Development of fine motor skills of hands in preschool children

The development of fine motor skills of the hands affects the intelligence of the baby, his memory, attention and thinking. Therefore, every mother strives to start practicing with a crumb as early as possible. Many parents think that only specialists in development centers can conduct such classes. Of course, you can take your baby to classes in groups, but it is not difficult to study at home, having developed a system and a lesson plan that will be of interest to the child at an early and preschool age and are aimed at developing motor activity.

What is fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are coordinated actions of the hands and fingers, which are performed in conjunction with the nervous, bone, visual and muscular systems. In other words, it is the ability to manipulate small objects, in which only the small muscles of the body are involved.

Do not confuse the concepts of fine and gross motor skills, sensing. They are interrelated, develop in the child's body in parallel, but differ from each other:

• gross motor skills- these are movements of large muscles of the body, the basis of the child's physical development: walking, jumping, turning the body, running and other active actions;
• sensorics- this is the perception of the surrounding world through sensations (tactile, visual, gustatory, auditory), thanks to which the child develops skills and preferences, he has an idea of ​​various objects, phenomena and actions.

Scientists have proven that the development of the hand is closely related to the development of the child's speech and thinking, therefore, fine motor skills must be practiced from the very birth of the baby.

The child's mind is at his fingertips.

V. A. Sukhomlinsky, teacher

This is not just a phrase, but a scientifically proven fact. It is at the fingertips that a huge number of nerve endings are located, impulses through which are fed to the brain, where information is processed, supplemented by data from various receptors: visual, auditory, olfactory. And only then the child perceives the whole picture, object or action. Teachers, together with famous scientists, have proven that by developing fine motor skills, the baby quickly learns to speak, write, and think logically. Therefore, it is recommended to deal with him from an early age.

Fine motor skills to develop speech and other skills

1. The ability to control hands is the basis for mastering the skills that a child needs in everyday life.
2. Fine motor skills are needed for the development of the most important mental processes: memory, perception of the surrounding world, thinking, logic, attention and speech.
3. The level of development of fine motor skills is one of the main indicators of a child's readiness to learn at school.

Fine motor skills begin to develop from birth: first, the baby examines his hands, then learns to squeeze and unclench his fingers, to control them in order to grab a toy or an object nearby. As he grows up, he understands how to hold a brush or pencil correctly, learns to draw, and by the age of 6-7 he tries to write. Of course, the child will be able to study some points on his own, since all children are curious and show interest in unfamiliar objects. However, scientists and educators insist that parents engage with them through special toys and assignments, and perform exercises that improve fine motor skills of the hands.

The development of intellectual and thought processes begins with the development of the movement of hands, fingers and hands - this is a fact proven by scientists. Therefore, in order for the child's brain to develop, it is necessary to train his hands. In addition, all future life will require coordinated movements necessary for drawing, writing and performing many other activities.

Improving fine motor skills develops your child's brain and prepares him for everyday activities

The lack of development of fine motor skills can lead to the following consequences for the baby:

• lack of interest in drawing, sculpting and other activities;
• difficulties in adapting to the educational process at school: the child perceives new material worse, reads poorly, so the pace of learning seems to him too fast and difficult;
• insufficient development of creativity, thinking and attention;
• inability to draw a straight line exactly, memorize and write numbers or letters correctly;
• if you ask him to draw a picture, in most cases he cannot correctly place objects on paper space, he lacks imagination, there is no variety of colors and a clear plot;
• such children begin to speak later, many have speech defects that are difficult to correct even during classes with specialists.

What fine motor skills affect - video

Methods for the development of fine motor skills that are relevant for children of different ages

In order for a child to develop harmoniously, it is imperative to deal with him from birth, improving the fine motor skills of his hands. Today there are many author's techniques, educational toys and activities that are carried out in a playful way and help to learn new information through tactile sensations. Depending on the age and preferences of the baby, you can offer him:

• massage of hands and fingers;
• games with cereals, beads, buttons, stones;
• finger gymnastics;
• graphic exercises, shading;
• modeling from plasticine;
• collecting constructors and mosaics;
• drawing and coloring;
• cutting with scissors;
• paper handling, origami folding, applications;
• games with a rope, lacing.

The importance of developing fine motor skills from an early age

The development of fine motor skills in children under one year old

Mom and Dad can help their baby develop from birth. For children of the first year of life, the following activities are suitable:

• massage of arms and legs;
• Finger paint.

Hand massage and massagers

Massage of hands, fingers and legs is very useful for children under one year old.... Parents can do it at any time of the day with no time limit. The main rule: babies should like the exercises. If the baby feels discomfort, starts to act up and remove the arms or legs, it is better to postpone the classes for a short while.

1. Gently pull the baby's fingers: the exercise should be slow and gentle, no sudden movements. Then each finger needs to be stroked. These actions can be carried out with children from two months and older.
2. Make circular motions of your fingers to one side, then to the other. The exercise is done with each finger separately.
3. From 5 months, you can easily massage each finger of the child, then the palm and smoothly transfer to the hand. In addition to the development of fine motor skills, there is a general strengthening of the muscles of the baby's upper limbs.
4. At 8 months, the time comes to connect more active exercises: tap your finger on the baby's palm, lightly press, bend and unbend the fingers. These actions can be done simultaneously with reciting the poems "Magpie-white-sided", "There was a horned goat." The same is repeated with the crumbs' legs.

It is very useful to use special simulators or massagers. They come in the form of a soft ball with an uneven surface, a roller or a ring that is put on a finger. Or you can use the materials at hand: roll a walnut in your hands, sew bags from natural fabrics and pour various cereals into them. Give them to the child from time to time - this is an excellent massage and stimulation of nerve endings.

You can perform exercises with a massager in different ways by rolling it:

• on the table;
• between the palms;
• from fingertips to elbow;
• on the back of the hand.

The main thing to remember is that you need to deal with both upper limbs in turn. Some parents mistakenly believe that if they only pay attention to the right, their child will not be left-handed. This is a false statement. For the harmonious development of the crumbs, two hands should be developed in the same way.

Trainers and massagers for the development of fine motor skills of hands - photo gallery

You can use a walnut to massage the hands. Hand massager in the form of a ball This finger trainer can be used when the child has learned to sit Massagers can be of different types and shapes

Children are very fond of drawing. Do not think that it is impossible to accustom them to creativity earlier than 1–1.5 years old, when they can take a brush or pencil from their hands. Today, finger paints made from natural ingredients and safe even if swallowed are very popular. Hand drawing is ideal for developing fine motor skills in infants. The child not only feels all the movements with his fingers, but also perceives the colors of paints, learns to recognize them. In this case, sensory thinking also develops.

Drawing with finger paints promotes the development of fine motor skills

We draw with finger paints - video

Topical methods for the development of motor skills in children from 1 to 2 years old

At one year old, the child is sitting confidently, and perhaps already walking. Now he is more interested in educational toys, books and other objects around him. At this age, sensory perception is important for him, so you can connect the following activities:

• finger games, hand and hand massage;
• finger paints, painting with gouache with a brush (children begin to paint with watercolors from the age of three);
• sculpting: it is still difficult for little children to sculpt from plasticine, so dough is the best option;
• sorters and pyramids, soft puzzles - all this wonderfully develops fine motor skills;
• business boards, games with covers - the interest of the child and the scope of the parents' imagination are important here.

Toys and activities for young children - photo gallery

The dough for modeling is softer than plasticine, so it is more suitable for children aged 1–2 years. With the help of the pyramid, you can work out coordination of movements. The sorter is great for developing fine motor skills.

Educational games for children 1–2 years old - video

Tasks for toddlers 2–3 years old

At 2-3 years old, the child learns and masters skills very quickly. Children can already explain what they want to do, what they are interested in at the moment. At this age, the development of fine motor skills primarily contributes to the development of speech. Every day the kid utters more and more new words, learns to perceive and copy sounds, begins to speak in whole sentences, so it is extremely important to deal with him during this period. Classes do not fundamentally differ from those that the baby was fond of at the age of 1–2. But they can be complicated and new ones can be added:

• stringing: invite your child to collect beautiful beads for mom, or distribute figures of the same color on a string;
• lacing games are very popular with children of this age;
• tower construction: the kid learns to coordinate movements, distributes the cubes evenly so that they do not fall;
• modeling crafts from plasticine: this material for modeling is more complex than dough, and the child needs to work harder to work with it;
• classes with cereals: invite the baby to choose one cereal from the container and leave the other in it;
• games with water: the child catches various objects from the container using a spoon or a net.

Games with cereals, water, plasticine, cubes and other activities for children 2–3 years old - photo gallery

Building from cubes develops coordination of movements It is interesting for a kid to properly lace up a mock-up of a boot or button up buttons on a doll's coat Stringing develops logic and patience Modeling from plasticine is a more difficult task than modeling from dough Games with water captivate children of different ages

Games for the development of fine motor skills for children 2-3 years old - video

Development of fine motor skills with kindergarten children (4-5 years old)

At 4–5 years old, the child prefers to complete many tasks only on his own. He is interested in how the development board works, why the wheels spin and much more. Curiosity and craving for new knowledge only contribute to the harmonious development of the individual. The kid is already good at brush and pencil, so the main tasks are aimed at preparing the hand for writing. Many parents think it is early for this age. Do not be confused, at 4 years old, no one forces a crumb to write whole words or letters if he does not show interest. It is worth connecting new ones to the exercises and activities described above:

• playing with sand, or sand therapy, as psychologists often call these exercises: have the child run his fingers over the sand, drawing pictures or objects;
• working with scissors: first, the child learns to cut straight stripes, then geometric shapes;
• application: the baby will learn to create compositions on a paper plane, work with glue and a napkin;
• drawing, coloring small details, shading - these skills prepare the kid's hand for writing.

Drawing, applique, shading and other activities for a child 4-5 years old - photo gallery

At the age of 4-5, buy special children's scissors with round edges. Applications will teach your child to be neat. Playing with sand will calm the child and are very useful for the development of motor skills. Shading prepares the child's hand for writing.

Exercises for the development of fine motor skills in children 4-5 years old

Fine motor skills for preschoolers 6-7 years old

At 6-7 years old, a child goes to school, so he must be mentally and intellectually ready for a new stage in his life. Lessons include discipline, quick grasping and understanding of new material, the ability to memorize and repeat tasks well. At this age, all exercises are aimed at developing speech and writing, reading skills. That is why parents should pay special attention to improving fine motor skills. Insufficient development in this area leads in most cases to learning problems: the child cannot write or does it very slowly, his creative skills, imagination and thinking are poorly developed.

The following activities will help prepare your baby for school:

• physical exercises: finger gymnastics, hand massagers, finger games, finger theater;
• mosaic: small details that need to be correctly assembled according to the instructions are a great way to develop little fingers;
• constructor: at this age, large cubes familiar to the baby are replaced by smaller parts, with the help of which not only fine motor skills develop, but also imagination;
• recipe: you can circle not only letters or numbers, but also different shapes that may interest the child.

Motor development classes for preschoolers - photo gallery

Collecting a mosaic according to the model will wash in improving the fine motor skills of the preschooler's hands Designers from small parts are very fascinating for preschoolers Finger theater helps to strengthen the muscles of the hand and fingers

The importance of developing fine motor skills in preschool children - video

How to develop fine motor skills in left-handed children and toddlers with visual impairment

Research carried out by scientists has shown that many left-handed children have problems developing speech, writing and reading, so it is very important to engage in exercises with them to develop fine motor skills. Parents of a child who actively uses his left hand rather than his right hand should take into account some of the nuances during classes.

1. The light source should be on the right side during exercise.
2. Left-handed children do not visually perceive the space that is to the left of them, so all objects need to be placed to the right.
3. Classes should be carried out intermittently. For a left-handed child, this is important, he needs more rest, so try to plan the exercises so that there is a break every 20 minutes.
4. While writing, the child often pushes his left shoulder forward - this is the norm for children who hold a pen in their left hand, you should not specifically change his position.
5. The main thing is not to emphasize that the baby is somehow different from other children. He should feel the support of parents and teachers.

Children with a dominant left hand often have difficulties in mastering speech, reading and writing, so the development of fine motor skills is especially necessary for them

Preschoolers today are often diagnosed with visual problems. There may be many reasons for a child's poor vision, but such children should develop on a par with their peers. Very often they cannot perform actions with their hands, do not understand what to do. That is why they need to develop fine motor skills from an early age. However, it is better to start exercises from the age of two: the baby will already understand what you want from him and will not be afraid.

1. Massage and finger gymnastics are required: tapping, stroking, playing with massagers - all this should be in the training program.
2. All classes are aimed at studying information through tactile sensations, so the child is offered objects from different materials, of different shapes, which he touches, remembers and tries to describe his feelings.
3. Visually impaired children learn to read with a relief-point cipher, so parents prepare the baby to perceive and understand this form: you can use foil on which to draw lines, waves, dots and other shapes. He traces convex drawings with his fingers, tries to understand and remember them.
4. At an older age, a child can draw figures or drawings himself, and then feel as if reading them by touch.

You should not think that if a child has poor eyesight or there is a delay in speech development, then classes with him do not make sense. In most cases, regular exercises for the development of fine motor skills help the baby catch up with his peers and adapt to new information for him.

The development of fine motor skills and tactility is vital for visually impaired children

Diagnostics of the level of development of fine motor skills of children at different ages

Every day the child grows and develops. At a certain age, he must be able to perform various tasks. In order to assess the success of the baby, they are diagnosed. First of all, they look at how well developed his fine motor skills are. There are special tasks, in the course of which the teacher or psychologist determines the level of mastery of hand motor skills. The difficulty of these exercises is different for each age. As a rule, they begin to diagnose children from the age of three.

1. Exercises for 3-4 years.
   1. Collect coins in the box. The kid is offered a small box and twenty coins are laid out in a chaotic manner around it. On a signal, he must collect all of them in a box as quickly as possible. The task must be completed first with one hand, then with the other. Normally, the child adds up all the pennies with an active hand in 15 seconds, with the other in 20 seconds.
   2. We draw in the air. For ten seconds, the child should draw circles in the air of approximately the same size with his fingers, while the hands move one clockwise, the other counterclockwise. If the baby rotates his fingers in one direction, or the circles are very different in size, the task is considered unfulfilled.
   3. Draw a circle, horizontal and vertical lines on paper.
   4. Exercises with lacing and buttons: the child should lace up the mock boot, unfasten and fasten the buttons.
2. Exercises for 4-5 years.
   1. A ring. It is necessary to connect the index and thumb in the form of a circle, and raise the rest up. The child is asked to hold his fingers in this position for 10 seconds.
   2. They check how the child can draw straight, curved lines, waves.
   3. Cutting with scissors: the child should be able to cut simple geometric shapes along the contour.
   4. Bend the sheet in half: the baby should fold a sheet of A4 paper as evenly as possible.
3. Exercises for 5-7 years.
   1. Draw straight, broken, wavy lines. Draw a person.
   2. On each hand, alternately stretch out the index finger and little finger at the same time, hold them in this position for five seconds.
   3. Cut a circle out of the square.
   4. Ask the child how to salt the soup so that the child slowly grinds the pieces of salt between his fingers.

If, as a result of diagnostics, a lag in the development of motor activity of the hands is found, you should not leave this information unattended: you need to select tasks and work hard with the child for the development of fingers.

Card file of exercises and games for the development of fine motor skills of hands

The development of fine motor skills is best done in a playful way. So the child will be interested in the process, and the time spent in the classroom will increase significantly. Many parents ask themselves a completely logical question: how, from so many existing exercises and tasks, to choose the necessary and most effective ones. The answer is simple: it all depends on the interests of the child. Some children prefer constructors, others drawing, so parents can make a list of activities and exercises depending on the preferences of the child.

Finger gymnastics, self-massage and exercises with a pencil

For children from an early age and preschoolers, finger exercises and self-massage are important. On the palms there are about one thousand biological points that regulate the work of human organs. Finger gymnastics is carried out simultaneously with rhymes that are so interesting to children.

Finger gymnastics on the table:

• free patting with brushes on the table alternately and at the same time;
• free tapping of fingers on the table with both hands and alternately;
• alternate raising and lowering of the fingers (hands are on the table) of the right and left hands, then both at the same time;
• imitation of playing the piano.

Exercises for finger gymnastics, self-massage and exercises with a pencil and ball - photo gallery

Exercises for finger gymnastics No. 1 Exercises for finger gymnastics No. 2 Exercises for finger gymnastics No. 3 Exercises with pencils Light massage of fingers Self-massage with balls Massage of fingers with a special massager Playing with a ball to warm up fingers Develop fine motor skills with a ball Games with a ball with rhymes

Self-massage of fingers and hands - video

Finger games

In the intervals between classes, preschoolers have finger games. They are accompanied by poems and proverbs that the child can easily memorize and can play with their fingers on their own at any time. These breaks provide an opportunity to rest and stretch your arms, and then begin to perform new tasks.

Finger games help:

• develop speech skills and improve them during the game;
• learn to listen to the teacher or parents and repeat after them;
• stimulate the development of creative abilities, because the child imagines his hands in the form of animals, plants or certain natural phenomena;
• train dexterity and flexibility of hands;
• concentrate attention;
• train memory (the child remembers rhymes and finger actions during their pronunciation);
• establish contact between children and adults.

There are many videos on the Internet with examples of finger games. But, in addition, you can buy books with descriptions of actions, cards with rhymes and explanations in stores for children.

Poems and finger games - photo gallery

Finger game "Swan" Finger game "Snail" Set of cards "While playing, learn!" Book "Finger Games"

Playing with fingers - video

Development of motor skills with the help of sensory pouches, bodyboards, sorters, lacing, lego blocks, finger theater and others

Classes with developing toys are very useful for fine motor skills. For children from one to three years old, business boards are interesting, which are soft and hard, in the form of a board. With their help, the child develops thinking, logic, attentiveness, intelligence, remembers colors, studies letters and numbers, objects and various animals.

Young children perceive information not only visually, but also through tactile sensations. Parents can offer them sensory bags filled with different materials... These can be cereals, small or large objects, toys, balls, construction set parts.

Today, many children prefer to play with a constructor, laces or sorters. They are interesting not only for kids, because here you can use your imagination and have fun. At an early age, offer your child a sorter: have him try to find shapes that fit the holes. Then interest him in the designer, the details of which will become less and less as they grow up, and the tasks will become more difficult.

Many toys can be made with your own hands, for example, a business board, a soft book, sensory bags, lacing, a sorter, and filling with details can be done depending on the preferences and interests of the baby. But it is better to buy a ready-made constructor in a store; you will not be able to make it at home.

Toys for the development of fine motor skills - photo gallery

A soft business board in the form of a book is designed for the smallest children A large development board is interesting for children of different ages Transparent bags for the development of fine motor skills Developing bags for the development of fine motor skills are easy to make with your own hands Unusual sensory bags in the form of birds Learn to string objects on a rope Develop fine motor skills with lacing