What are motor skills?

Motor skills are an essential factor of development for all children. These skills are movements of the body which are made when the brain, nervous system and muscles work in conjunction with each other. Through each stage of a child’s development, motor skills will continue to develop from small grasps of the hand to jumping and catching. Both fine (small) motor skills and gross (large) motor skills will contribute to a child’s development and independence.

Fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are small actions a baby/child will make – some examples of these include when a baby uses their fingers and thumb to pick up objects, and feeling and tasting objects with their mouth and lips. For slightly older children, good examples of fine motor skills include actions like tying shoelaces or using scissors to cut up paper.