Although every child develops at a different pace, there are some common milestones most neurotypical children reach at a certain age. When it comes to the development of fine motor skills, most children are able to copy shapes and use cutlery with adequate control by the age of 5 or 6. By the time they are 9 or 10, children should be able to use tools such as rulers and scissors without much trouble. If you would like to help your child develop their fine motor skills, we share more about why toys are important for achieving this below.
FINE MOTOR SKILLS
First, let us get an understanding of what fine motor skills entail. Simply put, fine motor skills are the skills we need to use our hand and wrist muscles to accomplish daily tasks. For children, these include:
- Holding a pencil or crayon
- Stacking toys and building blocks
- Using tools such as forks and spoons
- Copying shapes and writing neatly
USING TOYS TO BUILD FINE MOTOR SKILLS
Whether your child is struggling with fine motor skills or you simply want to aid their development, here are some suggestions you can try. These toys are inexpensive and can be found easily.
- Art and Craft Sets: There’s no getting around it, children love getting messy. However, did you know painting works many of the skills needed in fine motor development? Paint-by-number kits help your child practice holding a brush and forming strokes, whereas finger painting gives your child an opportunity to use their hands.
- Playdough: Needless to say, playdough requires the use of hand and wrist muscles. Encourage your child to form different shapes by kneading the dough or give them some child-friendly scissors to cut through it.
- Building Blocks: Ideal for a large age range of children, building blocks encourage your child to stack for hours. Balancing blocks on top of each other and building the tallest structure possible can prove to be a challenge, testing your child’s fine motor skills.
- Puzzles: A favorite for building fine motor skills, puzzles have other amazing benefits for your child’s development as well.
- Sorting Toys: For younger children, getting them to sort toys by shape or color can be a good way of engaging their fine motor skills. Furthermore, they are learning about shapes and colors at the same time!
BUY TOYS THAT AID YOUR CHILD’S FINE MOTOR SKILLS AT KIDPOWERED
If you are looking for toys that will aid the development of your child’s fine motor skills, look no further than Kidpowered. Whatever your child’s interests or preferences, we have something that will suit them when you shop by theme. At Kidpowered, we strongly believe that the purpose of toys is to promote the physical and emotional development of children, therefore you can be assured of getting the best for your child when you shop with us.