429. INFANZIA SBS. The Mighty FINE

I nostri piccoli esploratori sono in una fase magica e complessa del loro percorso: il secondo anno di scuola materna. Questo periodo, definito come una sorta di “limbo dell’apprendimento”, li vede impegnati a scoprire il mondo e a fare grandi progressi, anche se alcune sfide quotidiane restano ancora un po’ difficili. Un modo semplice e pratico per supportarli, sia a scuola che a casa, è aiutandoli a sviluppare le loro abilità motorie fini. Scoprite nell’articolo come attività quotidiane e giochi creativi possano diventare strumenti preziosi per accompagnare i bambini nella crescita, rendendo ogni momento un’opportunità di apprendimento e divertimento. Siete pronti a lasciarvi ispirare?

Our Little Bears have embarked on a new adventure, although this second year of pre-school is a funny one, as the children are neither fish nor fowl. They are in, what I would define, as a learning limbo, meaning they are starting to understand more and more about the world around them yet they are still unable to make complete sense of it and they are still struggling with some crucial daily tasks.

One very simple way we can lend a “practical” hand, at school and at home, is helping them develop their fine motor skills. Fine motor skills involve small muscles, working with the brain and the nervous system, which control movements in areas such as hands, fingers, lips, tongue and eyes.

It has been shown that fine motor control and precision helps with hand-eye coordination which is later linked to early literacy and mathematics.

Developing fine motor skills helps children do things like eating, playing, drawing/painting/writing, manipulating objects and getting dressed. It would take up too much space if I were to give you an exhaustive list of things which the kids are faced with, throughout a school day, which involve these muscles, but here are few examples: flushing the toilet, opening/closing doors, putting their jumper on/taking it off, zipping zippers, opening/closing their bags, putting on/taking off shoes, tying shoelaces, holding pencils/markers/paint brushes, playing with toys, eating, drinking, cutting and the list goes on and on and on.

It is extremely important to nurture fine motor skills from an early age, both in educational settings and at home. By providing children with opportunities to develop these skills through targeted activities, we can prepare them for future academic and life challenges.

Our Little Bears are starting to hold and use pencils, cut with scissors, paint with paint brushes and use glue sticks more and more often; all the above is tremendous but whenever we get the chance we take the playdough or our beads out of the cupboard to strengthen their finger muscles or play some games which stimulate hand-eye coordination.

Accomplishing essential everyday tasks like feeding themselves and getting dressed requires fine muscle control.

For example, your child’s hands must be strong enough to open a door, button a coat, pull up their underwear, zip up their pants or hold a glass of water.

Other fine motor skills which preschoolers are faced with at school could include building with blocks/lego, putting together simple jigsaw puzzles, playing board games, opening and closing things, eating with silverware.

The same thing occurs at home where the children have to do other things such as brushing their teeth, tidying their room, making their bed, setting the dinner table, playing with siblings/friends/parents, brushing their hair, helping put away the shopping, getting dressed, etc.

Consistent and varied opportunities to explore and play, with feedback and support from adults, allows children to develop proficiency, self control and confidence. 

If a child experiences difficulties, you can support them by making changes to materials or activities and by giving them praise and a lot of encouragement.

Providing interesting experiences which help children develop their fine motor skills is a must and it ought to be implemented daily, at school and at home (I can't stress this enough!). So here are some ideas, the choice is yours, just remember you will be doing your child a huge favour which will last for life!

Are you ready? Cooking, gardening, sewing, fixing and making things, cleaning, weaving,  car washing, using puppets, flossing, balancing, sorting, stacking, cleaning vegetables (podding peas).

There's more! Painting with cotton buds, playing with geoboards, tying shoe laces, opening/closing bottles/jars, nuts and bolts (take the opportunity to tidy up the tool box or those drawers full of junk), using locks and keys, squashing, squeezing, rolling, twisting, pinching, cutting. Enough…I hope I've ignited some sparks and ideas.

If you want to have fun and help your child with their fine motor skills development do any of the mentioned activities and everything will be just FINE!