At LA Speech Therapy Solutions, our OT therapy Los Angeles team works with children to improve their fine motor skills. To aid this in-facility process, we have compiled a list of fine motor skill development activities that you can do with your child at home.
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Avoid Electronics
While tablets, smartphones, video games, and remote controls make children use their hands, these electronics do not develop their hands. Fine motor development is more than just moving your fingers. It is coordinating finger and hand movements to be in sync with visual inputs. The tasks that develop manual dexterity are much more complex than the movements involved in using electronics.
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Play
Swinging on monkey bars, swimming in the pool, climbing up rock walls, maneuvering through playgrounds, and other whole-body activities are ideal for fine motor skill development. Whole-body play improves large muscle manipulation and body awareness which will help with smaller muscle dexterity.
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Crawl
When kids crawl on all fours, they bear a lot of body weight in their hands. This stimulates and strengthens the palmar arch muscles in the hand which help us hold and manipulate objects. Daily tasks like building with blocks, coloring, teeth brushing, and twisting open containers rely on palmar arch strength.
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Create A Routine
Fine motor development opportunities can be embedded into daily routines. While in the bath, give your child squeezable water toys, a plastic mug to grasp, or a washcloth to soak and wring out. In the laundry room, you child can pull wet or dry laundry out of the washer/dryer to improve hand strength. Finally, in the kitchen, have your child mash potatoes, peel bananas, knead dough, or stir thick mixes of food.
About LA Speech Therapy Solutions
LA Speech Therapy Solutions is an OT therapy Los Angeles provider that specializes in helping children improve cognitive, speech, and motor skills. The team of experts knows how important fine motor skills are in daily occupations and is dedicated to helping your child improve. For more information, contact the OT Therapy Los Angeles team.
