Question

What is the difference between gross and and fine motor skills? What are some of the major development milestones that occur in the preschool years? What type of activities can help a child to develop their gross and fine motor skills?

Answer 1

Gross motor skills are muscular skills that are required while walking, jumping, running etc. They are larger movements with hands, legs or the entire body of a child. They are also related to maintaining bodily posture and balance while moving the body.

Fine motor skills are skills and abilities that enable the children to pick up things, to scribble and write, to button and unbutton, to zip zippers, to open doors etc. These movements are smaller movements that require better eye hand coordination to perform.

The major developmental milestones that occur during the preschool years are that children acquire gross skills as walking with better gait, jump, run and are able to maintain their posture and balance while doing so. Tripping, stumbling decreases as they grow in age and as they master these abilities. In the area of fine motor skills, preschoolers are able to open door with ease, learn to hold pencil and scribble, zip zippers, pick things from floor, learn to button and unbutton, hold spoons and eat with spoons etc. Many of the fine skills are developing in the preschoolers as writing ability, eating with spoon etc.

The activities that would help to develop gross skills are outdoor activities as climbing ladders in the play ground, dancing, hopscotching, catching and throwing ball games, flying a kite etc. All those physical activities that includes the use larger movements are useful in developing gross motor skills but these activities should be under the guidance of adults.

Developing fine motor skills includes activities as picking up toys or smaller balls to improve their pincer grasps. Filling and dumbing activities where the preschoolers are involved in picking up things and filling a bin and then emptying it, this would enhance grip and finger strenght. Building towers with legos to improve eye-hand coordination and concentration. Encouraging them to scribble, draw, color to achieve better writing and draeidr skills. Encouraging them to use spoons and forks while having their meals. These activities would enhance the fine motor skills and would enable the preschoolers to master them.