Fine motor skills in infants

Fine Motor Skills in Infants
Fine Motor Skills are the coordination of movements of the small muscles of the hands, wrists, and fingers. Fine motor skills begin to develop at birth and further develop as the child matures. At birth the infants muscles are uncoordinated which only allows involuntary muscle movements. Involuntary movements are movements in which that are reflexive and spontaneous. As the infant matures during the first year these movements become voluntary, meaning they are controlled, intended movements.
Development of Fine Motor Skills During Infants First Year
During the first couple of weeks after birth the infant has not yet developed many fine motor skills. The motion made by the child would be considered involuntary movements. During this time the child may start to grasp for a rattle or your finger if they are put in front of his or her face. These movements are early indicators of the development of fine motor skills.
At around 5 weeks old the infants movements start to become voluntary movements. The infant begins to engage in more accurate reaching, grasping, and releasing. During this age carrying the infant cradled with their hands in front of them is helpful with the development of fine motor skills. Cradling the infant with his or her hands forward brings their hands, wrists, and fingers closer to the midline of their body which will encourage the infant to explore their hands and fingers. The exploration of hands and fingers during this time of development is crucial to the development of fine motor skills.
Between 3-6 months infants have begun to gain control of their fingers and hands. During this time, the promotion of early reaching, grasping, and purposeful release of objects is important. The child may practice by dropping a toy in the water during bath time in order to see a splash, practicing picking up and grasping cheerios or other cereals during feeding time, or practice by reaching for an object using both hands.
By 12 months the infant has mastered many skills. Skills including, reaching, grasping, transferring objects from one hand to another, picking up objects with their pincer fingers, dropping and picking up toys.
Ways of Encouraging Your Infants Fine Motor Skills
* Encourage your child to reach with one hand for smaller objects
* Promote banging of objects using a spoon against a pan
* Promote movement of wrists by waving "hello" and "good-bye"
* Promote picking up small objects during feeding time
* Promote pincer grasp by pulling tissues out of a box or tearing paper
Importance of Mastering Fine Motor Skills
The mastering of fine motor skills during infancy is important for all aspects later on in life. Low-birth-weight and preterm babies are less likely to develop their fine motor skills at the same pace as full-term baby. Being born preterm or low-birth-weight is associated with impairment in motor skill development. It is important to master these skills early on in life because weakness can lead many issues. Issues including, trouble with self-feeding, illegible handwriting, turning pages in a book, or performing daily living skills.

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