In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the reasons why motor skills are so important for young children, plus some initial tips on helping to build them in your child. Motor skills involve the use of muscles in the body for any needed task, and there are a wide range of ways to go about building motor skills and related developmental areas in healthy ways.
At Smart Kids Development Center, we know how important motor skills are to children and their parents, and our child care programs involve numerous activities or themes that speak to this vital area. In today's part two of our series, let's go over some more ways that parents, educators and other caregivers in a child's life can help promote healthy development of motor skills.
For many children, one of the most fun ways to help promote motor skills is playing with something like Play-Dough. This classic activity helps with a child's fine motor skills, as they must use their hands in small, deliberate movements to mold the dough into different shapes or structures.
Tactile activities in general can be excellent for helping a child understand how to use different muscles in their hands and fingers. If you don't have any Play-Dough on hand, consider looking for some other objects that can be used in a similar way - modeling clay, for example.
One particular subset of fine motor skills that's important to focus on is a child's ability to use scissors. This task requires coordination between the thumb, index and middle fingers, along with some strength in the muscles of the hand and wrist.
At Smart Kids Development Center, we know that some children may be hesitant or even afraid of using scissors at first. It's important to be patient and let them warm up to the idea at their own pace. You can start by having them practice cutting along simple, wide lines before moving on to smaller, more intricate cuts.
Another great activity for promoting fine motor skills is threading or lacing. This can be done with a variety of different materials, such as beads, straws, buttons or even pasta. The goal is to help the child develop the coordination and muscle control needed to thread the smaller objects through larger holes.
You can make this activity as simple or complex as needed, depending on the child's age and ability level. For example, you can start with larger beads and holes, then gradually move to smaller beads and tighter spaces.
As you can see, there are a wide range of activities that can help promote healthy motor skills development in children. At Smart Kids Development Center, we're proud to offer programs that focus on all aspects of a child's development, including motor skills. Contact us today to learn more about our programs or to schedule a tour of our facility.
