The development of the child's motor skills is a very important part of the growing process. These motor skills are essential and will help the child in becoming a capable and independent adult. These are simple movements with the fingers, toes, tongue, and feet and include smaller actions like drawing, picking up something from the ground, dancing etc. There are plenty of ways you can work on these things depending on what the child finds fun.
Weaving Crafts
Weaving is probably not the first activity that comes to mind when you think about fun things your child can do. However, weaving can be very beneficial and entertaining. This play-based learning experience is also inexpensive. You don’t need to invest in expensive tools and materials. You can recycle your old clothes, towels, and cloths or buy a few pieces of fabric from the local thrift store.
You can shape them however the kid wants, strips, circles, rectangles or even animal shapes. Next, you’ll need some yarns. Pick as many colours as you can. It's a good idea to buy high-quality organic yarns. Why organic? Because they’re grown with organic farming practices, are gentler to the skin (which is very important when it comes to kids), are durable and can handle a lot of wear and tear.
Even if the kids aren’t gentle, the yarn will be difficult to break. The colours of these yarns are also one of the brightest on the market. Their vivid tones will spark the interest of every child. You can also get some trinkets like beads, mesh, stocks, hoops and much more. Once you have everything the fun can start. Explain to your kid how to do it and let their imagination take over.
Weaving can be crucial for developing your kid’s motor skills. It will help them with eye-hand coordination because there are intricate details, swooping and threading. It also works on their problem-solving skills. They'll encounter some issues along the way with their weaving and solving them in a calm and efficient manner will only help them further.
Another important benefit is the understanding of patterns and sequencing. This can help your child develop numeracy. Terms like “in”, “out”, “down”, “under”, “up” and “over” will help them gain an understanding of placement and positioning. Because this is a quiet and calming activity, your kid will feel relaxed. Plus, they’ll be able to express themselves creatively which is very important for a child.
Drawing
Drawing is one of the most common hobbies kids engage in. They start doing it from an early age. They may not grasp the full concept of what drawing is and what it does, but they still benefit and develop their fine motor skills from it. Try to encourage your child to be creative. Set them some goals, tell them what to draw, and challenge them to become better.
Let their imagination run wild. Kids' brains are way more creative and can come up with amazing things an adult can’t think about. Allow them to use different mediums. Start with crayons and coloured pencils. Get them in as many colours as possible. This will give your child plenty of colour choices.
As they get older you can add other mediums such as chalks, charcoal, watercolour, acrylic paints and much more. By learning how to hold the pens, crayons and brushes, the kid develops hand-eye coordination. It also works on the grip and precision skills. In case your child doesn’t like holding pens and brushes, you can always turn to alternative painting methods and use organic yarns for some inspiration.
One of them is to allow the child to paint with their hands. A lot of kids enjoy the mess and the colour splashing. They can also use bottle or jar caps and dip them in paint. If you live by the beach collect seashells and let the child paint them. The opportunities are endless and your kid will benefit from all of them.
Dancing
We all know that physical activity helps in strengthening the muscles and bones. Dancing is one of those activities that works almost every bone and muscle in the body. Starting with dancing classes from an early age will help your child activate and learn how to move their body. While dancing, kids experiment with walking, jumping, bending, kneeling, sliding and lots of other movements. This is all about hand-eye coordination, flexibility and motor skills.
Dancing is also about body coordination and balance. Adding synchronisation of fingers and hands, toes and legs, head and torso also develops spatial awareness. Enrol the child in some kind of dancing class. Let them choose what they want. You might need to switch a few types of classes before finding the right one, but it’s all worth it. If they don’t like going to classes, dance at home. Play some music and enjoy your time together while developing motor skills.
Outdoor Activities
There are plenty of outdoor activities your child can do to develop their motor skills. Gardening is one of them. Choose a small spot in your backyard and plant a small garden. Digging, planting, watering, and weeding can all be useful for your child. If you want to stick to the classics, try some hopscotch. It's one of the simplest activities that can help your child a lot. You can even set a small table in the corner and have the kid make their yarn craft for kids there.
Another simple one is just attaching clothespins to clothes. Tie a string from one tree to another or between any other objects and let the kids hang some clothes. Playing in a mud puddle and making figurines and shapes inside is also useful. Plus, every kid wants to get dirty in the mud. They'll learn and be happy at the same time. Popping bubbles, running in mazes, making sculptures, and playing in the park are just a few other options.
Playing a Musical Instrument
Develop your kid's fine motor skills by picking up an instrument. If a child is enthusiastic about learning to play an instrument, it's worth giving it another go even if they struggled with it in the past. If you can’t pay for private lessons, maybe the school can help. There's also the option of learning on their own. There are plenty of free courses on the internet.
