Fine motor skills refer to the small movements of the hands and fingers. These are vital in all areas of a child’s life, and difficulties can result in reduced independence, difficulties at school and low self-confidence.
Some of the difficulties you may have noticed in your child could be:
- Difficulty manipulating small objects (e.g. opening containers, playing with Lego)
- Uses an immature grasp when picking up objects
- Trouble using both hands together
- Struggles with dressing independently (especially buttons and zips)
- Poor pencil grasp
- Messy handwriting / drawing
- Difficulty using scissors
At The Kids Place:
- We offer a comprehensive assessment of fine motor skills to identify the nature of your child’s difficulties and the underlying reasons for them.
- We offer individual therapy sessions to work on building fine motor skills, helping play skills and improving handwriting.
- We can provide home programs to support you to work with your child.
- We liaise with schools or other relevant professionals.
- We offer groups where your child can develop their fine motor skills including “Big School” Squad and some of our holiday squads.
Fine Motor skills do not develop in isolation. Poor core stability, weak shoulder muscles, and poor coordination can all impact a child’s abilities to use their hands effectively. Working closely alongside our physiotherapy team allows for quick and easy collaboration as needed for each individual and when recommended we will share these children’s therapy sessions.