Has your child recently taken a greater interest in art projects? Or, perhaps he’s trying his hand at scribbling? Are you running out of wall space from displaying his creations? At this age, 18-24 months, it’s common to see an increase in art, scribbling, and “writing” output.¹ Supporting his interest in art and writing goes hand in hand with improving manual dexterity and fine muscle skills.

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Because babies develop from the head down and from the inside out,² the first step is to help your child strengthen his gross motor muscles (e.g. arms, legs), which in turn support his fine muscle development (e.g. hands).³ Activities like crawling, carrying, and climbing will strengthen his hand and arm muscles, providing him with greater overall body control and dexterity. Even though your toddler may be getting around on his feet, try to make time for a toddler type of tummy time. The act of crawling through a tunnel or across the floor while driving a toy car will support hand and arm strength.

With stronger arms and hands comes stronger fine muscle skills. As his hand strength and coordination grow, he will be able to manipulate objects with greater ease and ability. You’ll see this as your child begins to scribble with more control and meaning or easily completes a lacing card. And of course, all these fine muscle activities build on each other to improve his manual dexterity still further.

Children who are 18-24 months old also begin demonstrating greater hand-eye coordination skills, “the ability of the eyes to guide the hands in movements.”⁴ He is gaining more control of his wrists and fingers, which will allow him to place the correct shapes through corresponding holes in a shape sorter or wooden puzzle with increasing success. In addition to physical development, scientists at Indiana University have found “a strong correlation between hand-eye coordination, learning abilities, and social communication skills.”⁵ So, encourage your child to string beads together, pour sand or water from one container to another without spilling much, and use his hands during simple finger games and songs (e.g. Wheels on the Bus, Pat-a-Cake),⁶ knowing that it will also help his speech and overall learning in the long run!

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your child’s development of these Small Muscle Movement and Dexterity skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Offer your child the opportunity to explore a variety of fine motor activities.⁷ At this age, your child is developing the fine motor muscle memory and coordination that will enable him to do many intricate tasks. Encourage him with play time that includes dumping water in and out of different sized cups, hammering blocks, putting together large pop beads, lacing shapes on cards, placing pegs on boards, stringing large shape beads, sorting shapes, and solving simple puzzles.⁶
2. Encourage your toddler to draw and write.⁸ Give your child opportunities to scribble, color, or paint, letting him use his imagination and explore the results of the different materials. Incorporate writing activities into games like “Restaurant” or “Post Office” to create a real world connection to the importance of writing skills. Praise his efforts and ask him to explain each drawing or talk about what he wrote. Not only does early writing and art help develop your child’s Art Appreciation and Creation and Expressive Language skills, it also supports and refines his fine motor skills.
3. Sing finger play songs that incorporate simple hand motions.⁶ Children’s favorites such as “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Pat-a-Cake,” and “Where Is Thumbkin?” help develop your child’s finger and wrist muscles while keeping him entertained and engaged.

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Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Small Muscle Movement and Dexterity developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Scribbles well.

Sources:

¹Zero to Three. Learning to Write and Draw. Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.zerotothree.org/early-care-education/early-language-literacy/writing-and-art-skills.html.

²von Hahn, Ludwig. A Look at Motor Development in Children. Tufts University: Tufts Open Courseware – Human Growth and Development Lectures. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://ocw.tufts.edu/Content/35/lecturenotes/375738.

³Brook, Gayle; Wagenfeld, Amy; and Thompson, Cathy. Fine Motor Development and Early School Performance. Fingergym: Fine Motor Skills School Readiness Program. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.fingergym.info/ffmssrpdownloads.htm, under “Sample text pages.”

⁴le Roux, Tracey. How Does Handedness Develop? OT Mom Learning Activities. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/.

⁵Bergland, Christopher (2013). Hand-Eye Coordination Improves Cognitive and Social Skills. Psychology Today: The Athlete’s Way. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201311/hand-eye-coordination-improves-cognitive-and-social-skills.

⁶Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

⁷Washington State Department of Early Learning (2012). Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines: Birth through 3rd Grade.

⁹Illinois State Board of Education. For Children Birth to Age Three: Illinois Early Learning Guidelines.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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