest of the zones in the brain of psychologists have gone ?! It seems that for psychologists in Broca's zone the light has come together like a wedge. You can teach a child to speak on time just by constantly talking to him. This works very well too. But I've met great talkers in my life. They spoke very well and quickly, but by and large it was complete nonsense. A great example: a girl - a nanny from the cartoon "Super Family".

Let's return to our rams ... There are many more zones in the brain around the representation of the hands than psychologists believe. Areas responsible for attention and concentration, for imaginative and spatial thinking, memory, etc. Simply put, hands pulls all the intellect! And it seems to me that the presence of speech skills in a child cannot be an indicator of general development.

More ... Broca's and Wernicke's zones are located in the dominant hemisphere of the brain. For right-handers in the left, for left-handers in the right. And again the question. Why do psychologists always talk only about the development of the dominant hemisphere? It seems that we have one-sided children. But what about the second hemisphere, which is responsible for creative thinking and novelty treatment? We're kind of develop motor skills of both hands rather than one. Therefore, the development of fine motor skills also develops Creative skills child.

The lag principle

One more thing ... I am concerned about the very peculiar approach of psychologists to the use of techniques development of fine motor skills... The same applies to parents! In general, it looks like this: a child is born to parents. He grows up in his crib, plays with rattles, laughs. Cheerful and healthy toddler. But time passes, and the child does not speak. Time passes, he is already three years old, but he speaks very badly. And then the parents understand: “Oh my God !!! Something went wrong!". They take him to a psychologist, and the psychologist says: “Your child is lagging behind in development (otherwise we ourselves did not guess). We will develop it. ”And he begins to develop his fine motor skills, specially deals with him. The speech was developed - and excellent. We observe further, and he holds a pencil like a shovel ... “Oh my God !!! We urgently teach you to hold a pencil! " Further ... “Oh my God !!! He doesn't know how to fasten buttons! " Well, etc. Question: Why do psychologists and parents expect deviations in the development of the child? Wasn't it easier to deal with him from birth ?!

Sufficiency principle

But this already smacks of a conspiracy 🙂 It is generally not clear why psychologists and parents develop skills in children to the level where they can normally exist and interact with others, that is, to the average. And it all stops there. It seems that psychologists do not like too smart. And who set these standards in general? What norms can there be in the development of intelligence ?! And it is completely unclear why all of the above suits the parents? Is it because psychologists tell you so? 🙂 It seems to me that every parent wants to raise at least a genius. So why isn't anyone doing this ?!

I invite all parents to use the principle of inadequacy in the development of their children. That is, the achieved result is good only at the moment of its achievement, and then it is again not good enough. You must understand that the foundation for the further development of a child is laid precisely in early childhood. And as effectively as this period is passed, the rest of life can be so successful. Not a fact, of course, but the chances will increase many times over. So don't wait! Start working with your child from the first months of life. And advice ... Only constant systematic training will give you a positive tangible result.

Here I will not describe the ways of developing fine motor skills in children, since there is enough information on this on the Internet without me. Just type in the search engine "Fine motor development" and you will get where you need to. And my site is not about children, but about adults.

Development of fine motor skills in adults

And again, the position of psychologists that is completely incomprehensible to me. Everything related to the development of fine motor skills is dedicated to children. Well, the child grew up - so what? Development got stuck ??? remained the same, the number in it is the same, the number of connections between neurons has significantly decreased (this is the specificity, I will explain another time), so why not develop fine motor skills further? From development fine motor skills adults will get all the same benefits as children. Speech skills are unlikely to improve significantly, but thought processes are very much. This must be done!

There is a small snag in the way of development. After all, the fine motor skills of adults are already sufficiently developed. We already have all the basic skills. It means that something else is needed.

For the development of fine motor skills in adults, learning to play a musical instrument is perfect. I would choose something popular. For example, a guitar. In general, I chose it 🙂 In addition to the applied purpose (development of fine motor skills), the wife can always play the guitar. Or not your wife 🙂 And besides fine motor skills, learning to play a musical instrument will pump your brain very strongly. A whole new system is being formed in your brain, which is a very valuable bonus.

If you are already playing a musical instrument, then learn to play another. Move from strings to keys or wind instruments. But you can try something else. For example, you can master the ten-finger printing method. From life observations I can say that all those who have a ten-finger typing method have a very high speed of thinking and outstanding intelligence. Reflecting on this relationship one day, I thought it might be a coincidence, and I did a small and unobtrusive survey among friends and family. And this relationship was confirmed.

There are many different tutorials for learning to play musical instruments. It is worth looking online. And for teaching the ten-finger method of typing, I personally use the online keyboard trainer "Key Race". Highly original idea for a keyboard simulator. Register on the site, read everything carefully and start training. And remember that only regular systematic exercises will give tangible, sustainable results.

Ambidexterity

It is an innate or developed ability to control the non-dominant hand in the same way as the leading one. The bottom line is ... The ease with which your dominant hand is wielded roughly reflects your mental and cognitive development. Do the following exercise: Write down any sentence with your leading hand. Rate how easy it was. Next, write down the same sentence with your non-dominant hand and rate how difficult it was. The difference in ease of writing with your leading hand and your non-leading hand is roughly equal to the potential dormant within you. Surely after this simple exercise, many will be amazed at this huge difference.

Another advantage of ambidexterity ... To solve the problems of some epileptics, neurosurgeons have to take countermeasures - epileptics have their brains cut open. Separate the hemispheres from each other. Then the patients are monitored for some time, and these observations led to the next discovery. The activity of the dominant hemisphere increases, while the non-dominant hemisphere practically stops its activity. What is the conclusion here? A poorly developed non-dominant hemisphere, due to its underdevelopment, slows down the dominant hemisphere of the brain, preventing it from revealing its full potential. It is very easy to check this.

Do the exercise I described above, but after you write the sentence with your non-dominant hand, write the same sentence again with your dominant hand and evaluate how much faster, lighter, and smoother your old handwriting became. This happens literally instantly. The effect will be stronger if you write longer with your non-dominant hand. Developing a non-dominant hand is very important point in the development of their abilities. So exercise.

By the way, the world famous genius Leonardo Da Vinci developed his possession of the non-leading hand to perfection, which I wish you too 🙂

Development of fine motor skills of hands in children early age, the preschool period occupies the minds of parents concerned about the future education of the child at school. In our article, you will learn what fine motor skills are, how and why to develop them.

Definition

M. Montessori, V.A. Sukhomlinsky, A.R. Luria, other psychologists, educators and physiologists devoted their lives to the study of the properties and characteristics of fine motor skills. They found the dependence of the level of speech development in preschoolers on the organization of movements with fingers and hands. The accuracy of the manipulation depends on the development of small muscles. Fastening buttons, drawing, sculpting enhances the work of the speech parts of the brain.

Fine motor skills of the hands are connected with consciousness, thinking, spatial orientation, memory, and vision. It is also important for the development of speech, success in teaching the child, later life already an adult.

Thus, the concept of the speech therapy term “fine motor skills of the hands” means a complex of mental and physiological processes. The visual, bone, muscle, nervous system... Accuracy, perfection of finger motor skills and the speed of development of speech function depend on the coherence of their interaction.

Diagnostics

Development level survey physiological characteristics fine motor skills in children is an important stage in corrective, developmental work.

Diagnostics is carried out by speech therapists, defectologists, neurologists, kindergarten teachers.

The peculiarity of the survey is that the child repeats the manipulations after the teacher. For the lesson, create a relaxed atmosphere, it is better to use the game. The tasks are divided according to the age of the subjects.

To examine the development of fine motor skills of hands in children 3-4 years old, the following exercises are used:

  1. Touching your index fingers to your nose with your eyes closed.
  2. Flexion of the phalanges on both hands alternately.
  3. Performing two opposite actions at the same time. For example, he clenches one handle into a fist, and the other unclenches his fingers.
  4. Folding large and forefinger into the ring.
  5. Button manipulation: unfastening, fastening.
  6. Transferring small items from the table to the box.

The analysis of the level of development of fine motor skills of hands in children 4-5 years old is carried out as follows:

  1. The child should draw a straight, broken line.
  2. String buttons on a thread.
  3. Stretch the index, middle fingers.
  4. Stroke all other fingers with your thumb.
  5. Cut the paper into even strips.
  6. Perform a pinch movement and straighten your palm back freely.

Norms

The development of fine motor skills of the hands in children occurs gradually. By a certain age, the child must perform the following set of actions corresponding to the level of physiological, mental development:

  • At 2-2.5 years old, the baby knows how to unfasten Velcro, large buttons, pushes small objects into the holes, removes clothespins, draws sweepingly. Mastering simple exercises finger gymnastics.
  • At 2.5 - 3 years old he unscrews the lids, draws with his fingers, sculpts Easter cakes, copies lines. Knows how to string beads on a stiff thread, wire, cut a sheet of paper, collect cereals with a spoon in a container and transfer it to another jar.
  • At 3 -3.5 years old, he draws straight lines, outlines the dashed lines, repeats simple figures according to a pencil model, sculpts balls, sausages from plasticine. Knows how to fasten and unfasten all types of locks, buttons, performs well finger gymnastics, is fluent in scissors.
  • At 4 years old he holds a pencil correctly, draws hexagons, stars, cuts out any geometric figures... He knows how to sort small objects, unfolds wrappers, string small beads on a thread, sculpt figures from dough, plasticine, tie knots, repeats the contours of objects with his finger in the air.
  • At the age of 5 he copies letters, numbers, folds paper several times, draws a house. Knows how to identify small objects by touch, lace up shoes, catch the ball with two handles. In older preschool age, the skills for the development of fine motor skills in children consist in the fact that the hands and fingers are already formed for mastering writing.
  • At the age of 6, a preschooler copies complex shapes with a pencil, parts of a person's body, catches a thrown object with one hand, and can perform a mirror image. He knows how to play a keyboard instrument, braids pigtails, almost completely masters the capabilities of hand motor skills by grade 1.

The development of skills in children 2-3 years old can take place individually, with minor deviations. Most often, they quickly catch up with their peers. If significant deviations from the norms are detected in the diagnosis, for example, 1-2 tasks out of 6 are performed correctly or moderately, we can talk about violations in the intellectual, physiological terms. Development correction is carried out by specialists; most often, one year of full-fledged classes with a teacher is enough for children to enter the age norm, eliminate the lag in the development of speech.

If by 3-4 years old the kid cannot hold a pencil correctly, does not fold the pyramid, does not hold a spoon, scissors in his hand, does not catch, does not throw a ball, then you need to urgently contact a specialist. These indicators indicate serious deviations in development, education.

We develop fine motor skills

For younger children preschool age the following activities are used.

Massage

Self-massage and help from adults are used. Spend 2 times a day, use as a warm-up before drawing, modeling. The set of exercises includes:

  • Kneading palms, hands.
  • Immersion of palms in a dry pool with sand, cereals, plastic bottle caps, etc.
  • Use of tools: hedgehogs, finger rings, marlbs balls.

Massage the palms with elastic movements, rub the skin red-hot. You can use the tools at hand, such as a pencil, nuts. In the first lesson, teach preschoolers the correct massage movements so that he could apply the required amount of force to knead his hands.

The walnut rolls between the palms, is held along the edges by weight. The pencil is pushed between the fingers, fixed in a certain position.

The following self-massage exercises are suitable for babies aged 3-5 years:

  • Pin
    Warm up the pads of the fingers with a clothespin. The skin is bitten with light but palpable movements. The clothespin kind of bites. Be sure to carry out the procedure on both handles.
  • Warm up with Su-Jok
    These are special balls with spikes for the development of fine motor skills of the hands. Exercise improves blood flow, stretches and trains muscles.
    Children roll them on their palms from top to bottom.

It is important not to forget about health preservation, the skin of hands and fingers should be clean, without scratches, prepared for massage.

Finger games

Necessary for the development of speech and coordination of movements, warm-up of the muscles of the palms, phalanges.

  • Legs

Fingers make stepping movements on the table

Children draw glasses with their fingers, forming circles with their thumb and forefinger. They bring them up to their eyes.

  • We go for mushrooms

We count fingers: one, two, three, etc. We bend each finger in turn, reciting a rhyme about how the fingers were looking for mushrooms, we do not open the cam.

  • Chair and table

We depict a table with a cam and a palm, change the position of the hands alternately. Then a chair: bring your open palm to the fist, place it on one side of the fist.

  • Boat

The verse is used:
A fox cub floats in a boat (palms are folded in the form of a boat),
The hare is calling in the boat (the kids are waving, calling on a friend).

  • Scissors

The child depicts scissors with his fingers, makes characteristic movements, as if cutting fabric.

Finger paint

The development of fine motor skills is faster through visual activity. Use modern methods and materials for drawing. One of them is finger paints.

Draw figures, landscapes, large compositions by reference or fantasy.
With a child 1-2 years old, draw lines, circles. With children from 3-4 years old - animals, houses, cars, geometric shapes.

To work with older preschoolers, print complex samples for drawings, with the need to use a large number of shades, the image of polygons, numbers, letters.







Application

An entertaining method for working with children of all ages. Children from 4-5 years old already cut out figures of large and small sizes. They know how to glue paper to cardboard, place elements of the work on a sheet.

Use designs with small details for appliqués. For example, autumn tree with many small leaves on the crown, or an applique in the shape of a fish, where you need to cut each scale separately.

Suitable material as colored paper, napkins, corrugated cardboard, natural remedies(sticks, pebbles, sand, cereals).

Twisted napkins make great flowers. The material can not only be twisted into balls, but also torn into pieces by gluing the pieces onto each other.

You can make a lamb from colored rice and semolina. The outline of a lamb is drawn on the sheet, it is covered with PVA glue, then semolina is sprinkled on the body, and the legs and horns are made of rice.

Molding

For classes, plasticine of various hardness, dough, kinetic sand is used.

Soft plasticine is suitable for kids aged 2-4 years. They need to be taught to roll sausages, balls, construct simple shapes, attaching them to cardboard.

Older children can already perform difficult tasks. For example, a picture made of plasticine in different ways.

Use the smudge and construct method. It is imperative to clearly show the child how parts are connected, how to make small parts and use colored elements.



During classes, not only motor skills develop, but also the child's creative potential, the horizons, knowledge about the color, shape, size, texture of the material expand. Visual activity develops the skill of perseverance, dedication.

How to conduct classes

  • Work with your child regularly, paying attention to massage, games, gymnastics, creative activities.
  • At 2-3 years old, it is enough to massage the brushes, fingers for 3-5 minutes. Then perform 1-2 exercises of gymnastics with the pronunciation of small rhymes. A couple of times a week, conduct modeling classes, teaching drawing.
  • By the age of 4-5, increase the self-massage time to 10-15 minutes 2 times a day. Perform finger exercises for at least 20 minutes a day. The child must draw or sculpt every day.
  • In the senior preschool period, you can study for more than 30 minutes without a break. Alternate massage, finger and hand workouts in one session. Sculpt, draw with the child together, be sure to include complex elements in the composition, the image of letters and numbers.
  • The main principle of the classes is systematicity, consistency. Consider the developmental characteristics of children when selecting materials, cards, poems, assignments.

In kindergarten there are stands, guidelines for parents on how to develop fine motor skills in the hands of a child. Consult with teachers and repeat the material passed at the preschool educational institution at home.