In the previous article, parents must have known the importance of fine motor skills for children's development. This skill not only increases dexterity and flexibility but also helps children practice independently and be more proactive in performing daily tasks such as personal hygiene, eating, speaking, writing, drawing, and creativity. .. The more a child is able to develop fine motor skills, the better he can access the world around him.
The following are simple activities that parents can apply to effectively develop their children's fine motor skills .
When should you start developing your child's fine motor skills?
Each child will have a different rate of skill development. This depends on genetics, health status, living environment, child-rearing methods... Therefore, parents should not be too worried when they see other children developing finer motor skills. my child. Instead, always observe and support your child until they achieve the necessary skills.
Normally, children from 1 month old onwards have certain fine motor skills. These skills will be developed and perfected over time. And the preschool period is an important time when parents need to build their children's fine motor skills. Through this period, training children's fine motor skills will be more difficult.
Activities help practice children's fine motor skills
Parents can practice their children's fine motor skills through the following simple but interesting activities:
Rice scooping activity
Be prepared:
- Rice
- 2 small bowls
- 1 spoon.
Doing:
- Place 2 bowls close to each other
- Fill a bowl with rice
- Let the child hold the spoon
- Children will use a spoon to scoop rice from one bowl to the other.
Parents can create excitement and increase challenges for children by substituting different types of beans, different sized bowls or using smaller spoons.
Noodle threading activity
Be prepared:
- 1 handful of pasta
- 1 adhesive tape
- 1 piece of wire
Doing:
- Use tape to firmly stick one end of the wire to a flat surface.
- Ask your child to thread the noodle onto the other end of the string.
Parents can use tape to wrap the other end of the string to create sturdiness. It will be easier for your baby to thread the noodles when playing for the first time. When your baby finishes threading the noodles onto the string, help him tie them to create a cute pasta necklace.
Cardboard cutting activity
Be prepared:
- Paperboard
- 1 pair of scissors for children
Doing:
- Parents cut cardboard into rectangles long enough for children to hold comfortably in their hands.
- Children use scissors to cut pieces of cardboard to their liking.
- After your baby gets used to using scissors, parents should draw straight lines on the cardboard for your baby to cut along. This will help your child's arm muscles become stronger.
- Next, parents increase the challenge for their children by drawing simple shapes on cardboard. Children will cut according to the drawn shapes to increase fine motor skills.
Water pouring activity
Be prepared:
- Children's water bottle
- Water
- Small tray
- Glass
- Highlighter
Doing:
- Place the water bottle and cup on the tray
- Ask your child to pour a cup of water from a bottle
- Mark the cup and ask the child to pour water into the cup up to the marked line.
This activity seems simple but has the effect of training children's fine motor skills quite effectively. Parents can also pretend to attend a party with their children to increase excitement and develop their child's imagination.
Opening and closing activities
Be prepared:
- Plastic vase/box/bottle
Doing:
- Children use their hands to close/open the lids of prepared jars/boxes/plastic bottles.
- Parents can mix up the lids of jars and plastic bottles so that children can find and close the correct lid.
Bottle closing/capping activities will help your baby practice fine motor skills. At the same time, enhance children's observation and logical thinking skills when choosing the correct bottle cap suitable for each type of bottle. plastic bottle.
Table cleaning activity
Be prepared:
- 1 sheet of paper
- 1 pen
- Plates, cups, spoons and forks, toys and daily use items for your baby
Doing:
- Parents use a pen to draw outlines to clearly indicate the location of tools.
- Ask children to place the correct items (plate, spoon, cup...) into the given pictures.
Classification of spoons and forks
Be prepared:
- Different types of spoons and forks
Doing:
- Your baby will sort the mixed spoons and forks. The spoon is placed on one side, the fork is placed on the other.
- After that, parents guide their children to arrange items neatly and neatly in the kitchen.
Clothespin activity
Be prepared:
- Small clothespins, suitable for children's hands
- 1 cardboard box
Doing:
- Clamp the prepared clips onto the cardboard box.
- Baby uses his hands to remove the clip and put it in the box.
This activity will help children practice strong hands and concentration. Furthermore, this is also an effective activity for teaching children to do housework that parents should refer to.
Shirt unbuttoning activity
Be prepared:
- 1 baby shirt
Doing:
- Place the shirt flat on the table.
- Parents show children how to button and unbutton clothes. Then let your child practice doing the same.
Parents can increase the difficulty of this activity by using a variety of buttons of different sizes.
Clothes folding activity
Be prepared:
- Some baby clothes
Doing:
- Instruct your child how to fold clothes.
- Your baby will practice following instructions. Then store it neatly in a cupboard.
Above are suggestions for simple but interesting activities to practice fine motor skills, helping children increase dexterity, flexibility, and form independence. In addition, parents can also choose toys that develop fine motor skills for children to play and learn effectively at home. Don't forget to follow Mykingdom's " Handbook " section to see many other useful articles.
