Many modern mothers and fathers have already managed to get acquainted with the concept of “fine motor skills of hands”. Trying to positively affect the development of the child, the parents persistently slip the sorters and finger mazes to the baby, and draw and sculpt with the older children for days on end.
But how do you know if the actions taken are correct? Does the degree of load correspond to the age of the baby and do the exercises bring the desired effect? To answer these and other questions, you should pay more attention to the development of fine motor skills .
General concept
Motility is a set of body movements performed under the control of psychological reactions of the body. The motor processes that a person owns give an idea of the level of development of his coordination and intelligence.
Psychologists classify motor activity, highlighting several of its types:
- General, or large, motility is responsible for the movement of a muscle group. An example of such activity is running or squatting.
- Fine motor skills - movements of the hands or fingers. The developed motor responses of the hands help us to lace up our shoes or to close the door with a key. Fine motor skills include actions in which it is necessary to combine the movements of the eyes and hands, as in drawing, for example.
- Articulatory motility is the ability to coordinate the work of the speech apparatus, that is, to speak.
A little physiology
Engaged in research on 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 to the speech center as possible. A comparison of these facts gave reason to consider the motor activity of the hands and fingers responsible for human speech.
In this regard, the development of fine motor skills of the hands of a young child is one of the fundamental tasks in teaching speech skills. Of course, along with the improvement of articulation activity. The results of many years of experience prove that the conclusions of scientists were correct.
In addition to the above dependencies, fine motor skills has a direct impact on the formation of logic, mental skills, strengthening memory, training observation, imagination and coordination. Children who are better at owning their hands exhibit perseverance and are tired more slowly.
Fine motor development calendar
At each age, the child is able to perform certain actions. New opportunities appear in him as the nervous system ripens. Each new achievement appears due to the fact that the previous skill was successfully mastered, therefore, it is necessary to monitor the level of motility formation.
- 0-4 months - the child knows how to coordinate eye movements, tries to reach objects with his hands. If you manage to pick up a toy, then squeezing the brush occurs, rather, due to reflexes that fade away 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 appear soon - he is both “right-handed” and “left-handed”.
- 4 months - a year - the child’s skills are being actively improved, now he can shift objects from hand to hand, perform simple actions like turning pages. Now, with two fingers, the baby will be able to grab even a small bead.
- 1-2 years - the movements are more confident, now the child is more actively using the index finger. The first drawing skills appear - the kid draws dots and circles, and soon he will be able to draw a line on the sheet with a pencil. Now he begins to prefer one hand to the other.
- 2-3 years - hand motility allows you to hold scissors and even cut paper with them. The manner of drawing changes along with the way the pencil is held, and the first conscious figures appear on the sheet.
- 3-4 years - the baby is already confidently drawing, knows how to cut the sheet along the drawn line. He has already decided on a dominant hand, but skillfully uses both in games. Soon the child will learn to hold a pen or pencil, just like an adult, so by the age of 4 he will be ready to learn written skills.
- 4-5 years old. Fine motor skills in children of this age are already reminiscent of adult movements. Please note: during drawing or painting, the child does not move with his whole hand at once, but only with a brush. The movements are more refined, so cutting an object out of paper or decorating without leaving the contours is no longer so difficult.
- 5-6 years old. At this age, the preschooler’s hands should be perfectly coordinated, the child already holds the pen with three fingers, draws small details, like an adult, knows how to use scissors. All the skills of the kid say that he will not have difficulties at school.
Low level of motor development - what is the danger?
Inadequately formed hand motility impedes not only the development of speech skills. Such a child may have problems with memory, logic. If this is a preschooler, then he urgently needs help, because he will be completely unprepared for school. Such a student will have difficulty concentrating, he will quickly become tired and will inevitably begin to lag behind.
When and how to start practicing with your baby?
From birth, you can begin to pay attention to the development of the baby. Of course, the newborn is not interested in a sorter or a toy with lacing. But you can start putting rattles into his pen, letting your fingers touch the fabrics of different textures, and give the baby a massage of the pens.
The age at which the active development of finger motility is important is 8 months. If until this moment no attention was paid to this issue, then now is the time to take any action.
Exercises
To arrange real classes with her own baby, mom does not need professional pedagogical skills. For exercises, the simplest items that can always be found in any home are suitable. The main principle on which the development of hand motility is built is “from large to small”. What is this expressed in?
- Start rolling plasticine balls with your child. Let the kid blind something. If he can do it, you can gradually move on to smaller and more complex details.
- You can just tear the paper. First into large pieces, then into small ones. The finer details in the end, the higher the level of development of motor skills in the child.
- You can string the beads together with the baby, tie the laces, fasten the buttons.
Passive gymnastics (massage)
An excellent assistant in the development of child coordination is a competent massage therapist. An experienced specialist will help with the motor skills of the baby's handles. You can start classes already in the first 3-4 months of the child, while sessions can be held for 5 minutes up to several times a day.
Massage sessions are best entrusted to a professional, but if necessary, some exercises can be performed independently. So, the baby’s handles need to be stroked for a minute, then rubbed slightly. Then make vibrating taps with fingers on the hands and palms. Another effective exercise during massage is flexion and extension of the fingers, followed by massaging each.
Toys
Toys for hand motility in large quantities are sold in children's goods stores. They even have instructions attached with the recommended age and description of the game. But buying something is not necessary at all. You can play with any items - for the development of motor skills, almost any thing in the house (safe for the child) is suitable.
A self-made board for the development of motor skills, or a Montessori-style bodyboard is an excellent gift for a child aged from one to 3 years. Dad can make such a toy. To do this, you need a sheet of plywood and the most dangerous items in the house: a socket with a plug, furniture accessories, switches, latches and other household parts. The meaning of the toy lies in the child's knowledge of such things in their safe form. After meeting with the outlet on the stand, the baby will not become interested in the real one, but by feeling these objects with his fingers, he will develop the motor skills of his fingers.
If your beloved child has already turned 3 years old, then you can offer a game of Cinderella. To do this, various cereals or legumes are poured into the bag, and the child is given the task of sorting everything out.
Why not play Guessing Game? You can blindfold the baby and take turns putting household items into his hands - let him guess them.
In addition, the child will approve mosaic games, finger theater, joint applications. Helping your beloved child to improve is not at all difficult, the main thing is to slightly apply his own imagination.