Fine psychomotor skills are those body movements that require greater dexterity and skill, a greater mastery of movements, especially of hands and arms. For example, grafomotricity requires a sufficient development of fine motor skills.
These activities discussed below serve to develop fine motor skills, from three points of view: hand dexterity, finger dexterity and visual and manual coordination.
Many are spontaneous activities that children do already from babies in contact with their surroundings and with parents (for example, clapping, picking up objects ...); others are more directed activities, and most are but a way of playing.
In any case, remember that the development of psychomotor activity normally occurs as the child grows, but if there is any deficiency (to be determined by a specialist) it can be stimulate their development by carrying out these activities.
Activities to develop hand dexterity
- Touch palms, first freely, then following a rhythm.
- Bring one or more objects in balance in the palm of the hand, first in one hand, then in both.
- Make strokes freely on sand and / or on water.
- Perform hand gestures accompanying children's songs, a fun game since they are babies.
- Turn your hands, first with your fists clenched, then with your fingers extended.
- Move both hands simultaneously in several directions (up, down, circular motion ...)
- Imitate with the hands movements of animals (lion moving claws, flying bird ...) or objects (mill blades, helicopter propellers.
- Open one hand while closing the other, first slowly, then faster.
Activities to develop finger dexterity
- Open and close the fingers of the hand, first simultaneously, then alternating. Increase speed.
- Join and separate fingers, first freely, then following orders.
- Touch each finger with the thumb of the corresponding hand, increasing the speed.
- "Play the drum" or "type" with your fingers on the table, increasing the speed.
- With your hand closed, remove your fingers one after the other, starting with the pinky
- With both hands on the table, lift your fingers one after the other, starting with the little fingers.
Activities to develop visomanual coordination
- Throw objects, both with one and another hand, trying to hit the target (box, bin ...).
- Screw and unscrew caps, boats, nuts ...
- String a cord into plates and / or perforated balls.
- Button and unbutton buttons.
- Tie and untie ties.
- Fit and discard objects.
- Manipulate small objects (lentils, buttons ...).
- Model with plasticine balls, cylinders ...
- Turn the pages of a book.
- Shuffle, hand out cards ...
- Chopped with punch, perforated drawings ...
- Tear and trim with fingers.
- Fold paper and tear through the fold.
As we see in this last point, some activities require a more consolidated level of skill, although the little ones already do their practices by passing sheets of books or magazines (what baby has not been entertained with that) or cutting…
In short, many of these activities for fine psychomotor development they are nothing but entertainments or games, or at least they should be for children, most of whom acquire these skills as they grow unconsciously.
