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Your Child's Development & Learning

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Small Muscle Movement and Dexterity, Hand-Eye Coordination

Hands are so, well, handy! Your baby is becoming more and more aware of what his hands are capable of, and he is using them to do experiments on the objects around him: what happens if I bang these blocks together? What happens if I poke my applesauce with my finger? He is becoming more adept at using the pincer grasp, and with that he'll be able to feed himself finger foods and hold art supplies like chunky crayons and wide markers. So be sure to make plenty of space on your fridge for all the art work to follow!

Has your baby achieved the following Small Muscle Movement and Dexterity and Hand-Eye Coordination developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date!

Fits one object into another (e.g. small toy in a box, cereal puffs into bowl or jar).

Enjoys banging objects together.

Begins to feed self finger foods (e.g. crackers, diced fruit, cereal puffs).

Picks up small objects (e.g. cereal puffs, string) with pincer grasp (i.e. tips of thumb and finger).

Pokes at holes with index fingers or tries to get small objects out of a small container.

Begins to scribble.

Sources: This development milestone tracker is not a learning disability screening tool or test. If you have any questions related to your child's development and learning abilities, please speak to your pediatrician and care providers for guidance and resources.