As an adult, you probably don’t give much thought to your fine motor skills, even though you use them on a regular basis. From writing to zippering your jacket and from tying your shoes to cutting your steak, you are constantly putting those tiny muscles in your hands to work.
To you, it may seem like these tasks are simple and that you have been able to do them forever; however, just like every muscle in your body, your fine motor muscles need to be developed. It takes precision and good hand-eye coordination in order to successfully execute these tasks, and it was during childhood that you honed your fine motor skills.
So, now that you are a parent, you are probably wondering how you can provide your child with opportunities to strengthen the muscles in their hands. A rigid set of exercises isn’t necessary. Rather, through the use of toys that promote finger strengthening, your child can develop those muscles in the hands, setting him or her up for success with all of those fine motor tasks, including writing, tying and zippering.
And, not only will your child’s fine motor skills develop by planning with these toys, but he or she will also have fun.
Toys and Activities that Promote Fine Motor Development
So, what type of toys and activities can your little one play with that will promote fine motor development?
Here are just a few examples:
- Lacing cards
- Clay and putty
- Interlocking cubes
- Lego’s
- Linking chains
- Stringing beads
- Squirt toys
- Clipping clothespins to strings
- Punching holes in paper
- Picking up objects with tweezers
- Tracing
- Filling and emptying eye droppers
- Popping bubble wrap
- Squeezing glue
- Painting
- Bouncing balls
- Sorting objects
The fingers, hand, and forearm are chock-full of muscles, so using finger strengthening toys is a great way to develop those muscles and promote fine motor skills.