Fine Motor Skills: Helping Little Hands Get Ready for Big Learning
Starting school is a big step, and while learning to read and count is important, being able to use hands and fingers confidently plays a key role too. Fine motor skills – the small movements that involve the hands, wrists, and fingers – help children with everyday tasks in the classroom and beyond.
From holding a pencil to opening lunchboxes, developing these skills helps children become more independent, confident, and ready to learn.
What Are Fine Motor Skills?
Fine motor skills are the small, precise movements children use to:
- Hold and control a pencil or crayon
- Cut with scissors
- Button up a coat or use a zip
- Pick up small objects like beads or coins
- Turn pages in a book
- Open snack packets or water bottles
These skills are used throughout the day, whether writing, drawing, building, dressing, or eating. Fine motor control also supports hand-eye coordination and prepares children for important learning tasks at school.
Why It Matters for School Readiness
Children use fine motor skills to complete many everyday classroom activities. When these skills are well developed, children are better able to:
- Write and draw comfortably
- Use scissors in craft activities
- Dress independently for PE or outdoor play
- Open their lunchbox and tidy up their things
Fun Ways to Build Fine Motor Skills and How Toys Can Help
There are lots of simple, playful ways to build fine motor strength and control. Here are some ideas you can try at home – plus the kinds of toys that can help support these skills.
1. Doll Play
Dressing and undressing dolls, feeding and washing them, or placing small accessories during roleplay encourages precise hand and finger movements. This helps to build dexterity, strength, and coordination in the hands.
Toy Tip: BABY born have an extensive range of dolls and accessories, such as the BABY born Lunch Time Table and BABY born dolls. These provide playful ways to support fine motor skill development while also nurturing care and empathy.
2. Play with Dough or Putty
Squeezing, rolling, pinching, and shaping dough or putty, such as Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty, strengthens the small muscles in the hands and supports the development of fine motor skills.
Toy Tip: Dough sets with cutters, rollers, or stamps make this play more fun and help practice different hand movements.
3. Dressing Practice
Doing up buttons, zips, or Velcro helps build coordination for everyday routines.
Toy Tip: Toys like Dress-Me-Up Paddington give children a fun way to practice dressing skills and intricate hand and finger movements.
4. Use Tools
Tongs, tweezers, and scoops are fun to use in messy or sensory play, and help children to develop the pincer grip which is necessary for holding a pencil.
Toy Tip: Look for toys that include grabbers, tweezers, etc. like National Geographic Bug Habitat, or sets like Kinetic Sand Sandbox Set that encourage digging, pinching, and shaping – all great for strengthening the muscles in the hands and wrists.
5. Build and Stack
Playing with blocks, tiles, planks, magnetic shapes, and piecing together models develops strength and control in the hands.
Toy Tip: Building sets like the Magna-Tiles City Center 110-Piece Set, Plus-Plus Learn to Build – Basic Mix and KEVA Planks are perfect for developing fine motor skills.
6. Painting and Drawing
Free painting or drawing helps develop hand strength and eventually a strong pencil grip for good control when writing.
Toy Tip: Sets like My First – Fingerprint Set are great for building fine motor skills, and chunky crayons, paint sticks, or triangular pencils make it easier for little hands to grip.
7. Cut, Stick, Create
Tearing paper, sticking with glue, and snipping with scissors, are great ways to help strengthen children’s fine motor control and coordination.
Toy Tip: Sticker sets like First Sticker Calendar and creative toys like Fuzzy-Felt Dinosaur Drawer Set are great for little hands.
8. Use Everyday Moments
Helping with cooking, turning pages, or setting the table gives hands a daily workout.
Toy Tip: Pretend play sets like Pizza Party Wooden Play Food and Chip n Pin Till, allow children to copy real-life actions in fun ways.
How Do I Know If My Child Is on Track?
Children develop fine motor skills at different rates, so it’s normal to see a range of abilities. Signs that your child is developing will include:
- Holding and using crayons or cutlery with some control
- Showing interest in drawing, building, or crafts
- Trying to dress themselves or help with zips and buttons
- Using both hands together when playing
If your child avoids using their hands, finds dressing or drawing very tricky, or seems frustrated by small tasks, it may be helpful to speak to your health visitor, GP, or early years setting for advice. Early support can make a big difference.
Final Thoughts for Parents
Fine motor skills may be small, but they have a big impact on school readiness. Helping children build strength, coordination, and confidence in their hands and fingers makes everyday school tasks easier and helps them enjoy learning.
So grab the dough, get out the crayons, or start a threading game, because through play and creativity your child can practice and grow without even realizing it.
