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Fine motor skills involve coordination between your eyes and the small muscles in your hands. This function is refined during early childhood development, when young children are just learning tasks like how to feed themselves, write, and button up their clothes. All of these tasks, however small they may seem, require fine motor skills. Below is a look at the significance of fine motor skills and how parents can help their children enhance them this fall.

Why Fine Motor Skills Are Critical to Early Childhood Development

What Is the Importance of Fine Motor Skills?

It’s crucial for kids to gain fine motor skills to function independently. Many parents aren’t concerned about fostering their toddler’s independence, but these skills will allow them to more easily and precisely carry out everyday tasks. Writing legibly, tying shoelaces, eating, and getting dressed all require basic control of hand muscles. Everyone has to build up these muscles to facilitate better control. When kids are given the opportunity to practice fine motor skills during early childhood development, they’re setting up a foundation for more advanced functions in the future.

What Fall Activities Will Help Develop Fine Motor Skills?

There are plenty of fun, early childhood developmentage-appropriate ways to exercise your child’s fine motor skills. Simple activities such as coloring pictures, finger painting, building with blocks, and using safety scissors for crafts are common tactics your preschool will use.

At home, you and your little one can get creative with exciting fall-themed activities. Have them draw or paint funny faces onto pumpkins that you can display on your porch. Trace patterns like leaves, pumpkins, or bats onto pieces of paper using glue, then offer your child red, gold, orange, and black glitter to sprinkle over it. For a more advanced activity, cut two identical shapes, such as an apple or cornucopia, from construction paper and punch holes along the edges. Give your child some string to thread through and allow them to decorate the final product as they please.

You can assist your young one through early childhood development with these fabulous autumn-inspired activities, or create your own. As long as it’s fun, child-friendly, and utilizes the muscles in their fingers and hands, your child will easily be able to develop their fine motor skills.

 

At Cherokee Academy at Clayton in Canton, GA, children learn through a top-notch curriculum. With a strong focus on knowledge, creativity, social skills, and early childhood development, this pre-K facility gives your child the tools they’ll need to succeed. Their teachers and staff treat all children with the compassion and encouragement necessary for a healthy learning environment. To request a tour of their facility, call (770) 479-4404. Learn more about their mission online.

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