TinyLove.com
  • Our Products
    • Gymini & Activity
    • Baby Gear"Baby Gear
    • Mobiles, Soothers & Crib Toys
    • Baby Toys
    • Activity Arches
    • On the Go Toys
    • 0 - 6 m Newborns
    • 6 - 12 m Baby
    • 12 - 18 m Toddler
  • Baby Development
    • 7 Elements System
    • Experts Panel
    • Articles
    • Video Channel
  • Parents Essentials
    • Pregnancy Guide
    • Subscribe to the Tiny Newsletter
    • Dad is home!
    • Tiny Love Youtube Channel
    • Tiny Time Magazine
    • Our Instagram
Language selection
TinyLove
  • Our Products
    Gymini® & Activity Gyms
    Baby Gear
    Mobiles & Projectors
    Baby Toys
    Activity Arches
    On the Go Toys
    0-6m Newborns
    6-12m Baby
    12-18m toddler
  • Collections
    Boho Chic
    Magical Tales
    Meadow Days
    Treasure the Ocean
    Into the Forest
    Tiny Princess Tales
  • Baby Development
    7 Developmental Wonders
    Expert Panel
    Articles
  • Parents Essentials
    Pregnancy Guide
    Dad is Home!
    Subscribe to Tiny Newsletter
    Tiny Love YouTube Channel
    Tiny Love Instagram
us_en
  • English - International
  • French - France
  • Spanish
  • German
  • Portuguese
  • English - USA
  • English - UK
  • Russian
  • Italian
  • Japanese - Japan
  • Polish - Poland
Fine Motor Skills in Baby
Fine Motor Skills

Your baby’s ability to control his muscles belies every movement he makes. A delicate balance of our fine and gross motor skills are what enable adults and children to be physically active, and control our bodies as we wish.

What are Fine Motor Skills?

What are Fine Motor Skills?

An intricate balance of fine and gross motor skills enables all of us – adults, children and babies – to be physically active and control our bodies. Fine motor skills are the result of developed small muscles: hand, palm and finger muscles as well as the muscles surrounding the mouths and eyes. Our fine motor skills determine how we carry out specific, controlled movements: writing, using a key to open a door, making a cup of tea and speaking are all actions we're able to perform because we have some fine motor skills . While we often take these mundane tasks for granted, the development of the skills these actions are dependent on is crucial for your baby’s development. An environment conducive to practice and repetitive exercise helps balance your baby’s maturing nervous system and the muscles to ensure that fine motor skills develop in sync with emotional and physical maturity. Natural motivation and curiosity along with appropriate play and exercise e nhance this process. An environment conducive to practice and repetitive exercise helps ensure that fine motor skills develop in sync with emotional and physical maturity

 

Repetitive exercise helps ensure that fine motor skills develop in sync with emotional and physical maturity. Give your baby plenty of opportunities to practice fine motor skills as it has a significnat impact. 

  • From a Clenched Fist to Fine Handwriting

    Your baby's fine motor skills develop gradually. During the first three months, the grasp reflex is dominant: at this stage babies curl their fingers and clench any object that is placed in their hand. By the end of the second year, in contrast, toddlers can feed themselves, and may even be able to draw a circle. Newborns and tiny babies moves their arms together with their hands, as if they are one. Over time, they gain control over their hands and arms, moving them separately, in fine, controlled motions. Finally, coordination brings all aspects of fine motor skills together, so that babies can reach out and fetch a specific object with purpose and intention. Think about it: the seemingly meaningless ability to bang two blocks together is in fact a precursor to much more complex actions – washing the dishes or playing the piano – activities that require each hand to perform different tasks simultaneously.

  • Innate Motivation and the Joy of Discovery

    As your baby matures, the gradual transition from reflexive to voluntary movements takes tremendous effort. Your heart may go out to see your three-month old baby “struggle” to strike a toy dangling over his head, or at six months, try again and again to push the button on his activity center. You may wonder: what keeps him going? The answe r lies, in part, in the fact that babies are born with an innate desire to control their bodies – despite the obstacles,bumps and bruises along the way. This inborn urge continues and becomes even stronger via learning and discovering new things. Every milestone along the fine motor development continuum brings with it a new discovery. When your baby pushes a button and is rewarded with a pleasant sound, he can’t wait to do it again… and again. These activities develop fine motor skills, while offering positive feedback and boosting confidence and pleasure.

  • Help your baby strengthen fine motor skills by providing her with a wide variety of activities involving objects of various shapes, sizes, textures and weights

  • Growing Together: Your Role as Parents

    Give your baby plenty of opportunities to practice fine motor skills . Practice in the first two years has a significant impact. Insufficient practice may result in weak hand muscles, for instance, which will factor come the tim e for school work. And yet, bear in mind that babies develop at their own pace. Maintain a fine balance between ample exposure and experience on the one hand, and allowing your baby to experience at his own pace, on the other. Help your baby strengthen fine motor skills by providing her with a wide variety of activities involving objects and toys of various shapes, sizes, textures and weights, to encourage the use of as many muscle groups as possible. The larger the variety of activities, like pulling, pushing and rolling, the more exercise each muscle group receives. When it comes to the development of fine motor skills , watch out for age-relevant milestones: a two-month-old extends her hands to the front, but still does not reach midline. If you place a toy at midline, she may lose patience and miss out on valuable grasping practice that helps eye-hand coordination. Your nine-month-old infant may not know what to do with a shape-sorting toy placed in front of her. But if you take the lid off, encouraging her to play with the different shapes, she will grab them and put them in the box – exercising her fine motor skills .

  • Any advice and information provided in this website is given as suggestions only and should not be taken as a professional medical diagnosis or opinion. We recommend you also consult your healthcare provider, and urge you to contact them immediately if your question is urgent.

  • Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    Fun apple-shaped activity toy that’s full of surprises Explore & Play Apple Learn More
    Strolling along the path of development with your Meadow Days™ friends Meadow Days™ Sunny Stroll Learn More
 
  • Baby Products

  • Gymini® & Activity Gyms
  • Mobiles & Projectors
  • Baby Gear
  • On The Go Toys
  • Baby Toys
  • Collections
  • Best Sellers
  • Baby Development

  • Cognition
  • EQ
  • Fine Motor Skills
  • Gross Motor Skills
  • Imagination & Creativity
  • Language & Communication
  • Senses
  • Articles
  • Our Experts
  • Tiny Love

  • About Us
  • Moments of Wonder
  • Product Development
  • Tiny Love's Legacy
  • Corporate Ethics
  • Quality & Safety
  • Worldwide Distributors
  • Awards
  • FAQ
Contact Us
Do you have an idea?

Talk to Us

  • Meet our other brands:

  • Maxi Cosi
  • Quinny
  • Safety 1st
  • Dorel Juvenile logo
Policy Cookies disclaimer Terms of Service FAQ Recall Information Sitemap
© 2023 TinyLove All rights reserved

Any advice and information provided in this website is given as suggestions only and should not be taken as a professional medical diagnosis or opinion. We recommend you also consult your healthcare provider, and urge you to contact them immediately if your question is urgent.

This website uses cookies for analytics, personalisation and advertising. Click here to learn more or change your cookie settings. By continuing to browse, you agree to our use of cookies.