Fine motor skills need to be developed for all our children. Working with floam, playdough, sand, clay and other sensorial materials is so important for our kids to develop their muscle strength and dexterity. As we learn to roll, stretch, cut, shape into balls and long forms, we are developing our hand arches, wrist extensions, finger/thumb opposition, etc.
These fine motor abilities make writing, cutting, gluing, lacing and eating easy. However, each child has their own ability level, some of them are still deciding which hand to use and some are cutting with their hands upside-down and not with a dominant hand. Multiple-age classroom are great because the older kids are modeling cutting and writing skills for our kids.
Opening bottle tops and gluing require muscles to be strong and developed. Using the glue brush also hones fine motor control.
Lacing is again a fine motor skill our kids are developing. They are all on a different developmental level. For some, just getting the string through the hole is a triumph. For others, the activity becomes a chance to practice up-down patterning, planning ahead to reach all the holes before running out of string, or making a deliberate design with the string.
It is amazing to see the hand control for painting and counting, even though J.'s left hand is busy holding a drill. :)
There is no doubt that writing is a developmental process and each child is at his own stage.
However three basic things before kindergarten that they should develop:
1. Palmar arching (ability to cup their hands)
2. Using the index finger and thumb to hold an item, using ring and middle fingers to stabilize the hand, especially while writing.
3. Making a round shape with thumb and index finger (an open web space).
Here, a young 2-year-old is being mentored by a 4-year-old.
Brothers dress alike and look alike but are very different developmentally.
Writing with pipe cleaners, yeah! I can do it.
Some other pictures from last week and this week
All these activities have a developmental and school-readiness purpose, but are always based on the children's interests. If you ask them what they are doing, they won't say, "Improving my fine motor skills." They'll tell you they're making a picture of their family, building a dinosaur, or playing with gak. Learning through play -- that's Reggio in action! Enjoy!
