Motor skill development is an important part of every child's growth and learning. These skills are broadly categorised into two types: fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills involve small, precise movements, typically of the hands and fingers, while gross motor skills involve larger movements using the whole body or major limb muscles.
Fine Motor Skills vs Gross Motor Skills: At a Glance
|
Aspect |
Fine Motor Skills |
Gross Motor Skills |
|
Definition |
Skills involving small precision muscle movements in the hands and fingers, feet and eyes. |
Skills that involve large muscle groups for whole-body movements. |
|
Muscle Groups |
Small muscles of the hands and fingers, toes and eyes. |
Large muscle groups like arms, legs, and torso. |
|
Movement Precision |
Requires precise and coordinated movements. |
Involves broader, less precise movements. |
|
Examples |
Writing, cutting with scissors, buttoning, drawing, visual tracking and balance. |
Walking, running, jumping, climbing, and throwing. |
|
Daily Activities |
Essential for self-care tasks like eating, dressing, and performing skills that require precise movements. |
Important for mobility and physical activities like sports. |
|
Coordination Type |
Requires hand-eye coordination and dexterity. |
Involves balance and overall body coordination. |
|
Milestones |
Develops skills like grasping objects and using utensils. |
Major milestones like walking. |
Fine Motor Skills Development
Fine motor skills are the small precise movements we make with our hands, fingers, eyes and feet. These skills help us do everyday tasks like writing, buttoning a shirt, or using utensils, visual tracking skills and precision balance movements.
For neurodivergent children, developing fine motor skills will look different from child to child. Some may find certain tasks easier than others, and that's okay! Fine motor skills are important because they help children become more independent in their daily lives, and we can support their growth by offering fun activities that encourage these precise movements.
Types of Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills are divided into several types, each focusing on different aspects of hand and finger movements, helping us to identify areas where a child may need support:
- Grasping Skills: How a child holds objects, ranging from a simple grasp to more complex grips.
- Hand-Eye Coordination: This skill combines visual input with hand movements.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to move fingers independently and with precision.
- Bilateral Coordination: Using both hands together in a coordinated way.
- Visual Tracking: Effectively tracking an object across a child’s field
Examples of Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills involve many everyday activities that will help children gain independence and confidence in their daily lives:
- Writing or drawing with a pencil or crayon
- Using scissors to cut paper
- Building with small blocks or Lego
- Buttoning shirts or zipping up jackets
- Using utensils like forks and spoons
- Tying shoelaces
- Turning pages in a book
- Using a computer mouse or touchscreen
- Opening and closing containers
- Balls skills
- Finding and locating objects
- Small balance adjustments not requiring big movements or adaptions
How to Improve Fine Motor Skills Development
Incorporating different activities and fine motor skills tools into your child’s routine can help boost their hand-eye coordination, creativity, and overall dexterity, making everyday tasks easier and more enjoyable for them.
Play with Therapy Putty
Using therapy putty exercises for fine motor development helps to strengthen hand muscles. Encourage children to roll, pinch, and shape the putty into different forms or hide small objects in the putty so they can use their finger and hand muscles to find them.
Arts and Crafts
Drawing, colouring, cutting, and glueing are ways to enhance fine motor skills. Give them lots of different materials like safety scissors, paper, and stickers for creative projects (under adult supervision) so they can explore the different motions with their hands.
Puzzles and Building Toys
Working with puzzles or building blocks helps improve hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity. Our link 'n' learn links provide a fun and engaging way for children to practice these skills, or using our suckers is an easy way to incorporate dexterity development at home or on the go.
Visual Tracking Games
Help your child develop visual tracking skills by encouraging them to follow a moving object, like a ball or a toy car, with their eyes across their visual field. This supports their eye movement control, which is important for many fine motor tasks like reading and writing.
Cooking Together
Involve your children in cooking activities, like stirring, pouring, and measuring ingredients. For children with food aversions, this can be a gentle way to explore different textures and foods in a low-pressure environment.
Use Fine Motor Tools
Our fine motor tool set includes tweezers, tongs, scoopers and droppers that require them to squeeze or use multiple fingers at the same time. Give them activities that involve picking up small objects with these tools, like transferring pom-poms from one bowl to another.
Daily Living Skills
Encourage children to practice self-care tasks as part of their daily routine, like dressing themselves, brushing their teeth, or tying shoelaces. These activities can be challenging at first, but with practice, they will promote independence and confidence.
Balance Skills
Activities like standing on one foot and making tiny adjustments to stay upright will help strengthen the muscles in their feet and ankles, improving their overall balance and coordination. You can also try walking heel-to-toe along a line or balancing on different surfaces, like a soft mat or a balance cushion.
As they gain confidence, introduce new challenges, like balancing while tossing a softball or closing their eyes for a few seconds.
Gross Motor Skills Development
For neurodivergent children, developing gross motor skills is a wonderful way to build confidence and enjoy active play. As they master these skills, they strengthen their coordination and balance, helping them feel more comfortable in various environments and social situations.
Types of Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills are categorised into several types, each focusing on different aspects of body movement:
- Locomotor Skills: Moving their body from one place to another.
- Stability Skills: Keeping their balance and body awareness in a space.
- Manipulative Skills: Using the body to control objects with their hands, legs, arms and feet.
- Coordination Skills: Integrating different body movements at the same time.
Examples of Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills are used in many everyday activities that help children develop strength, coordination, and confidence. These motor movements not only promote physical health but also encourage social interaction and teamwork:
- Running and walking
- Jumping and hopping
- Climbing stairs or playground equipment
- Kicking a ball
- Throwing and catching
- Riding a bike or scooter
- Dancing or moving to music
- Playing sports
How to Improve Gross Motor Skills Development
Physical activities and gross motor skills tools help to improve your child’s strength, balance, and coordination, leading to better physical confidence and overall development.
Outdoor Play
Encourage family outings and outdoor activities like visiting a playground, walking around open spaces, or visiting a trampoline park. These provide great opportunities for children to explore and develop their gross motor skills.
Active Games
Incorporate games that involve movement, including tag, hide-and-seek, or obstacle courses. Using therapy balls in activities promotes core strength and balance and gives children a way to release energy.
Dance and Movement
Dancing to their favourite music is a fun way to develop rhythm, balance, and coordination. For children who enjoy louder sounds, introduce instruments or upbeat music to make the experience more engaging.
Balance Activities
Introduce activities that focus on strength and balance, such as walking on a balance beam, playing on a seesaw, or using balance boards. These activities help enhance stability and control and give them a repetitive motion that provides sensory feedback.
Strength-Building Exercises
Simple exercises like squats, lunges, or jumping jacks help build strength in the major muscle groups. For sensory seekers, these exercises are great for sensory movement breaks.
Sitting Exercises
If your child likes to fidget but struggles to sit upright and still in a chair, give them a balance cushion to sit on during seated activities to improve their core strength and posture. Incorporate them into daily routines like homework time or mealtime.
Motor Skills Development Milestones for Neurodivergent Children
Every child's journey in developing motor skills is unique, especially for neurodivergent children. Instead of focusing on rigid timelines or comparing children to their peers, it's more helpful to celebrate each child's individual progress and achievements. Some children might find particular motor tasks more straightforward than others, and that's perfectly okay. The key is to provide a supportive, patient, and encouraging environment that allows each child to grow at their own pace.
Developing motor control often intertwines closely with sensory experiences. Each child processes sensory information differently, which can influence their motor skill development. Sensory experiences affect how neurodivergent children learn about their bodies and interact with their environment. For some, certain textures can be calming and encourage exploration, while others might find them overwhelming.
Supporting Motor Skills Development with Everyday OT
Becoming a sensory detective and learning about your child's sensory preferences will help you create opportunities for motor skill development that are both engaging and comfortable. This could include adapting their environment by:
- Adjusting lighting or sound levels to reduce sensory overload
- Providing a variety of textures and materials for exploration
- Creating quiet spaces for children who need breaks from stimulation
- Offering adaptive sensory tools that make motor tasks more accessible
Introducing these into your child's daily routine will create a nurturing environment that encourages steady progress in their motor skills development.
Support your child's fine motor skills and gross motor skills with our specially designed products and tools. As occupational therapists, each product in our range is thoughtfully chosen to challenge and inspire - we even incorporate these resources into our own children’s daily routines. Explore our collections today to support your child’s motor skills development and learn more from our team.