Why develop fine motor skills in a child?

Fine motor skills- These are movements of the fingers and hands. The development of fine motor skills is directly related to the development of the child’s brain, including those of its centers that are responsible for speech. As the great teacher V.A. said. Sukhomlinsky, “the child’s mind is at his fingertips.”

When a child is born, the movements of his hands are chaotic, but a couple of months pass, and the child begins to consciously control them when he grabs and holds an object in his hands. This is a very important stage in a child’s development, since by stimulating the baby to manipulate objects, we help him develop the so-called “physical intelligence”. So, depending on how good The child has developed fine motor skills, depends on his intellectual development, as well as his speech. It has been proven that children with well-developed fine motor skills speak better, are able to think logically and express themselves, and have a good memory and vocabulary.

Games to develop fine motor skills

There are a huge number of games for developing fine motor skills. Let's divide them into several groups.

Finger games, finger gymnastics

Finger games- these are special exercises for the fingers and hands, which are usually accompanied by rhymes, songs or performed to rhythmic music.

What happens when a child does finger gymnastics?

1. Performing exercises and rhythmic movements with the fingers inductively leads to excitation in the speech centers of the brain and a sharp increase in the coordinated activity of speech zones, which ultimately stimulates the development of speech.

2. Finger games create a favorable emotional background, develop the ability to imitate an adult, teach them to listen attentively and understand the meaning of speech, and increase the child’s speech activity.

3. Children learn to concentrate their attention and distribute it correctly,

4. If the child performs the exercises correctly, accompanying them with short poetic lines, then his speech will become clearer, rhythmic, bright, and control over the movements performed will increase.

5. The child’s memory develops, as he learns to remember certain hand positions and sequences of movements.

6. Children develop imagination and fantasy. Having mastered all the exercises, he will be able to “tell” entire stories with his hands.

7. As a result of mastering all the exercises, the hands and fingers acquire strength, good mobility and flexibility, and this will make it easier to master the skill of writing in the future.

20 games to develop fine motor skills

"Funny Glove": sew shaped buttons in the form of various objects to a child’s glove, and invite the child to play with the characters in this glove, say hello to them, or go on a trip.

"Buttons on a Hook": Invite your child to collect buttons in a container with one hand using a crochet hook. Make sure he doesn't help himself with his other hand!

"Sea Pebbles": you will need pictures depicting silhouettes of objects and pebbles for decorating the aquarium. Invite your child to lay out the outline of the object with “sea pebbles”. You can arrange a competition to see who can lay out the pattern more accurately and quickly.

"Stringing beads": the child strings beads, buttons, and bottle caps onto laces and ropes of various sizes.

“Winders”: the child winds laces or braid onto sewing spools, although other objects, such as pencils, can be used for these purposes.

"The knot will be tied": We invite the baby to tie a knot on a lace, braid or ribbon. and then walk on them with your fingers and “step over” obstacles.

"Adventure Board": you will need a wooden board with various locks, switches, and latches attached to it. Invite your child to go on a journey and overcome all the difficulties that come along the way. To do this, you need to open or click objects located on the board.

"Porridge Cartoons": pour semolina onto a plate, and let the child draw different patterns and objects, characters from his favorite cartoons on it.

"Bean Hide and Seek": fill a plastic container with beans and bury objects of different textures there, and the child must find them.

"Teddy Bear": invite the child to roll pine cones, acorns, and chestnuts in his hands. You can play sorting by asking the baby to treat Mishka first with pine cones, then acorns, then chestnuts.

"Magic clothespins": take clothespins and invite your child to decorate the Christmas tree, put needles on the hedgehog, and make rays for the sun.

"Happy Worm": This is a lacing game that has many variations. You can buy special laces that are sold in educational toy stores, or you can, for example, take sink grates, cut them in half and thread the lace through the holes in the grates, simultaneously inventing a fairy tale about what happened to the worm.

"Trails for the fingers": you will need potholders with tracks made of different materials: braid, buttons, sequins. The child needs to move different fingers from object to object. It’s good to recite some kind of rhyme while your fingers “walk” along the paths.

"Twirlers-twirlers": Attach baby juice cups to the board and let your child open and close the lids.

"Enchanted Water": make shaped ice and ask the child to “disenchant” the water.

“Cinderella”: pour peas, rice and buckwheat into a plastic container so that the cereals are mixed. Invite your child to race to collect the cereal.

"Spinning and spinning": Invite your child to spin the top. You can play for speed: who can spin the longest.

“Elastic bands”: you will need a wooden board with buttons stuffed on it and rubber bands: for hair or stationery. The child must pull the rubber bands on the buttons. You can make various patterns and paths.

"Massage balls": you will need balls from different materials, elastic bands with buttons (sew an elastic band in the form of a ring, and then decorate it with a baby button), massage wire rings. Invite your child to examine the balls, roll them in his palms, between his fingers, “put on a bracelet” - roll the ball on his wrist, put on and take off a wire ring on each finger, put elastic bands on two fingers of one hand and try to move and move the fingers apart.

“On a visit to the water”: invite the child to collect water with a pipette from a small container and pour it into another.

How to develop fine motor skills at home

In order to develop fine motor skills in a child, it is not at all necessary to buy expensive manuals and newfangled educational toys - you can simply do household chores with your child! True, you shouldn’t expect your child to do something around the house with you that he will immediately do it periodically and with pleasure, and you shouldn’t expect any special results either. You just have to play and enjoy it.

Here is an approximate (by no means complete!) list of things to do that will help develop fine motor skills in everyday life:

1. Remove the skin from vegetables cooked in their skins. Peel hard-boiled eggs. Peel tangerines.

2. Separate split walnuts (kernels from shells). Peel pistachios. Peel the film off the roasted nuts.

3. Collect debris from the floor. Help collect objects scattered on the floor (buttons, carnations, beans, beads).

4. Make cookies from the dough. Make decorations for the cake from the marzipan mass.

5. Open the mailbox with a key.

6. Try to put on your shoes and dress yourself. And also take off your shoes and undress. To do this, some shoes and clothes should be available to the child so that he can dress up whenever he wants. Learn to put on gloves yourself. Try lacing your sneakers.

7. Help wind threads or rope into a ball (It’s better to remain silent about who unwound them :)

8. Clean shoes for the whole family with a special sponge.

Any parent understands the importance of child development. Gymnastics, massages, special toys and cards serve this purpose physically and intellectually. No less important for the baby is the development of his fine motor skills. When should you start working with your child?

Fine motor skills of the fingers are necessary for us in everyday life, for writing and work. But the functionality of these vital skills does not end there. Physiologists have long proven the close connection between children’s ability to perform small actions with their hands and their speech.

The sooner and better the child develops his fine motor skills, the sooner and clearer he will speak.

This close connection comes from the adjacent location of motor and speech centers in humans. When a child actively uses his fingers, nerve impulses are transmitted to the corresponding part of the brain and affect the nearby area responsible for the ability to speak.

Activities that develop fine motor skills will be useful not only for the child’s speech. In eastern countries they believe that on the pads of each finger we have special areas, by stimulating which we can influence absolutely all systems of our body.

Thus, the development of fine motor skills cannot but have a beneficial effect on the health and development of the baby. When should you start working with your child? Experts believe that The development of baby's fingers should begin from the first days.

1. For your training to bear fruit, it must be done daily. It is not necessary to devote a lot of time to training - it is enough to start with 2-3 minutes while the child is in a good mood.
2. Be sure to praise your baby for his achievements and encourage him with hugs and kisses.
3. Make sure that the “props” are clean and sterile—babies in their first year of life tend to put everything in their mouth.
4. Use objects of different sizes and textures for activities - this is how the baby will learn to control his hands and begin to study the world and the properties of the objects that surround him.

Development in the first 3 months

Activities can be devoted to the development of fine motor skills in 1-year-old children from the very first days. The sooner you start interacting with your baby and teaching him to pick up objects, the sooner he will be able to move on to manipulating small objects.

In the first three months, finger massage will be useful for the development of the baby’s arms.. It should be done at any convenient moment - during air baths, during short periods of wakefulness, or when the baby falls asleep.

• Gently stroke each of your newborn's fingers from palm to tip;
• Gently knead your child’s fingers, paying special attention to their tips;
• It will be useful to tickle the baby’s palms and fingers at those moments when he unclenches his fists;
• Gently unclench the baby's fists, stroke and bend the fingers again.

Such gymnastics will help to quickly relieve muscle tone in the baby’s arms, improve the formation of his tactile experience and prepare the child for further success.

Development up to 5 months

1. In the fourth month of life, children begin to control their hands better. During this period, it is important to actively use the grasping reflex that has not yet died out and “put” toys under the baby’s palms.
2. Now it is more convenient for the baby to grab a variety of rattles. Give them to him alternately in his hands - even short episodes of holding objects in the fist will be incredibly useful for the development of the baby. Gradually, the duration of the grip will increase, and the baby will study the rattle with interest.
3. It is important to select different toys for activities with the baby - so that they differ in material, shape and grip option. Give your child objects from different directions so that his palms and fingers learn to turn.
4. Useful for the development of motor skills in infants at this stage will be homemade “rosary beads” - buttons, large beads, wooden spools strung on a short cord, which the baby will finger in his fingers, enriching his tactile experience and stimulating the pads of his fingers.
5. Encourage the baby to reach out with his hands - to your face, to outstretched toys.
6. When you notice that the baby has begun to “use” both hands and is touching himself, you can put a sock or mitten on one of them. The baby will actively try to look at, touch and remove the new object from itself.
7. Continue finger massage to speed up the removal of muscle tone from your arms. You can play traditional games with your child (for example, “White-sided Magpie”) and straighten and bend the baby’s fingers to the rhythmic verses.

From 5 to 7 months

An infant is already actively interested in toys, explores them and holds them in his hands for a relatively long time. To continue the development of the baby at this stage, it is important to select only useful objects for the baby.

1. Toys with rings and beads that can be fingered are useful for children’s hands during this period. There is no need to spend money on expensive play centers or educational toys - you can make several sets of short beads with different stringed objects for your baby.
2. At this age, children like to press different kinds of buttons. Keyboard children's musical instruments, an old keyboard and interactive toys will be useful in the play area.
3. Continue to develop your baby tactilely - sew several bags from pieces of fabric that feel different to the touch, fill them with interesting contents - peas, beans, sand, buckwheat, pasta, semolina - sew them tightly and give them to the child.
4. You can sew additional bright buttons and ribbon bows onto the bags - it will be interesting and useful for the baby to feel them and try to tear them off.
5. Kids at this age not only get great pleasure from finger games, but also quite demandingly ask to work with them, so at every opportunity, repeat “Magpie White-sided” and “Finger Boy” with your little one.
6. Surround the baby on the play mat with objects of different sizes - by grabbing small and large cubes and balls, the baby will continue to actively develop the abilities of his hands.

From 7 to 9 months

The child’s “grasping” activity increases significantly from the second half of the year. He is interested in more and more new objects that he needs to touch, however, he gets bored with them quite quickly. Continue to develop your baby by inviting him to touch completely different objects - not only purchased expensive toys are suitable for this, but also absolutely any non-hazardous household items: new kitchen foam sponges, lids, clean food trays, clothespins, etc.

When playing with small objects, never leave your child alone.

Already, the baby’s arsenal is being replenished with new toys, with which he gradually learns to interact. You can buy the baby:

• a pyramid, which the baby will only disassemble for now;
• active developmental centers where you need to press, move, touch something;
• rubber squeakers that need to be squeezed in the palm of your hand;
• textile cubes;
• floating bath toys.

From 9 months to a year

During this period, the baby makes progress literally every day. Now he already has favorite activities and toys that can keep him busy for a while. The baby's fingers are already moving well enough to begin to master the necessary skills.

1. Offer your baby toys that require “calibration” when inserting them into each other (sets of cups, moulds).
2. The baby will be delighted with all sorts of boxes and containers that need to be opened. It will be good if, after lifting the lid, a pleasant surprise awaits the little one inside.
3. Containers with wide screw-on lids will also be useful for your baby’s motor skills and the development of his skills.
4. Introduce the “grabbing” technique into everyday games - roll a ball for your baby, ask him to give you an object, hide toys from him under the diaper and ask him to find the “lost item”. Such varied movements will be beneficial for the baby's hands.
5. By the age of one year, some children already have enough patience to work with large sorters - toys into which parts of different shapes must be inserted.
6. Bathroom games are also becoming more diverse. A child can catch small toys and put them in a basin, pour water from one container to another, etc. All these seemingly simple activities require a lot of concentration and dexterity from the baby.
7. A child can be alone for a long time, getting carried away with his games. But still, you should not leave the baby unattended - not only for safety reasons. You must be there to teach your child new ways to interact with surrounding objects and guide activities.
8. By the age of one year, children become interested in playing in the sandbox. If it’s not summer, you can arrange such activities at home - with sand or semolina. The baby is unlikely to be able to turn over the beads, but he is quite capable of filling them with his hands. For such games, you can cover the floor with oilcloth or play with loose materials at the table.

As you can see, in order to develop a baby’s motor skills, it is not at all necessary to purchase expensive specialized toys; everything you need for activities with your baby is always at home. Daily exercises, your care and love will help the child learn to control his arms and fingers, and also have a beneficial effect on the speech center.

The normal development of a child, starting from infancy, requires activities to develop fine motor skills. Many parents have probably heard this term, but not everyone knows what it means and why classes are so necessary. Let's talk about development of fine motor skills: what is it, why are classes needed, what should they be?

Children's physiology and features of the development of fine motor skills

Gross motor skills are body movements that are performed under the command of psychoanalytic reactions in the brain center. There are three main types of motor skills:

1. Large. Working large muscles (jogging, push-ups)
2. Small. Movement of the hands and fingers. This includes combining actions (eyes + hands when drawing).
3. Articulatory. The ability and ability to coordinate the functions of speech skills (coherent conversation).

Western scientists, having conducted research in the field of psychology, concluded that exactly one third of the cerebral cortex is responsible for fine motor skills. This part is located next to the brain's speech center. This fact makes it possible to say that the development of fine motor skills in infants affects the process of formation:

• · speech skills;
• memory;
• thinking;
• logic;
• · imagination.

It was noticed that children who have good control over their hands are more diligent and get tired much less than children who were not given classes to develop fine motor skills.

A calendar of norms for the development of fine motor skills in children, or what and when should they be able to do?

Each age has its own standards for the development of fine motor skills, that is, the child is able to do a certain range of actions. As the nervous system matures and develops, the baby gains more and more developmental opportunities. The formation of these skills must be monitored, since each subsequent achievement can only occur after the successful development of certain skills of one’s age.

Step-by-step calendar of norms for the development of fine motor skills

1. 4 months after birth. During the first weeks, a newborn’s hands are clenched into fists, and if we talk about the development of fine motor skills, then it is precisely the unclenching of closed fists that can be called the first action in its development. All the baby’s movements are still reflexive, although the baby is trying to somehow coordinate them. Initially, he learns to control the movements of his eyes and head, then he reaches for objects with his hands, both left and right, without highlighting the dominant one. Having caught the object in the palm at the reflex level, he clamps the hand.
2. From 4 months to 1 year. The movement of hands and fingers is being improved. Initially, the baby learns to use only one hand when holding an object. Next, this item is transferred from one hand to another. By six months he confidently holds small objects in his palm, and by 7–8 he uses his thumb and index finger to pick up small toys from the floor. Actively and consciously uses his hands to help himself sit down, stand up, and hold on. Closer to 12 months, he can safely sort out beads. You can read more about the development of a baby of this age in the article:.
3. From 1 year to 2 years. Actions are improving. At this age, the baby knows how to hold a spoon and handle it. Drawing skills are demonstrated. He can draw scribbles, dots and not quite even circles. Closer to two years, it is noticeable which hand is dominant. The child actively uses the index finger, showing it and touching unfamiliar objects with it.
4. From 2 years to 3 years. The movements involve not only the hands, but also the forearms and elbows. By the age of three, the pencil takes the correct position in the hand and the first masterpieces emerge from under it in the form of straight lines, circles, ovals, and squares. At this time, the toddler needs to be introduced to scissors. Normally, at the age of three he can cut a sheet of paper in half.
5. From 3 years to 4 years. The work uses the second hand. So, if a child draws with his right hand, then with his left he already holds the sheet on which he draws. He is able to color shapes slightly outside the outline. It is quite possible to cut out a large drawn figure from paper. As he approaches four years of age, he can create beautiful small details in his drawings.
6. From 4 years to 5 years. Finger motor skills are almost perfect. The child, when playing and using drawing skills, does not use his entire hand, but only his brush. Coloring of drawings becomes clearer and the lines no longer go beyond the outline. Using scissors, he is able to cut quite complex figures.
7. From 5 years to 6 years. Hand movements are coordinated. The pen or pencil is already confidently “lying” in the dominant hand. The kid knows how to write straight sticks in a certain field. Uses scissors well. In addition to developing motor skills, you should think about social sociability and fostering independence. A pet is suitable for this purpose. If your choice falls on a dog, we recommend reading the article:.

What are the consequences of the absence of such development?

An insufficient level of fine motor skills inhibits the process of formation of speech functions. If you do not conduct classes with your toddler, starting from infancy, then as a consequence, problems with memory and logical thinking will arise in the future. Today there are quite a lot of devices, toys, and activities that can help a child. Parents, for their part, need to monitor the stages of development so that the child does not have problems with academic performance at school, since the lack of development of fine motor skills leads to a lack of concentration, increased fatigue, and these indicators will inevitably lead to a lag behind peers.

How to develop fine motor skills in children ?

Starting from birth, parents should devote time to developmental activities with their baby. First aid will be to place rattles in your palms. Next, you need to let him touch different fabrics and textures. From 8 months you can use the following development methods.

Developing fine motor skills with massage

Carrying out a competent massage on the palms of a baby is an excellent option for developing motor skills. For massage sessions, you can hire an experienced specialist or knead your palms yourself. Manipulations begin at 3 months. 5 minutes is enough for one session. The massage should be performed in the following sequence:

• · Gently stroke the child’s palm for a minute;
• ·Rub your palm until warm;
• · lightly tap your fingers over your hands and palms;
• bend and straighten your fingers several times;
• ·Massage each finger separately.

Developing fine motor skills with finger games

Game No1. Okay.

Everyone remembers these words: “Okay, okay, where were you at grandma’s...”. With the help of this game, the baby will learn to straighten his still reflexively curled fingers and clap his hands.

Game No2. Beads

Entrust your child to sort out buttons collected on a string or beads made from small beads. Children love to finger these small objects with their little fingers. At an older age, you can invite your child to string the beads onto a thread or fishing line on their own.

Game No3. Cereals

In addition to motor skills, such a game helps to become aware of tactile sensations. Pour any cereal into a bowl; buckwheat and rice are perfect. Give the bowl to the little one, let him touch it with his hands and pour the cereal into it. You can hide several small objects in a bowl of cereal and let the baby try to find them.

Game No4. Cinderella

After 3 years of age, allow your child to help in the kitchen. Mix 3 types of cereals (peas, buckwheat, beans) and let him separate the cereals into three different bowls.

Game No5. Guess

Blindfold your toddler and give him different objects in his hands, let him guess what he has in his hands.

From 7–9 months you can offer your child colored paper. Let him crush it, feel it, tear it. At an older age, teach him to tear paper into strips or create appliqués from it. The smaller the pieces of torn paper are, the more perfect the fine motor skills of the hands will become.

At the age of 1–1.5 years, show how to turn the pages in a book. The process will be much more exciting if the book has bright pictures.

Exercise No3. Making a rattle

Hand your child an empty plastic bottle and offer to throw small objects into it. This could be beans, buttons or beads. Pour them out onto the table and let him take them himself and throw them into the bottle. When you're done, spin the bottle and let him play with the resulting rattle.

Development of fine motor skills through classes

1. Drawing. Initially, this is learning to hold a pencil in your hands. Next, drawing the first sticks, dots, tracing the contours of various objects. After drawings, letters, etc.
2. Coloring. Teach your child to color both large and small objects. For these purposes, coloring books are a great help, which a child can already buy at 3 years old.
3. Modeling. This activity is suitable for any age. For this activity you can use plasticine, clay or dough. Initially, it is enough to roll a ball or strip of plasticine. Any preparation of a dough dish can be turned into an exciting game. The baby will eagerly help you roll out and shape the dough. Find out how to have fun spending time with your baby and make memorable impressions from the article:.
4. Cutting out. Children's scissors without sharp ends can be given to a child closer to 3 years old. After he learns how to handle them, give him a glue stick and colored paper. Creating an applique will help develop your imagination.
5. Embroidery. By the age of 5–6 years, it will be relevant to embroider with your child. More details about this lesson in the article:.

Developing fine motor skills with educational toys

1. Finger dexterity toys. Make a toy out of empty plastic bottles of different sizes and colors. The main idea is to twist and unscrew the caps on these bottles.
2. Buttons. Teach your child to fasten and unfasten buttons, open and close zippers. He can do this on his clothes or on yours.
3. Lacing. For these purposes, you can use an old unnecessary shoe or make a model with lacing. Let your baby lace and unlace shoelaces or ribbons.
4. Mosaic. The main condition is that the details must be age appropriate. So, you can offer large details to little toddlers. Adults can purchase mosaics with small parts.
5. Board with objects. This toy is made from a piece of plywood and all kinds of devices: a switch, a latch, door hinges and other parts used in everyday life. The baby touches them with interest, opens them, turns them on.
6. Puzzles. A great option for developing fine motor skills. These can be large puzzles that fold into a children's mat for the little ones. For older children, you can use magnetic puzzles on the refrigerator. Well, for school age, standard paper puzzles with many details are suitable.
7. Pyramid. This toy develops not only motor skills, but also logic. After all, the rings of the pyramid must be added from largest to smallest.
8. Constructor. For older children, a construction set with small parts is suitable. This toy trains the development of motor skills, logic, perseverance and many other skills.

If you look at it, any housework can turn into developing fine motor skills for your child. You can train small fingers and grasping movements in all sorts of ways, the main thing is to show a little imagination. Engage in drawing, modeling, coloring with your child and in the future you will not have problems with your child’s academic performance and development.

Author of the publication: Leonid Guryev 

Motor skills in older people: how to maintain physical condition

Motor skills are the sum of body movements of the entire human body or some of its organs, which is aimed at achieving a specific task. It is classified into types: fine, gross and motor skills of individual organs.

Large - implies changes in the position of the entire body. Fine motor skills usually involve the work of the eyes and hands, and its training is aimed at developing by increasing the activity of the fingers. This occurs due to the fact that their nerve endings are located close to each other, which determines the inextricable connection.

The occurrence of difficulties with motor skills not only worsens the physical condition, but also negatively affects the psycho-emotional component, therefore motor skill training is extremely necessary for the human body for developmental purposes.

The importance of motor skills for the body

Fine motor skills of the hands directly determine active speech.

Therefore, in old age it helps to restore speech function (in case of its temporary loss, due to, for example), in addition, it is a good training exercise, improves attention, develops imagination, and helps restore the functioning of the limbs.

Gross motor skills help maintain physical fitness, maintain balance, and “feel” your body.

Areas of the brain responsible for motor skills

Coordination of body movements is determined by five areas of the brain, including:

Areas of the human brain

1. cerebellum;
2. white and gray matter. Brain stem cells are responsible for sensation (the way we hear sound, see light, smell scent). If there are problems with them, problems with teeth, speech, and development are observed. To improve the situation, you should include trampoline jumping in your life).
3. frontal lobe;
4. sensory zone
5. motor zone.

The frontal cortex is directly responsible for coordinating body movement, and the sensory cortex determines the sensitive perception of the surrounding world.

Problems of the right hemisphere are characterized by such deviations in human development as the inability to concentrate work, anxiety, nervous tension, and bad mood. To combat this, skiing in the fresh air and playing tennis are suitable.

Applications - an activity to improve motor skills

To solve the problem of developing fine motor skills in older people, it is necessary to perform exercises in a complex, and not as individual elements. In addition, the desire and attitude for this are important, because a positive result directly depends on the mood and emotions experienced as you perform the exercises.

Exercises to restore and maintain motor skills

To develop fine motor skills, you should perform a number of exercises:

• work with the hands (bend and extend);
• train your fingers (flexion and extension of each of them separately and in a common fist);
• cook (you can make homemade pies or dumplings);
• sculpt from plasticine;
• do handicrafts (crocheting or knitting, embroidery, weaving - all this is useful);

Group classes

• sew on buttons and darn clothes, tie shoelaces or weave knots;
• color (paints and pencils are a good helper in the development of fine motor skills);
• exercises with sand are also highly effective;
• collect puzzles and various construction sets;
• sorting through cereals (this is a rather tedious activity, however, it is useful not only for training fine motor skills, but also for vision);
• cut out appliques.

Exercises to develop fine motor skills should be done every day (at least 5-10 minutes). This leads to an improvement in mood, firstly, due to communication with people, and secondly, the achievement of certain results during the process brings joy.

You can also get a good effect with a classic hand massage. To do this, you can use your own hands or “give” yourself into the hands of a specialist or relative.

To improve results, pharmacies have a wide variety of massage devices (massage balls, rings, etc.) that strengthen the muscles of the hands, have a positive effect on joints, improve blood flow, and increase sensitivity.

conclusions

Movement is life. Motor skills are a reflection of the functioning of the brain, the degree of development of intellectual activity and memory.

By improving motor functions, you can directly influence the functioning of the nervous system, improving its functioning, increasing the level of thinking and working with speech active centers.

The development of motor skills in old age is not only a way to improve coordination, develop attention and memory, which fights the aging of the body, but also positive emotions and a good mood.

Introduction

In Russia, it has long been customary to teach children to play with their fingers from an early age. These were games such as “Ladushki”, “Magpie-white-sided”, etc. After washing the baby’s hands, they dried them with a towel, as if massaging each finger individually.

It has been proven that fine finger work promotes speech development in children. Therefore, it is very important to develop fine motor skills in a child from a very early age. But just doing exercises will be boring for your baby - you need to turn them into interesting and useful games.

Recently, on the packaging of children's games you can see the inscription: “For the development of fine motor skills of the hands.” Many parents have heard about this concept, but not everyone knows how to develop fine motor skills and why it needs to be done.

It is now known that at the initial stage of life, it is fine motor skills that reflect how your baby develops and indicate his intellectual abilities. His further development depends on how deftly a child learns to control his fingers at a very early age.

Under the term fine motor skills refers to the coordinated movements of the small muscles of the fingers and hands. They are important not only for performing various daily activities, but also for stimulating the development of children's brains.

Along with the development of fine motor skills, your baby's memory, attention, and vocabulary develop.

Periods of child development in preschool age

The famous Italian teacher Maria Montessori identified three periods of child development:

Development of children's speech (from 0 to 6 years). At this time, two important events occur. From 1 year to 2.5 years, a child’s vocabulary quickly expands. At 4-4.5 years old, he masters writing (but only if fine motor skills are developed);

Perception of small objects (from 1.5 to 5.5 years). At this age, the child loves to play with buttons, beads, sticks, etc. With the help of such objects, you can develop the motor skills of the child’s hands. Just be sure to make sure your baby doesn’t put them in his mouth;

Formation of simple self-service skills (from 1 year to 4 years). At this age, the child is taught to dress, eat and perform hygiene procedures independently.

1. Exercises to develop fine motor skills are carried out in a complex, starting from the first months of a child’s life.

2. In the set of exercises, try to include tasks for squeezing, relaxing and stretching the baby’s hands.

3. Start or end your sessions with a hand massage session.

4. Carry out work on developing fine motor skills regularly, in accordance with the age and taking into account the level of physical development of the baby.

5. At first, the adult performs all movements with the baby’s hands, and as the child masters it, he begins to do them independently.

6. Carefully ensure that the child performs the exercises correctly. If your child finds it difficult to complete any task, immediately help him: fix the desired position of his fingers, etc.

7. Alternate between new and old games and exercises. After your child has mastered simple motor skills, move on to mastering more complex ones.

8. Perform certain movements simultaneously with listening (and then with the child pronouncing) the poem.

9. Encourage your child’s creative activity, let him come up with some exercises himself.

10. Conduct classes emotionally, actively, praise your child for his successes, but do not forget to monitor his mood and physical condition.

Exercises to develop fine motor skills for children from 0 to 2 years old

1. "Magpie-white-sided"

First, the adult runs his finger over the child’s palm and says: “The magpie is cooking porridge.” Then the baby himself begins to move his finger along his palm. Let’s complicate the game: in the phrase “I gave it to this one,” the adult alternately bends the child’s fingers to the palm, except for the little finger: “But I didn’t give it to this one.” Shaking it slightly, we say with a playful reproach: “You didn’t carry water...”, etc.

Magpie white-sided
Cooked porridge
She fed the children.
Gave this one
Gave this one
Gave this one
Gave this one
But she didn’t give it to this:
“You didn’t carry water,
I didn’t chop wood
I didn’t cook porridge
You have nothing."

2. “Ladushki-crackers”

Take the baby's hands in yours and clap them. Show your child the movements and ask them to repeat them.

Okay, okay,
Sounding crackers.
They clapped their hands,
They clapped a little.

3. “Okay”

Read the nursery rhyme and at the same time accompany the words with gestures

Okay, okay!

(Show your baby your palms.)

Where were you?
By Grandma.
What did you eat?
Porridge.
What did you drink?
Mash.

(Clap your hands.)

Butter porridge,
Sweet mash,
Grandma is kind.
We drank and ate!
Shu - let's fly!
They sat on the head.

(Raise your arms up, turning your palms left and right, then lower them “house” on your head.)

4. "House"

This is a house.

(Put both palms towards each other.)

This is the roof.

(Place your palms together and interlace your fingers.)

And the pipe is even higher.

(Lift all fingers up without releasing them.)

5. "Hide and Seek"

Fingers are playing hide and seek,
They are opening,

(Raise your palm and spread all your fingers.)

Closed.

(Place your fingers together and make a fist.)

6. "Bunnies"

Place all fingers of one hand on the table.

The bunnies came out to the meadow,
We stood in a small circle.
One bunny, two bunnies, three bunnies,
Four bunnies, five...

(Count the bunnies.)

Let's knock our paws.

(Tap all your fingers on the table together or discordantly.)

Knocked, knocked
And tired.
We sat down to rest.

(Fold your fingers into a fist.)

7. “Hello, finger”

Alternately touch your index, middle, ring and little fingers to your thumb.

Hello, dear finger,
So we met you.

8. “Strong fingers”

Bend your fingers and invite your baby to do the same. Then take his fingers and pull them each in a different direction.

Massage of palms and fingers for children from 0 to 2 years old

Finger massage is very useful for a small child. The fingers are closely connected with the brain and internal organs: the little finger is with the heart, the ring finger is with the liver, the middle finger is with the intestines and spine, the index finger is with the stomach, and the thumb is with the brain.

1. Take your baby's palm and thoroughly massage each finger, starting with the little finger. Perform massage movements from the nail phalanx to the palm, paying attention to each joint.

2. Massage the baby's fingertips, applying light pressure to them.

3. Massage your baby's palms with your index finger in a circular motion.

4. Take the child’s palm in your hand and, using light pressure from your thumb, make circular movements in the center of the palm.

5. Massage your fingers with a ring spiral massager. Place the massager on your baby's finger and use up-and-down movements to massage the fingers in the same sequence (starting with the little finger).

6. Take two massage brushes and run them over the child’s palms. His hands lie on his knees, palms up.

Exercises to develop fine motor skills for children over 2 years old

1. "Fisherman"

Pour water into a bowl and throw in several small objects: pieces of cork, twigs, large beads, etc. Invite your baby, using a small sieve tied to a stick, to catch all these objects in turn and put them on a plate on the tray on the right from the bowl. The baby should hold the “fishing rod” with one hand.

2. "Path"

Make a path 3-5 cm wide on the table, bounded on both sides by strips of paper. Invite your child to sprinkle it with semolina or millet. You need to pick up the cereal with three fingers and try not to spill it over the edges of the path.

3. “Magic Spoon”

Place two cups on the tray: on the left is a cup with cereal, and on the right is empty. Moving your child's hand, show him how to take the cereal with a spoon. Carefully bring the spoon to the empty cup and tip it over it. Task: pour all the cereal from the left cup to the right one.

4. “Sweet tea”

Your baby can already add sugar to his tea on his own. Now teach him to stir sugar in a mug.

5. "Salute"

The child takes small pieces of colored paper and tries to tear them as small as possible. He places the torn pieces on a saucer. Then you need to take all the pieces in your palms and throw them up.

6. “Make a lump”

Give your child a piece of paper. His task: to crumple the leaf so as to form a dense lump.

7. "Spyglass"

The child takes a sheet of A4 paper and rolls it into a tube with both hands, after which he brings the tube to his eye and examines surrounding objects through it.

8. “Collect the sticks”

Scatter the counting sticks in front of the child. The kid must collect them all one by one back into the box.

Massage of palms and fingers with a prickly massage ball

1. The ball is between the child’s palms, fingers pressed against each other. Make massage movements by rolling the ball back and forth.

2. The ball is between the child’s palms, fingers pressed against each other. Make circular movements, rolling the ball between your palms.

3. Hold the ball with your fingertips and make forward rotational movements (as if you were twisting a lid).

4. Holding the ball with your fingertips, press them firmly onto the ball (4-6 times).

5. Hold the ball with your fingertips and rotate backwards (as if you were opening a lid).

6. Throw the ball with both hands to a height of 20-30 cm and catch it.

7. Hold the ball between your palms, fingers clasped together, elbows pointing out to the sides. Press your palms onto the ball (4-6 times).

8. Transfer the ball from one palm to the other, gradually increasing the pace.

Exercises to develop fine motor skills for children 3 years old

1. "Labyrinth"

Draw a labyrinth on a piece of paper. Let the baby walk along it with a pencil or just a finger. To make it more interesting for the child to complete the task, you can come up with a short fairy tale: tell where this labyrinth leads, to whom, who should go through it.

2. "Beads"

Stringing buttons, beads, pasta, dryers, etc. on a fishing line or thread is good for developing a baby's hand. Start with objects that have a wider hole - this will make it easier for the baby to master this task at first.

3. “Walk the path”

Draw a simple path on a large checkered sheet of paper. Ask your child to trace it with his finger and a colored pencil. If the child copes with this task, draw a more difficult path.

4. "Figures"

From the age of 3, children can already be taught to cut out geometric shapes with scissors and glue them onto a sheet of paper. It is important that the scissors have rounded ends, that is, safe.

5. "Surprise"

Wrap the badge in 4-5 candy wrappers. Ask your child to unwrap all the candy wrappers and fold them neatly.

6. “Clothes pegs on the basket”

Place a basket of clothespins on the table. Take the clothespin with three fingers and attach it to the edge of the basket. Invite your child to do the same. Once your baby has mastered this, invite him to attach all the clothespins.

7. “Colorful clothespins”

There is a basket with colorful clothespins on the table. Ask your child to use three fingers to attach a white, red, blue, green... clothespin to the edge of the basket.

8. "Treat"

Invite your child to make treats for toys from plasticine (sushi, bagels, gingerbreads, cookies, candies) and decorate them with cereals, beads, etc. Cut out plates from thick cardboard and ask your child to beautifully arrange the prepared treats on them.

Finger games

A very important part of the development of fine motor skills are finger games, which activate the child’s brain, promote speech development and help prepare the hand for writing.

During these games, children develop dexterity, the ability to control their actions and concentrate attention on one type of activity.

By the age of 5, children have already learned to perform tasks that require sufficient accuracy and coordination of hand movements.

All the exercises offered here must be performed at a slow pace, from 3 to 5 times, first with one hand and then with the other. Make sure they are performed correctly. Do the exercises for a few minutes, 2-3 times a day.

1. "Kitten"

Clench and unclench the fingers of both hands.

You, kitten, are not food!
Better look for your mom.

2. "Squirrel"

Extend all fingers one by one, starting with the thumb. Perform the exercise with your right hand first, and then with your left.

A squirrel sits on a cart
She sells nuts
To my little fox sister,
Sparrow, titmouse,
To the fat-fifted bear,
Bunny with a mustache.

3. “Scratch-scratch”

The child places his hand on top of yours. You read a poem, and the baby listens to you carefully. When you say “scratch-scratch,” he must pull back the handle so that his fingers do not fall into your “trap.” Then the other hand comes into play. After a while you can switch roles.

Along the palm, along the path
A little cat walks
In little paws
I hid the scratches.
If you suddenly want -
He will sharpen his claws.
Scratch-scratch!

4. “Funny Fingers”

Make a fist with your fingers. Unbend them one by one, starting with the largest one. Then rotate the brush left and right 5 times.

The thumb danced
Index - jumped,
Middle finger - squatted,
The nameless one kept spinning,
And the little finger was having fun.

5. "Fan"

Keep your palms in front of you, fingers pressed (“fan closed”). Spread wide, and then press your fingers together (“open and close the fan”). Wave your brushes towards and away from you (“fan yourself”) 6-8 times.

6. "Peacock"

Connect all fingers of your left hand to your thumb. Place the palm of your right hand with open fingers on the back of your left hand (“peacock tail”). Connect and spread your fingers (“the peacock opens and closes its tail”).

At the cheerful peacock
A basket full of fruit.
The peacock is waiting for friends to visit,
In the meantime, the peacock is alone.

7. "Butterfly"

Make a fist with your fingers. Alternately straighten the little finger, ring and middle fingers, and connect the thumb and index into a ring. With straightened fingers, make quick movements (“the butterfly flaps its wings”) - first with one hand, then with the other.

8. “Get ready to exercise!”«

Bend your fingers towards your palm one by one, starting with the little finger. Then touch all the others with your thumb, as if lifting them up for exercise. After this, do exercises - clench and unclench your fist 5 times.

The fifth finger was fast asleep.
The fourth finger was just dozing.
Third finger - fell asleep.
The second finger kept yawning.
The first finger rose vigorously,
Got everyone up for exercise.

Exercises to develop fine motor skills for children 3-4 years old

1. “Bumps on a plate”

Invite your child to roll pine, spruce and cedar cones around the plate. First let him roll one cone, then two, three, etc.

2. “Circle the object”

You can trace anything that comes to hand: the bottom of a glass, an inverted saucer, your own palm, a spoon, etc.

3. “Magic pattern”

Poke holes in thick cardboard with an awl or nail - they should be located in a certain order and represent a geometric figure, design or pattern. Let the child embroider the design himself using a thick needle and bright thread.

4. “Sew on a button”

Show your child how to sew on a button. After this, let the baby do the same under your supervision.

5. “Colorful snowflakes”

Show your child how paper snowflakes are made. After your child manages to cut out a snowflake, ask him to color it. Let the child cut out a few more snowflakes and color them as well.

6. "Lace up your shoe"

Show your child how to lace a shoe in different ways. First, lace up the boot with it. Once your child has mastered the lacing technique, ask him to lace the shoe himself.

7. “Magic pipette”

Invite your child to play wizards. Paint several different colored spots on a sheet of paper. Show your child how to use a pipette to drop just one drop. After that, let him drop a drop of water on each colored spot. Then watch with your child how the stain grows and turns into a pattern.

8. "The Little Pharmacist"

Tell your child about the work of a pharmacist. Then show him how to use tweezers to arrange and move the beads from place to place. You can use beads of different sizes in the game.

Massage of palms and fingers with natural materials

For children 4 years old, you can offer a massage using pine, spruce, cedar cones, walnuts, and hazelnuts.

1. "Twist the cone"

Take a pine cone and place it between your baby's palms. Ask your child to spin the pine cone (like a wheel) in different directions for about 2-3 minutes.

2. “Roll the bump”

First, the exercise is performed with one spruce cone, then with two. Rotate the pine cones between your palms for 1-3 minutes.

3. "Catch the bump"

Take any pine cone. Ask your child to throw it up with both hands, and then catch it with both hands. After the baby masters this exercise, you can complicate it: toss and catch the pine cone with one hand; throw a cone with your right hand and catch it with your left - and vice versa. The duration of the exercise is 2 minutes.

4. "Walnut"

Roll the nut over the palm of your right hand, then over the back of your left hand. The duration of the exercise is approximately 3 minutes.

5. “Pour in the nuts”

Place a handful of hazelnuts from one hand to the other. The duration of the exercise is 1-2 minutes.

6. “Nuts on a tray”

Place a handful of hazelnuts on a tray. Roll the nuts with your palms and the backs of your hands. The duration of the exercise is 1-2 minutes.

7. “Grains”

Here you can use a variety of grains: buckwheat, rice, millet, etc. And the exercises can also be very different: squeeze the grains in a fist, pour them from one hand to the other, mix in a deep bowl, etc. The duration of each exercise is 3 minutes.

8. “Tender Feather”

Run the pen over the surface of the palms and back of the child's hands. The duration of the exercise is 3 minutes.

Working with plasticine

Here you will need several copies of the drawings given in this section. This will allow your baby to acquire the skill of carefully working with plasticine. His best works can be used as an exhibition.

You will need plasticine of different colors.

1. "Snowman"

Invite your child to decorate a snowman using plasticine. Let the baby work hard and smear the plasticine with his fingers, without going beyond the boundaries of the outline of the drawing.