Fine motor skills

Children develop fine motor skills at different rates through play.

Play is an important part of learning and helps children develop the skills they need for everyday activities.

There are many simple play activities that can support your child’s development and do not need to cost any money.

Infants (under 1 year)

As infants grow, they begin to develop early hand skills through play. These skills may include:

• Reaching for and grasping toys
• Transferring toys from one hand to the other
• Clapping their hands together
• Offering a toy to an adult

Toddlers (1 to 2 years)

Between 1 and 2 years of age, toddlers continue to develop their hand skills and hand-eye coordination through activities such as:

• Playing with pop-up and posting toys
• Turning the pages of board or picture books
• Building with blocks
• Placing shapes into shape sorters
• Mark-making with crayons

During this stage, a hand preference may begin to emerge. Children may also develop functional skills such as:

• Feeding themselves with a spoon or fork
• Eating finger foods
• Drinking from a cup

Preschool Children (3 to 4 years)

As children approach preschool age, they continue to develop a wider range of fine motor and functional skills. These may include:

• Using the toilet or potty
• Helping with dressing
• Using scissors with supervision
• Manipulating objects using both hands together
• Copying simple shapes

Children at this age also begin to develop their social and imaginative play skills. They may:

• Play alongside or with other children
• Take part in pretend or role-play activities
• Use their imagination more creatively during play