What Are Fine Motor Skills?
Fine motor skills are physical skills which involve the ability to make small muscle movements and to tightly control muscle movement. A classical example of a fine motor skill is the steps involved in tying shoes. While most adults can tie a pair of shoes without thinking about it, this task can be quite challenging for children who have not refined their motor skills, along with people who have certain developmental disabilities and people recovering from strokes and brain injuries. Humans engage in a myriad of tasks every day which demand fine motor skills, making the development of such skills critical.
An area of particular interest for people concerned with fine motor skills is the hands. People who possess good fine motor skills in their hands may be said to have manual dexterity, referring to the fact that they can use their hands for a wide variety of precision tasks. Fine motor skills are also involved in other parts of the body, and are necessary for tasks ranging from walking to speaking.
Over the course of natural human development, many people start to learn fine motor skills naturally. In fact, some infant reflexes such as the grabbing reflex promote fine motor skills. Children who go to school often engage in exercises which improve their fine motor skills during the early years of their educations and these skills are later developed even further as students learn to write, draw, and engage in a variety of other activities such as buttoning their shoes, using keyboards, and so forth.
A number of exercises can be used to help children develop fine motor skills. Simply encouraging to use their bodies and to engage in pursuits such as playing instruments, drawing, and working with clay which demand manual dexterity can be highly beneficial. Motor skills development can also be fostered in the classroom and at after school programs, with some schools providing students with exercises to do at home which will help them develop motor skills.
Children with disabilities may benefit from the focused attention of a physical therapist who can help them develop fine motor skills. With special training, many children with disabilities can achieve a high level of independence which will greatly improve their quality of life and prospects later in life. Adults who have experienced brain injuries are also usually told to attend physical therapy sessions to develop their motor skills so that they can regain independence.
Written by S.E. Smith
