Welcome! I will be discussing how to develop Fine Motor Skills in young children to encourage mark making.

Theory Fine Motor Skills refer to the coordination of small muscle movements which occur e.g., in the fingers, usually in coordination with the eyes. The use of hands develops over time, starting with primitive gestures such as grabbing at objects to more precise activities that involve precise eye–hand coordination. Fine motor skills are skills that involve a refined use of the small muscles controlling the hand, fingers, and thumb allowing a child to be able to complete tasks such as writing, drawing, and buttoning. Grasp/grabbing/pincer

Put on and take off simplistic articles of clothing. Manipulate clothing with zippers, Use spoons, String together beads with large holes Open doors with doorknobs Manipulate clothing with larger buttons Use scissors to cut paper Copy simple lined shapes using a pencil Dress and undress themselves without assistance Manipulate a fork Cut around shapes with a pair of scissors Cut softer foods with a knife Tie his or her own shoes

Have a go!! There are a variety of activities on the table that young children take part in on a daily basis. Work your way around the table trying out the activities while thinking about the level of difficulty and what skills are required for you to complete it.

Writing skills It is critical to understand the development of children's fine motor skills to understand the reasoning behind why they complete certain tasks in a certain way.

Mark Making Through their marks, they are communicating their ideas, expressing their feelings, developing their imagination and creativity. These opportunities for making ‘thinking visible’ are fundamental to a child’s development. ‘Scribbles are products of a systematic investigation, rather than haphazard actions’. Matthews (1999),

Babies take delight in the pure physicality of the activity, and then gradually realise that they can control the marks they make with increasing dexterity. Through interactions with interested adults, babies learn that spoken words carry meaning, they discover that the marks that they make can also communicate their feelings, thoughts and ideas. Mark making and speech provide children with powerful tools for thinking, reasoning and problem solving. Children learn best through active, play-based experiences in a carefully planned environment. Mark making gives children an opportunity to explore and express their thought processes and to apply, practise and consolidate their rapidly developing new skills.

Inside Experiences Registers – self-registration marks Name writing – different purposes Diaries and calendars – recording significant events Telephone/address book – recording phone numbers and addresses Cooking – writing recipes and ingredients, providing scales, clocks and timers to record weight, volume and time Dance – making marks to music, ribbons on sticks Office – taking messages, signing in or out Art area – collages, painting, using clay Quiet area – pads, paper and pens to record feelings Graphics area – different types of paper, diaries, letters, envelopes and stamps, postcards, invitations, tickets, maps, plus opportunities for recording counting, measuring, calculating and quantities Recording measurements in big block area Music area – recording the beat, length of sounds White boards in group areas – registration, names, recording counting and calculations Role-play area, e.g. shoe shop – filling in slips and order forms, shoe sizes on boxes Small world area – drawing maps, roads, homes, directions

Outside Experiences Big chalks on floor Mud and twigs of different lengths and sizes Sensory play – making marks on builders trays in different textures Playhouse with pads, paper, books Gazebo – clipboards and paper, envelopes Fabric sheets – with mud, sticks different lengths and widths Maps – huge sheets, fat felt pens Spray painting – water sprayers Picnic table covered in large sheets of paper Rolls of paper on the floor Mark-making trolley – variety of equipment, different shapes and sizes Forest area, making marks with sticks in the mud Garage area, filling in slips, recording findings

Boys’ mark making tends to flourish when the pressure is off, the choice is theirs and the motivation arises from a specific desire to communicate. They are more often to be seen making marks outside than in the classroom – it may be that they need to make a sign for a den that they have built – but the motivation is always the same the marks are meaningful and relevant to them as individuals. They are spontaneous and not imposed or directed.

Examples

Manipulative materials Toys that require a child to manipulate it with his fingers and hands. Manipulatives involve coordinating the eye to what the hands are needed to do stimulating fine motor development. Some manipulative toys, such as puzzles, are self- correcting, fitting together in only one specific way. These types of toys only fit together one way and allow children to work until they achieve success.

Dough Gym Dough Gym is a very effective programme for children who need to work on their upper body and motor development. There will also be children who need more focused input on their hands, fingers and grip.

Activity Time Play dough is a manipulative that can help strengthen a child's fine motor skills. It can be rolled into balls, tooth picks can be used to create designs in the dough, and plastic knives can be used to cut the dough. Now it’s your turn!! – Dough Gym!

Finally……….. Adults should provide for generous amounts of time, space and attention to be given to children’s mark making. Respectful and sensitive, celebrating children’s creative efforts and innovations, so that confidence and positive attitudes to learning are affirmed. Feedback should be sensitive and where guidance is needed this should be through the provision of positive adult models.