Activities to develop fine motor skills. Development of fine motor skills up to one year

Many modern mothers and fathers have already become familiar with the concept of “fine motor skills.” Trying to positively influence the child’s development, parents persistently give their children sorters and finger mazes, and with older children they draw and sculpt all day long.

But how do you know if the actions taken are correct? Is the degree of exercise appropriate for the baby’s age and do the exercises bring the desired effect? To answer these and other questions, you should take a closer look at the topic.

General concept

Motor skills are a set of body movements performed under the control of the body’s psychological reactions. The motor processes that a person possesses give an idea of ​​the level of development of his coordination and intelligence.

Psychologists classify it into several types:

• Gross or gross motor skills are responsible for the movement of muscle groups. An example of such an activity is running or squatting.
• Fine motor skills - movements of the hands or fingers. Developed motor reactions of the hands help us lace up our shoes or lock the door. Fine motor skills include actions in which it is necessary to combine eye and hand movements, as in drawing, for example.
• Articulatory motor skills are the ability to coordinate the work of the speech apparatus, that is, to speak.

A little physiology

While studying issues of child psychology and pedagogy, scientists came to stunning conclusions. It turns out that about a third of the cerebral cortex is responsible for the development of hand motor skills. In addition, this third is located as close as possible to the speech center. A comparison of these facts gave grounds to consider the motor activity of the hands and fingers to be responsible for human speech.

In this regard, the development of fine motor skills in the hands of a young child is one of the fundamental tasks in teaching speech skills. Of course, along with improving articulatory activity. The results of many years of experience prove that the scientists’ conclusions were correct.

In addition to the above dependence, fine motor skills have a direct impact on the formation of logic, thinking skills, strengthening memory, training observation, imagination and coordination. Children who have better control over their hands show perseverance and tire more slowly.

Fine motor development calendar

At every age, a child is capable of performing certain actions. New opportunities appear as his nervous system matures. Each new achievement appears due to the fact that the previous skill was successfully mastered, so the level of motor skills formation must be monitored.

• 0-4 months - the child can coordinate eye movements, tries to reach objects with his hands. If you manage to pick up a toy, then the squeezing of the hand occurs, rather, due to reflexes that fade away up to six months. The baby does not yet have dominant preferences that allow him to perform actions with a more “comfortable” hand, and they will not appear soon - he is still both “right-handed” and “left-handed.”
• 4 months - a year - the child’s skills are actively improving, now he can transfer objects from hand to hand, perform simple actions such as turning pages. Now the baby can grab even a small bead with two fingers.
• 1-2 years - movements become more and more confident, now the child uses his index finger more actively. The first drawing skills appear - the baby draws dots and circles, and soon he will be able to draw a line on a sheet of paper with a pencil. Now he begins to prefer one hand over the other.
• 2-3 years - hand motor skills allow you to hold scissors and even cut paper with them. The drawing style changes along with the way the pencil is held, and the first conscious figures appear on the sheet of paper.
• 3-4 years old - the child already draws confidently and knows how to cut a sheet along the drawn line. He has already decided on his dominant hand, but in games he skillfully uses both. Your child will soon be able to hold a pen or pencil just like an adult, so by age 4 he will be ready to learn writing skills.
• 4-5 years. Fine hand motor skills in children of this age already resemble the movements of adults. Please note: when drawing or coloring, the child does not move the whole hand at once, but only the brush. The movements are more refined, so cutting out an object from paper or coloring without going beyond the contours is no longer so difficult.
• 5-6 years. At this age, a preschooler’s hands should be perfectly coordinated; the child already holds a pen with three fingers, draws small details like an adult, and knows how to use scissors. All the baby's skills indicate that he will not experience difficulties at school.

Low level of motor development - what does this mean?

Insufficiently formed hand motor skills impede not only the development of speech skills. Such a child may experience problems with memory and logic. If this is a preschooler, then he urgently needs help, because he will be absolutely unprepared for school. Such a student will have difficulty concentrating, will become tired quickly and will inevitably begin to fall behind.

When and how to start working with your baby?

From birth you can begin to pay attention to the development of the baby. Of course, a newborn will not be interested in a sorter or a toy with lacing. But you can start putting rattles in his hand, let him touch fabrics of different textures with his fingers, give the baby a hand massage.

The age at which active development of finger motor skills is important is 8 months. If up to this point no attention has been paid to this issue, now is the time to take some action.

Exercises

To organize real classes with her own baby, a mother does not need professional teaching skills. For exercises, the simplest objects that can always be found in any home are suitable. The main principle on which the development of hand motor skills is built is “from big to small.” What does this mean?

• Start rolling plasticine balls with your child. Let the baby make something. If he can do this, he can gradually move on to smaller and more complex details.
• You can simply tear the paper. First into large pieces, then into small ones. The finer the details, the higher the level of development of motor skills in the child.
• Together with your child, you can string beads onto a thread, tie shoelaces, and fasten buttons.

Passive gymnastics (massage)

A competent massage therapist is an excellent assistant in developing a child’s coordination. An experienced specialist will also help with the baby’s hands. You can start classes already in the first 3-4 months of the child, and sessions can be conducted for 5 minutes up to several times a day.

It is better to entrust massage sessions to a professional, but if necessary, some exercises can be performed independently. So, you need to stroke the baby’s hands for a minute, then rub them lightly. Then perform vibrating taps with your fingers on your hands and palms. Another effective massage exercise is bending and straightening your fingers and then massaging each one.

Toys

Toys for hand motor skills are sold in large quantities in children's goods stores. They even come with instructions indicating the recommended age and a description of the game process. But you don't have to buy anything. You can play with any objects - almost any thing in the house (safe for the child) is suitable for developing motor skills.

A hand-made board for developing motor skills, or a busy board using the Montessori method, is an excellent gift for a child aged 1 to 3 years. Dad could make such a toy. To do this, you will need a sheet of plywood and the most dangerous items in the house: a socket with a plug, furniture fittings, switches, latches and other household parts. The point of the toy is for the child to learn such things in their safe form. After getting acquainted with the socket on the stand, the baby will not become interested in the real one, and by feeling these objects with his fingers, he will develop finger motor skills.

If your beloved child is already 3 years old, then you can offer a game of “Cinderella”. To do this, various cereals or legumes are poured into a bag, and the child is given the task of sorting through everything.

Why not play a guessing game? You can blindfold your baby and take turns placing household items in his hands - let him guess them.

In addition, the child will approve of mosaic games, finger theater, and joint appliqués. Helping your beloved child improve himself is not at all difficult, the main thing is to slightly use your own imagination.

“To make your child speak faster, develop fine motor skills,” pediatricians and psychologists tell parents. Why development of fine motor skills Are children's fingers so important? And what does it have to do with the formation of speech? Why are children who are in no hurry to please their fathers and mothers with their first words recommended to develop finger activity? This article is about how to give a boost to your baby’s speech development using exercises for children’s hands.

Why develop fine motor skills?

Why develop fine motor skills? How to determine how well the baby’s hand motor skills are developed? Are there standards that need to be followed when assessing a child’s abilities?

As a rule, among the symptoms of poorly developed fine motor skills in the hands of a two to three year old child are the following:

1. Holds the spoon unsteadily and incorrectly.
2. Has difficulty collecting cubes, mosaic parts, and construction sets.
3. Cannot tie a knot, make an appliqué, fasten or unfasten buttons.

Fine motor skills are precise, coordinated small movements of the hands and fingers and toes. The coordination of these movements is achieved through the coordinated work of the visual, muscular, nervous and skeletal systems. Those. if a child likes to play with small objects, demonstrating precise movements of his fingers and hands, then this is a good indicator of the development of his sensory skills. And since the motor and articulation centers in the brain are located nearby, the influence of motor skills on the development of speech is obvious: the more actively the baby “works” with his fingers, playing, drawing, tying, fastening, etc., the faster he will speak.

This pattern was identified in ancient times, and therefore finger games were very popular in China and Japan. And Soviet scientists V.M. Bekhterev, V.A. Antakova-Fomina, V.A. Sukhomlinsky and others, who studied the relationship between motor impulses of the fingers and brain activity, came to the conclusion that various meaningful movements of the fingers serve as a stimulus for the intellectual development of the baby, and also contribute to the formation of speech, the development of observation, memory, coordination, attention and creative thinking.

How to develop hand motor skills?

The following exercises are best suited for developing precise small movements of children's fingers and arms:

• modeling small parts from plasticine or dough;
• fastening and unbuttoning buttons;
• stringing beads on a cord, as well as tying and untying knots;
• playing with cereals, beans or split peas;
• drawing, including finger paints;
• playing musical instruments;
• various massages, stroking, rubbing children's palms.

The main thing in working with a baby is systematicity, regularity and kindness. These activities, aimed at correcting speech and improving motor functions, can be carried out by parents independently, without the help of specialists. All exercises and gymnastics to develop children’s fine motor skills at home should be carried out in the form of a game - then the child will practice with pleasure.

Development of fine motor skills up to one year

You can develop your baby's finger activity from about three months, when your baby has already learned to hold objects in his hands. To do this, you don’t need to be particularly inventive: just put toys of different shapes, sizes and materials into his palm, naming their properties: the ball is round and green, the bunny has long ears, the teddy bear is fluffy, etc. In addition, you can hold balls in your child’s hands and roll them, thus massaging your palms. You can also gently stroke and knead each finger individually for two minutes - such a massage will also benefit the baby. In addition, the well-known nursery rhymes “Soroka-Soroka” and “Ladushki-Ladushki” also serve as training for hand motor skills.

Development of fine motor skills from one to three years

Since the baby’s movements during this period are already quite meaningful and coordinated, the training of hands and fingers should be complicated. The baby should be encouraged to stretch their hands with rubber toys, crumple and tear paper, and sort through cereals or small beads. After two years, you can move on to more complex exercises: lacing; tying and untying knots on ribbons and ropes; fastening and unbuttoning buttons; screwing and unscrewing lids on jars.

To avoid unpleasant situations, children under three years of age should only play with small objects under adult supervision.

In addition, it is advisable to assemble mosaics and construction sets consisting of large parts with crumbs, as well as sculpt them from plasticine, clay, and dough.

Toys and exercises for developing fine motor skills

Currently, many different toys are offered that are aimed specifically at developing the motor functions of the hands and fingers. For babies and children up to one year old, rattles made of various materials will be interesting: plastic, fabric and wood, as well as educational rugs and complexes. By the way, you can make a complex for training your fingers in the form of a board (busy board). Various objects are attached to the surface of a smooth board: multi-colored strips, buttons, levers, switches, elastic bands, laces, ropes, buttons, chains, disks, etc. - in general, everything that can interest the baby and encourage him to twirl these objects, click, touch. Such developmental centers introduce the baby to new sounds, shapes, materials and provide an excellent stimulus for development.

After a year and until approximately the age of three, the baby will enthusiastically play with blocks and assemble construction sets with large parts, including soft and magnetic ones. Mosaics with a small number of puzzles, lacing, serpentine labyrinths, and plasticine will also be used - in general, it is worth offering the baby everything that stimulates the motor activity of the fingers and the general development of the intellect.

In addition, you can practice motor skills with the help of cereals and beans: a small toy is placed at the bottom of the bowl and covered with split peas, beans or cereals (rice, buckwheat, pearl barley). Children, as a rule, happily run their fingers through it in search of a buried “treasure” and rejoice at the thing they found.

Playing with buttons of different sizes, shapes, colors, and materials is also an excellent exercise for developing fine motor skills. To begin with, you can invite your child to simply immerse his hands in a container with buttons and move his fingers, fingering them. Then, without removing your hands, try to “grind” the buttons in your palms, and then pour them from one palm to another. You can gradually complicate the tasks: lay out patterns or drawings along the contour with buttons; distribute them by color, material, number of holes, etc. At the same time, you need to comment on your actions and describe the properties of the objects: “Let's collect all the yellow buttons. Look, this one is big, and this one is small. This one is red, but we need yellow ones. Let's count how many buttons we collected?

Beads, especially long ones, will also help develop sensitivity in the fingers. You can simply sort through the beads, naming their properties: round, large, cold, smooth, white; you can practice counting; you can lay out the outline of an object (for example, a snake) from beads and ask them to guess what you got. By the way, individual beads, like buttons, can be strung on a string - this will also be an excellent exercise for developing coordination of movements.

Serpentine labyrinths are toys for the development of finger grips. They consist of several wires attached to a base, along which you need to move parts of various shapes and colors. While having fun with such a toy, you can learn the names of geometric shapes (cube, ring) and colors.

Playing with common objects like clothespins is a great way to develop fine motor skills. Draw a circle on cardboard, color it yellow and cut it out - this is the sun. Ask your child what is missing? The correct answer is that the sun does not have enough rays. This is where clothespins come to the rescue: the baby should try to independently attach five or six “rays” to the sun.

Currently, the so-called “finger steps” have become very popular among parents and it is not surprising: they perfectly develop coordination and motor functions of the hands. These are exercises for the child’s fingers, which need to be done either with each hand separately, or with both at the same time. Such activities require concentration and attentiveness, therefore they are recommended for children aged three years and older. Manuals describing such exercises can be found on sale, or you can do it yourself.

Even regular sandbox games will help your baby develop fine motor skills. By grabbing and pouring sand, the child trains the tactile sensitivity of his fingers, and by trying to wield a spatula, pour sand into a bucket and make his first Easter cake, he develops coordination of movements. Teach your little one to build castles, houses, bridges using available materials: sand, sticks, pebbles, leaves and grass - this way you will give impetus to his creative development.

Well, perhaps the best gymnastics for a baby’s fingers is sculpting. It doesn’t matter what you decide to sculpt from: plasticine, clay or salt dough (testoplastika) - working with any material provides an excellent stimulus for the development of the baby, since sculpting involves all the active points on the child’s arms associated with the brain. In addition, by creating crafts, the baby reveals his creative potential: he turns on his imagination at full capacity, comes up with ideas on the go, reflects, often commenting on his actions out loud. In the process of sculpting, he learns to calculate the pressure of his fingers and feel the material he is working with.

For the first lessons, you should take salt dough - this is the softest and most pleasant material. Later, you can accustom your baby to plasticine (previously kneaded to a very soft state) and clay.

Developing fine motor skills of the hands through unconventional drawing is a fairly effective method. It includes drawing with fingers, palms, foam rubber (instead of a brush), chalk, as well as spraying - splashing paint drawn on a brush onto a sheet of paper. In addition, in non-traditional drawing they practice blotography - a method in which you need to blow through a tube onto a puddle of paint without touching it. Non-traditional drawing methods include using a stencil and drawing on wet paper. In this case, you can draw pictures yourself, or you can buy ready-made coloring books to develop hand motor skills.

Hand massage

Exercises should be interspersed with finger massage. It would be good if the massage sessions were not carried out in complete silence, but accompanied by funny short poems or nursery rhymes.

At the age of six months to one year, you should limit yourself to gentle stroking of the baby’s fingers and palms. You can also lightly massage each finger in the direction from the nail to its base, but do not overdo it: massage both hands should not exceed two to three minutes.

When the baby turns one year old, the massage can be varied. To the movements described above, you should add the following: use light pressure to massage the baby’s fingertips; then move your index finger in a circular motion across his palms. Ask your child to place his hands on his knees, palms up, and then run the massage brushes over them.

Use spiky rubber balls: they will not only help you develop motor skills, but also turn massage into a game. Pass the ball over the baby’s arms and legs (“look, the hedgehog has run”), invite the baby to roll it in his hands, squeeze it tightly in each hand in turn (“remember the hedgehog’s sides”), touch each “needle” of the hedgehog, stroke him. And at the end of the massage session, roll the ball over the child’s back, neck, tummy, and heels.

The development of fine motor skills is useful at any age, so you should not stop classes when your child reaches, for example, five or seven years. Training hands and fingers in preschool and then at school age will have a positive effect on the child’s academic performance and overall development, so just select activities that are suitable for his age and level of difficulty, and continue to train.

The normal development of a child, starting from infancy, requires activities to develop fine motor skills. Many parents have probably heard this term, but not everyone knows what it means and why classes are so necessary. Let's talk about development of fine motor skills: what is it, why are classes needed, what should they be?

Children's physiology and features of the development of fine motor skills

Gross motor skills are body movements that are performed under the command of psychoanalytic reactions in the brain center. There are three main types of motor skills:

1. Large. Working large muscles (jogging, push-ups)
2. Small. Movement of the hands and fingers. This includes combining actions (eyes + hands when drawing).
3. Articulatory. The ability and ability to coordinate the functions of speech skills (coherent conversation).

Western scientists, having conducted research in the field of psychology, concluded that exactly one third of the cerebral cortex is responsible for fine motor skills. This part is located next to the brain's speech center. This fact makes it possible to say that the development of fine motor skills in an infant affects the process of formation:

• · speech skills;
• memory;
• thinking;
• logic;
• · imagination.

It was noticed that children who have good control over their hands are more diligent and get tired much less than children who were not given classes to develop fine motor skills.

A calendar of norms for the development of fine motor skills in children, or what and when should they be able to do?

Each age has its own standards for the development of fine motor skills, that is, the child is able to do a certain range of actions. As the nervous system matures and develops, the baby gains more and more developmental opportunities. The formation of these skills must be monitored, since each subsequent achievement can only occur after the successful development of certain skills of one’s age.

Step-by-step calendar of norms for the development of fine motor skills

1. 4 months after birth. During the first weeks, a newborn’s hands are clenched into fists, and if we talk about the development of fine motor skills, then it is precisely the unclenching of closed fists that can be called the first action in its development. All the baby’s movements are still reflexive, although the baby is trying to somehow coordinate them. Initially, he learns to control the movements of his eyes and head, then he reaches for objects with his hands, both left and right, without highlighting the dominant one. Having caught the object in the palm at the reflex level, he clamps the hand.
2. From 4 months to 1 year. The movement of hands and fingers is being improved. Initially, the baby learns to use only one hand when holding an object. Next, this item is transferred from one hand to another. By six months he confidently holds small objects in his palm, and by 7–8 he uses his thumb and index finger to pick up small toys from the floor. Actively and consciously uses his hands to help himself sit down, stand up, and hold on. Closer to 12 months, he can safely sort out beads. You can read more about the development of a baby of this age in the article:.
3. From 1 year to 2 years. Actions are improving. At this age, the baby knows how to hold a spoon and handle it. Drawing skills are demonstrated. He can draw scribbles, dots and not quite even circles. Closer to two years, it is noticeable which hand is dominant. The child actively uses the index finger, showing it and touching unfamiliar objects with it.
4. From 2 years to 3 years. The movements involve not only the hands, but also the forearms and elbows. By the age of three, the pencil takes the correct position in the hand and the first masterpieces emerge from under it in the form of straight lines, circles, ovals, and squares. At this time, the toddler needs to be introduced to scissors. Normally, at the age of three he can cut a sheet of paper in half.
5. From 3 years to 4 years. The work uses the second hand. So, if a child draws with his right hand, then with his left he already holds the sheet on which he draws. He is able to color shapes slightly outside the outline. It is quite possible to cut out a large drawn figure from paper. As he approaches four years of age, he can create beautiful small details in his drawings.
6. From 4 years to 5 years. Finger motor skills are almost perfect. The child, when playing and using drawing skills, does not use his entire hand, but only his brush. Coloring of drawings becomes clearer and the lines no longer go beyond the outline. Using scissors, he is able to cut quite complex figures.
7. From 5 years to 6 years. Hand movements are coordinated. The pen or pencil is already confidently “lying” in the dominant hand. The kid knows how to write straight sticks in a certain field. Uses scissors well. In addition to developing motor skills, you should think about social sociability and fostering independence. A pet is suitable for this purpose. If your choice falls on a dog, we recommend reading the article:.

What are the consequences of the absence of such development?

An insufficient level of fine motor skills inhibits the process of formation of speech functions. If you do not conduct classes with your toddler, starting from infancy, then as a consequence, problems with memory and logical thinking will arise in the future. Today there are quite a lot of devices, toys, and activities that can help a child. Parents, for their part, need to monitor the stages of development so that the child does not have problems with academic performance at school, since the lack of development of fine motor skills leads to a lack of concentration, increased fatigue, and these indicators will inevitably lead to a lag behind peers.

How to develop fine motor skills in children ?

Starting from birth, parents should devote time to developmental activities with their baby. First aid will be to place rattles in your palms. Next, you need to let him touch different fabrics and textures. From 8 months you can use the following development methods.

Developing fine motor skills with massage

Carrying out a competent massage on the palms of a baby is an excellent option for developing motor skills. For massage sessions, you can hire an experienced specialist or knead your palms yourself. Manipulations begin at 3 months. 5 minutes is enough for one session. The massage should be performed in the following sequence:

• · Gently stroke the child’s palm for a minute;
• ·Rub your palm until warm;
• · lightly tap your fingers over your hands and palms;
• bend and straighten your fingers several times;
• ·Massage each finger separately.

Developing fine motor skills with finger games

Game No1. Okay.

Everyone remembers these words: “Okay, okay, where were you at grandma’s...”. With the help of this game, the baby will learn to straighten his still reflexively curled fingers and clap his hands.

Game No2. Beads

Entrust your child to sort out buttons collected on a string or beads made from small beads. Children love to finger these small objects with their little fingers. At an older age, you can invite your child to string the beads onto a thread or fishing line on their own.

Game No3. Cereals

In addition to motor skills, such a game helps to become aware of tactile sensations. Pour any cereal into a bowl; buckwheat and rice are perfect. Give the bowl to the little one, let him touch it with his hands and pour the cereal into it. You can hide several small objects in a bowl of cereal and let the baby try to find them.

Game No4. Cinderella

After 3 years of age, allow your child to help in the kitchen. Mix 3 types of cereals (peas, buckwheat, beans) and let him separate the cereals into three different bowls.

Game No5. Guess

Blindfold your toddler and give him different objects in his hands, let him guess what he has in his hands.

From 7–9 months you can offer your child colored paper. Let him crush it, feel it, tear it. At an older age, teach him to tear paper into strips or create appliqués from it. The smaller the pieces of torn paper are, the more perfect the fine motor skills of the hands will become.

At the age of 1–1.5 years, show how to turn the pages in a book. The process will be much more exciting if the book has bright pictures.

Exercise No3. Making a rattle

Hand your child an empty plastic bottle and offer to throw small objects into it. This could be beans, buttons or beads. Pour them out onto the table and let him take them himself and throw them into the bottle. When you're done, spin the bottle and let him play with the resulting rattle.

Development of fine motor skills through classes

1. Drawing. Initially, this is learning to hold a pencil in your hands. Next, drawing the first sticks, dots, tracing the contours of various objects. After drawings, letters, etc.
2. Coloring. Teach your child to color both large and small objects. For these purposes, coloring books are a great help, which a child can already buy at 3 years old.
3. Modeling. This activity is suitable for any age. For this activity you can use plasticine, clay or dough. Initially, it is enough to roll a ball or strip of plasticine. Any preparation of a dough dish can be turned into an exciting game. The baby will eagerly help you roll out and shape the dough. Find out how to have fun spending time with your baby and make memorable impressions from the article:.
4. Cutting out. Children's scissors without sharp ends can be given to a child closer to 3 years old. After he learns how to handle them, give him a glue stick and colored paper. Creating an applique will help develop your imagination.
5. Embroidery. By the age of 5–6 years, it will be relevant to embroider with your child. More details about this lesson in the article:.

Developing fine motor skills with educational toys

1. Finger dexterity toys. Make a toy out of empty plastic bottles of different sizes and colors. The main idea is to twist and unscrew the caps on these bottles.
2. Buttons. Teach your child to fasten and unfasten buttons, open and close zippers. He can do this on his clothes or on yours.
3. Lacing. For these purposes, you can use an old unnecessary shoe or make a model with lacing. Let your baby lace and unlace shoelaces or ribbons.
4. Mosaic. The main condition is that the details must be age appropriate. So, you can offer large details to little toddlers. Adults can purchase mosaics with small parts.
5. Board with objects. This toy is made from a piece of plywood and all kinds of devices: a switch, a latch, door hinges and other parts used in everyday life. The baby touches them with interest, opens them, turns them on.
6. Puzzles. A great option for developing fine motor skills. These can be large puzzles that fold into a children's mat for the little ones. For older children, you can use magnetic puzzles on the refrigerator. Well, for school age, standard paper puzzles with many details are suitable.
7. Pyramid. This toy develops not only motor skills, but also logic. After all, the rings of the pyramid must be added from largest to smallest.
8. Constructor. For older children, a construction set with small parts is suitable. This toy trains the development of motor skills, logic, perseverance and many other skills.

If you look at it, any housework can turn into developing fine motor skills for your child. You can train small fingers and grasping movements in all sorts of ways, the main thing is to show a little imagination. Engage in drawing, modeling, coloring with your child and in the future you will not have problems with your child’s academic performance and development.

Any parent has repeatedly heard that it is necessary to develop fine motor skills in children. Does it really matter? Without a doubt! The fact is that the brain centers responsible for fine motor skills, the development of speech and thinking are located in the same area of ​​the brain. The development or lag in the development of one of them has a similar effect on the other. Simply put, a child with well-developed motor skills will learn to speak faster, his vocabulary will be formed earlier, and his thinking will be clearer and more imaginative. And, of course, skills that require the use of small muscles in the hand will be more stable.

The sooner you start developing your child's motor skills, the better. In the first months of life, during a general massage, pay attention to the baby’s palms. Massage your palms from the outside and inside with light stroking movements. Rub lightly on the pads and each knuckle of your fingers. This finger exercises have a positive effect on the active points of the cerebral cortex. Encourage your child to grab your fingers and lift himself up. While awake, give your child toys that are easy to pick up: pyramid rings, cubes, small balls, rattles. Place small objects, such as soft blocks or small balls, near your child often so that your child can throw them around the room. As soon as the child learns to crawl or walk, involve him in putting things in order - let him collect scattered toys together with you and carry them into a box. Such exercises develop motor skills and at the same time fulfill educational tasks. At one year of age, a child can assemble simple pyramids by stringing rings one by one.

After a year, the tasks of developing fine motor skills become seriously more difficult. At this time, you need to use special exercises that specifically target small muscles and coordinate the work of your hands.

Children will be more willing to complete tasks given to them if they are presented in a playful way.

• When a child bathes in the bath, be sure to give him toys - ducks, scoops, small buckets. He can use a scoop and a bucket to collect water and pour it on the duck. Show me how to do it.


• Walk with toys in summer and winter. Let the child scoop sand or snow into the bucket with a shovel or scoop. Playing with sand is very useful - it massages the palms, and with age, when the child begins to sculpt “pies”, molds and just small slides, motor skills and fine hand coordination develop. Collect autumn leaves with your child in bouquets.


• From 1.5-2 years old, give your child paints so that he can draw. Stock up on paper and paints of 1-2 colors. At this age, children find it difficult to handle a brush, but they paint with pleasure with their fingers and palms. Show your child that they need to dip their fingers in the paint and then draw lines on a piece of paper. Surely, during the first lessons, the child will dip his entire palm in the paint. It's not scary. He is simply getting acquainted with material that is new to him. Let your child collect pyramids of different sizes and shapes more often and learn how to fasten buttons.


• At 2.5 years old, a child can be given a brush, 2-3 bright contrasting paints for painting and offered simple tasks. At first these will be lines in different directions, then more conscious drawings. Offer children pyramids and large cubes for building simple structures. Let the child leaf through books with interesting pictures. Learn to roll balls and “sausages” from hard dough or plasticine between your palms.


• At 3-4 years old, a child can be offered coloring books, explaining that they should not go beyond the boundaries of the drawing. At this age, you should often offer your child modeling and games with small objects: take 10 beans, peas and grains of rice or buckwheat. Mix them in one plate and invite the child to arrange them into piles. Sit your dad next to him and arrange a competition between them to see who can sort it out faster. Be sure to praise the winner! At this age, a child should be able to dress independently, fastening all buttons, fasteners, lacing and tying shoelaces. These self-care skills have a very positive effect on motor development.


• After 4 years, many children begin to master reading skills. By this time, motor skills and hand coordination should be well developed. But don't stop there. Let the child collect mosaics, puzzles, and color complex coloring books with many small details. Performs small tasks around the house: collects toys after games, cleans up his play area. If you have a pet, involve your child in cleaning the cage: cleaning and wiping down the bars of the cage will benefit him.

The development of fine motor skills of the hands should be taken especially seriously when a child is preparing for school. The first-grader’s ability to concentrate, his thinking, imagination, motor and visual memory depend on how well things go with this.

If motor skills are insufficiently developed, the child will experience experiences and disappointments caused by the fact that his hand holding the pen will quickly get tired. As a result, he will not be able to keep up with the rhythm of the lesson. The inability to concentrate will have a negative impact on the fact that the child will “lose the line” on which to write. And the writing skills themselves will be more difficult - the sticks will turn out clumsy, the letters and numbers will be different in size and inclination.

Therefore, when preparing a child for school, it is necessary to ensure that his hand becomes flexible, obedient and strong. In this case, we can talk about well-developed motor skills.

At about 5 years old, along with coloring books, children can be offered the simplest copybooks. At first, the child should be given simple tasks that require only a few minutes to complete. For example, write one line of sticks. Gradually, tasks can be complicated and made a little longer, bringing them up to 20-30 minutes. One indispensable condition is that the child must write with pleasure. If you are unable to arouse interest in learning, it is better not to work with your child on your own, but to involve an experienced teacher in this.

However, to modeling from dough, clay, plasticine; appliques made of paper, fabric, fur, natural and improvised materials; Children are much more willing to cut out and make figures from paper. And parents only need to create suitable conditions for the child’s favorite activity.

Efforts spent on developing motor skills will certainly yield positive results. After all, well-developed fine motor skills are not only an opportunity to quickly master writing and drawing skills, but also a powerful prerequisite for a high level of intellectual development of a child.

To develop fine motor skills in children 4-5 years old, you need to perform simple exercises and massage the hands. Experts advise letting kids open and close jars, pour cereal from glass to glass, and teach them how to tie knots. All these games for the development of fine motor skills in children will not take much time, and the benefits will be undeniable, because the way a child knows how to coordinate his movements largely affects the development of his speech and thinking centers.

The most important role in the development of a child is played by the development of fine motor skills and coordination of finger movements. Therefore, it is very important to work with a child from an early age through special exercises, games and tasks to develop fine motor skills. The development of fine motor skills at 4-5 years old affects the maturation of the speech and motor areas of the cerebral cortex, which are in close proximity to each other. By developing motor skills, we influence the intellectual development of the baby.

At this age, parents should carefully monitor the child, because harmless turning of the sheet when drawing or coloring indicates a rigid fixation of the brush. This can be checked as follows: ask your child to draw a circle with a diameter of about 5 cm. If he without much effort draws a circle of the required diameter with one line, then you can rest assured: his fine motor skills are fine. If a child draws not a circle, but a small oval in several steps, while moving his hand, then this is a violation of the coordinated movements of the hand.

Hand massage for developing fine motor skills in children

Hand massage has a beneficial effect on the development of a child's fine motor skills. It is performed with one hand, while the other fixes the massaged surface.

Massage movements are made from the fingertips to the forearm. The duration of the massage is 5 minutes. Massage is carried out daily or every other day (10-12 sessions per course).

The interval between massage courses for the development of fine motor skills in children can range from 10 to 30 days.

Necessary requirements for a hand massage: the massage therapist’s hands must be clean, unadorned, and nails short.

The hands of the person being massaged must also be clean. You can use baby cream or powder if your hands become sweaty. This is necessary for better gliding of the massage therapist’s hands during the massage.

Preparatory exercises for fine motor skills before massage for children are performed as follows:

1. The child’s hand lies freely on the table. An adult, fixing the wrist with one hand, alternately lifts each of the baby’s fingers with the other hand to the maximum position.

2. The child’s hand lies on the table with the palm facing up.

An adult holds the palm with one hand and bends the fingers inward with the other.

So, the child is sitting, the hand rests freely on a hard flat surface (on the table).

Here's how to massage your hands to develop fine motor skills in a child:

• The massage therapist uses his entire palm to smoothly stroke the back of the child’s hand from the fingertips to the middle of the forearm. Repeat 3-5 times;
• The massage therapist performs pincer-like stroking separately on each finger of the child’s hand from the tips to the base of the finger;
• The massage therapist performs a forceps-like circular rubbing of the child’s fingers from the tip to the base of the finger;
• The massage therapist performs circular rubbing on the back and palmar surface of the hand from the base of the fingers to the wrist;
• repeats movement No. 1;
• The massage therapist, using his hand or a vibrating massager, makes dotted movements of the dorsal and palmar surfaces of the hand and fingers from the tips to the wrist;
• repeats movement No. 1.

The skills of proper coordination will be simply necessary in the future life of the baby, since in order to dress, draw, write and perform other activities, you need to make many precise, coordinated movements. Massage and exercises for the development of fine motor skills in children can be performed with music or using poems and songs.

Games and exercises for developing fine motor skills in children

How else can you develop a child’s fine motor skills at home? Various exercises and games play an important role in the development of fine motor skills and coordination of movements of the hands and fingers.

A construction set can be used to stimulate fine motor skills.

It is better to start with large parts, gradually replacing them with smaller ones. Then move on to collecting puzzles, stringing beads, etc.

Examples of how to develop fine motor skills in a 4-5 year old child:

1. Pour any cereal from glass to glass. This exercise develops muscle coordination of the hands. When the child masters it, you can allow him to pour or pour water or other drinks.

2. Tying knots. Teach your child how to make knots. It also develops coordination, fine motor skills and dexterity. You can start with a thick rope, then move on to a thinner one, such as lace.

3. Opening and closing cans of various sizes. Place jars of different sizes, bottles, and bottles with lids in front of the child. Ask him to open all the lids and close them again. This activity is also aimed at developing fine motor skills.

4. You can sew small bags and fill them, for example, with semolina, large pasta, rice, cotton wool, etc. Give the child the opportunity to feel these bags and guess what is in them.

This is not a complete range of games for the development of fine motor skills in children, coordination of hand and finger movements. Parents can supplement them with other exercises.

Skills of children 6-7 years old

Children of primary school age should have basic hygiene skills. They are already quite independent and quite capable of self-care. They can brush their teeth themselves (under adult supervision), rinse their mouth after eating, wash their face, take a shower or bath, dress and undress independently, tie their shoelaces, fasten buttons, and take care of their hair. Such skills are especially important because at this age children begin to go to school where their parents will no longer be around.

It is very important that younger schoolchildren are taught to be neat. They must understand that wrinkled, dirty things look bad, and sloppy hair and dirty nails make them ugly.

Children of primary school age must be... Very often, parents strive to free their child from work responsibilities and do everything for him that he could easily do himself (for example, putting away toys or tidying up the desk). Children aged 6-7 years who do not follow a daily routine, are not accustomed to work and do not have the skills to perform socially useful work can find it very difficult in the school community. At school they will definitely have new responsibilities: duty in the classroom, assistance in preparing the class for the lesson and others that they will have to cope with on their own.

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